I was frankly surprised by how surprised our political leaders seemed to be in the wake of the bill’s failure. I’ve spoken before about negotiation. One of the basic tenets is to know your audience and have an understanding of probable outcomes. Ask yourself:

• What is the best deal I could realistically achieve in this negotiation?
• What is the likely outcome of the negotiation?
• What is the limit of my authority?

One should also consider:

• What are the intended outcomes and interests?
• What are the possible outcome and interests?
• What is my Plan B?
• What is my worst case scenario?

Our political leaders may be becoming dangerously arrogant at worst, disconnected at best. It doesn’t appear that anyone seriously considered meaningful objection to the bailout plan. Successful leaders simply cannot afford this lack of preparedness, foresight or connection with their teams. We cannot bully our people into following; we must earn that right through clear, consistent and effective leadership. It all boils down to really understanding that any credible definition of leadership must include the word “influence” in it.

Integrity and credibility also play important roles in the extent to which we support and embrace our leaders. Integrity creates both trust and accountability, checks and balances upon which all organizations depend. Albert Einstein once said that whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with the important matters. If credibility is then lacking in larger matters, the point is only further underscored. And once a fundamental trust has been breached, it is extremely difficult to recapture. Malcolm Gladwell’s best seller Blink makes clear that we recognize authenticity and trustworthiness in the blink of an eye; at a minimum, we recognize when they are absent. Leaders underestimate this at their peril when they diminish the trust of the people who count on them for guidance.

Leadership is demonstrated not by mere words, but through attitude and actions. We can only hope that our political and financial leaders understand this concept. At minimum, we as leaders need to get this on a fundamental level so we can emerge from any fray – if not stronger, then certainly wiser than upon entry.

Nina Nets It Out: “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” – Henry Kissinger. Moving forward requires team support and the sweetest success is that which is a result of shared vision. Bolster your reputation and subsequent longevity: earn the trust and respect of your teams with consistent planning and preparation, through meaningful action delivered with unwavering integrity.

We all like to win. After all, be it in personal life or business, it’s better to win than to lose. The trick is to recognize the best path to victory. And often, this path is not always as clear as one might think.

In the course of business, you cannot underestimate the importance of or the art of negotiation. And by negotiations, I do not mean specifically things such as contract terms with suppliers, co-marketing agreements with partners, revenue-sharing arrangements with service providers, or the like. I mean the day-to-day negotiations required to help you achieve your outcomes. For example, in the course of doing my everyday job, I am constantly involved in the “give and take” of much more mundane business happenings. These may include setting sales targets for employees, making a business case to management for the need for additional headcount, determining who will have responsibility for certain tasks or outcomes, etc. Now to be very clear, all of these examples involve negotiations of sorts.

Keeping our inherent desire to win in mind, it is easy to see how negotiations can appear more combat-like with both sides wanting to come out victorious and doing what they must in order to achieve that outcome. However, perceptive leaders and experienced negotiators recognize that the outcome of any individual skirmish does not indicate the outcome of the broader battle. In fact, in considering negotiation strategies, it is best to understand what your most important requirements are ["must haves"] and be sure to focus on achieving them so as to reap the benefits of those elements, while sacrificing other, less essential, desires ["nice to haves"] along the way.

It is in this give and take that a leader reveals their true abilities. Those that believe that winning at any cost is the objective, will perhaps be victorious in the short run. But it is the leader that understands the foolishness of forfeiting long-term objectives for short-term triumphs that succeeds in the end. What’s more, the leader that knows when to take and when to give will ultimately reap higher rewards. As Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, “In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.”

Johnathan Farrington has some great tips around preparing for negotiation. These include asking yourself the following questions:

What is the best deal I could realistically achieve in this negotiation?
What is the likely outcome of the negotiation?
What is the limit of my authority?
At which point should I walk away?
What concessions are available to me?
What is the cost of each concession and what value does each have to either side?

In plain speak, this is simply picking your priorities and knowing how to work with negotiation nuances to ensure the best possible outcome. Or, as Kenny Rogers pointed out in “The Gambler”, “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away and know when to run.” He clearly knew that “folding ‘em” or “running” were excellent strategies that at the end of the day were steps in the direction of victory.