Pigs Get Fat, Hogs Get Slaughtered

I don't know who first said it, but I say it quite often. It is a consideration I present to clients in heated negotiations. Oftentimes, while sizing up the other side in a lawsuit or transaction to determine which of the two one is dealing with, people think in absolutes. For example, it is a pig and thus intelligent and adaptable, though perhaps a bit lazy. Or, it is a hog and thus overly opportunistic and destructive.

When I recently saw this sculpture of two javelinas, I thought there may be an alternative to this saying and binary characterization. Put another way, what if you are not dealing with a pig or a hog? Instead, you are dealing with a javelina.

I can't tell you how many times I read the book "Don't Call Me Pig! A Javelina Story" to my girls. In doing so, I learned that the javelina, or collared peccary, is not a feral pig or hog, though oftentimes mistaken for one, especially here in Texas. Javelinas are smaller, eat differently, and reproduce less. They are not invasive and instead a regulated game animal, requiring a hunting license to kill. The point being, they are different, and must be treated differently, to those that know.

Successful negotiators know things like this. Throughout my career, the best negotiators do not make snap judgments and characterizations. Instead, they seek to understand. They remain curious, rather than judgmental. They seek facts, they sense emotions and they get a clear understanding of the desired outcome from the other side. They do not neglect the other side's perspective, they do not negotiate with themselves, and they do not lead with aggressive, accusatory language with hollow ultimatums. They've dealt with pigs and hogs, but they have also dealt with, and recognize, javelinas.

Everyone negotiates, as it is part of life. The next time you do, remember you can be, or you may be across the table from, a javelina. Protect, hunt and eat accordingly.