THE #1 PLACE IN THE WORLD FOR NEGOTIATION

I've visited 45 countries and 180 cities, but nothing compares to Geneva, Switzerland.

This city is special for a lot reasons, but especially for those who are passionate about negotiation, conflict resolution, and peace building.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, I couldn't sleep for three days.

I was worried. Glued to my phone, reading Twitter feeds. As a natural peacemaker (a person who wants and desires peace for everyone), war oddly interested me. Months passed... I didn't do much. But, eight months later, I booked a flight to Geneva and stayed in Europe for a month to learn more about peacemaking and international negotiations.

In Geneva, I attended the Center for Humanitarian Negotiations Conference. I met Ukrainian negotiators who were negotiating face-to-face with Russian soldiers to evacuate elderly people from their homes. Hearing their stories was incredible. I even got to role-play a real life negotiation with an actor playing as a terrorist. It was intense and eye-opening. I did not do well...

The biggest lesson I learned is the real heroes are frontline negotiators, working on the ground to get food, water, and resources to people in need. They deal with insanely tough situations, often without any outside connection to the world. No cellphone. No social media. One negotiator shared his experience of negotiating with the Taliban, which was mind-blowing. He spoke about it like it was another day in the office. He's incredibly talented and level headed.

This experience in Geneva taught me several lessons that apply to business negotiations:

1. Preparation is Key: Just like athletes train before a game, you need to prepare before negotiating. Research the other party, understand their needs, and know your goals.
2. Listen More: Many think negotiating is all about talking, but listening is just as important. By truly understanding what the other person wants, you can find solutions that work for both sides.
3. Emotional Intelligence: Managing your emotions and understanding others' emotions can give you an edge. One negotiator used this to sense pressure in the other party and adjust their approach.
4. Patience: Rushing can lead to mistakes. Taking your time ensures all aspects are considered and both parties are satisfied.
5. Kindness Over Aggression: Being kind and understanding can lead to better outcomes than being aggressive. Showing empathy can close deals that seem impossible.
6. Flexibility: Sticking rigidly to your demands can hinder progress. Being open to compromise and creative solutions can lead to better deals.

Meeting people like Steve A. Tineo (Prof, PhD, DBA) (thanks to Scott Tillema !), who showed me around Geneva, was fantastic. Steve introduced me these people negotiate in difficult conditions, like inside caves or marketplaces, to save lives. They taught me more about peacemaking in two days I was there than I had learned in the previous eight months.

Traveling costs money and time, but the experiences and friendships you gain are priceless. This trip, talking to these humanitarian negotiators, has inspired me to focus more on peace and negotiation.

I believe there's a shift happening in peacemaking. We will see new, ethically sound, business models for peace-focused for-profits and non-profits rise up. We are going to see more technology startups than ever before because AI is able to do work only humans could previously do. From writing code to harnessing digital twins for maximum impact; we are going to see more new companies focusing on peace. But mainly because younger generations don't want war. We want peace. We want prosperity. We want life.

For the full story, you can listen to the audio here I recorded: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1OEocVlgR9sOeFeIiTzdiX?si=Z8gmIQO9T6e0bQePTl9oBQ

If you're in Washington, DC, traveling through, or have ideas on helping peacemakers, reach out to me on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected]. I will share more stories and lessons from the frontlines with you.