INTRODUCTION Becoming a Negotiation Genius What is a negotiation genius? Let's start with the simple observation that you often know a negotiation fenius when you seeone. You can see genius in the way a person thinks about, prepares for, and executes negotiation strategy. You can see genius in the way a per- son manages to completely turn around a seemingly hopeless negoti- ation situation. You can see genius in the way a person manages to negotiate successful deals-consistently-while still maintaining her integrity and strengthening her relationships and her reputation. And, in all likelihood, you know who the negotiation geniuses are in your organization. This book will share with you their secrets. Consider the following stories, in which negotiators faced great obstacles, only to overcome them to achieve remarkable levels of suc- cess. But we will not reveal how they did it-yet. Instead, we will revisit these stories-and many others like them-in the chapters that follow, as we share with you the strategies and insights you need to negotiate like a genius in all aspects of life.