How To Turn Executives Into Wizards

Abstract: Some may be surprised by the claim that ‘negotiating power is the sine-qua-non for everyone for success in life and career’ because in popular parlance the scope of negotiating has been narrowed down as a necessary skill only for diplomatic and commercial functions. In reality, though, people of all ages and types negotiate all the time. This is obvious from the definition of negotiating in the  Longmans dictionary: "to talk with another person or group in order to come to an agreement". The following facts reveal that life and career are a series of negotiations and their consequences. Though (i) all people negotiate all the time, and (ii)success in life and career depends on honing the skills, this vital subject is not included in the curricula of most educational institutions; a few offer it as an ‘elective’ subject. Given it’s decisive impact on success,  it is high time to make negotiation skills a compulsory subject in schools and colleges. Here are some facts...

“Krishna? A surprise visit on a Sunday morning? What’s brought you away from your weekend priority of introducing novel stuff in your beautiful garden?”   “Guru, I sense a crisis in my career and need your help.”   “Leave aside the formalities. As friends, we face all difficulties together. Tell me, what’s bothering you?”   “We had our first meeting of the ‘USA Study Group’ last evening. Each one had to suggest projects in 3D manufacturing for discussions during the training sessions in the U.S. The first task is to submit a write-up on the key factors in the business environment that will influence the success of the suggested project.”   “That’s normal practice. You must have done it in your engineering college.”   “Nothing is normal except the heading. The change is rapid and mindboggling. All the talk was Greek and Latin to me. Some of the factors mentioned by others were  Gig Economy, Social Media Nihilism, Geopolitics, Political Chauvinism, Semantics,...