Negotiation Genius by Deepak Malhotra & Max H. Bazerman Summary
Overview of Negotiation Genius
Harvard professors reveal the psychological edge that turns average negotiators into dealmaking legends. Used in Fortune 500 boardrooms, this bestseller unpacks how JFK's Cuban Missile Crisis tactics can help you claim hidden value in everyday conversations.
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Key takeaways
Why Smart People Make Terrible Deals
Picture a room full of Harvard MBAs, each convinced they'll outperform three-quarters of their classmates in an upcoming negotiation exercise. The irony? They can't all be right. Yet 68% genuinely believe they will be. This overconfidence isn't stupidity - it's human nature. And it's precisely why brilliant executives routinely destroy millions in value at the negotiating table. Consider the NHL's catastrophic 2004-05 lockout. After sacrificing an entire season's revenue, the players' union accepted a $39 million salary cap - worse than the $42.5 million they'd rejected months earlier. Rational? Hardly. But predictable? Absolutely. The real genius in negotiation isn't about being smarter than others. It's about recognizing the mental traps that ensnare even the brightest minds, then systematically avoiding them. Benjamin Cone owned 7,000 acres in North Carolina. When endangered woodpeckers appeared on his property, he did something that baffled environmentalists and economists alike: he began clear-cutting 500 acres annually. Not for profit - purely to prevent the woodpeckers from expanding their habitat and triggering more restrictions. He destroyed both economic and environmental value because he assumed that if environmentalists wanted something, it must hurt him. This is the fixed-pie bias in its purest form. Cone rejected Habitat Conservation Plans that could have served both his interests and environmental goals because he literally couldn't imagine mutual benefit. His mind had become his opponent.
The Hidden Money Everyone Leaves Behind and the Psychology That Blinds Us
Unlocking Value Through Strategic Questions and Contingencies
The Architecture of Persuasion and Influence
Framing Effects and the Self-Serving Mind
When Weakness Becomes Strength and Knowing When to Walk Away
The Beginning of Mastery
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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