Trump Style Negotiation 2008: The Best Practices

The (former) US President Donald Trump continues to be highly polarizing and remains omnipresent in the media. Apart from the content, the question is also raised about whether Donald Trump is a good negotiator or if such behavior is generally unacceptable at the negotiation table.

At least as a businessman, Trump conducted himself very professionally.

This is clearly documented by his long-time lawyer George Ross in his book titled "Trump-Style Negotiation," published in 2008. In this book (and in Trump's own book "The Art of the Deal" from 1987), one can learn the businessman's following principles

• He does not shy away from confrontation ("there are times when there is no other choice than confrontation"),
• He intentionally acts wildly at times ("sometimes it pays to be a little wild", "I sometimes have to be the bad guy");
• He is not a gambler and always aims very high while keeping the worst-case scenario in mind ("I've never gambled in my life. I always go into the deal anticipating the worst" (quotes from Donald Trump, The Art of the Deal)).
• Furthermore, he aims to be unpredictable: "One trait of a good negotiator is a lack of predictability" (Ross, p. 143).

At the same time, he views negotiating – like all professionals – as a playful activity and encourages his readers to enjoy the game: "have fun, the real excitement is playing the game."

„Play to win“ or “satisfaction for both sides“?

For novices, the book might not be easily digestible, as understanding the various tips requires detailed analysis and thoughtful organization. It's necessary to piece together the connections between each tip.

On a superficial read, a fundamental contradiction might seem to surface initially: On one hand, Ross writes that Donald Trump engages in a challenging and intense game, or that he plays to win: "Trump-style negotiation is a tough game; he plays hard and plays to win" (Ross, p. 22).

Conversely, Ross also makes it clear multiple times that Trump seeks to achieve satisfaction for both parties and does not aim for negotiations where one side wins and the other loses: "Trump-style negotiation is aimed at creating satisfaction for both sides, not a negotiation where one side wins and the other side loses" (Ross, p. 70). Ross even expressly states that winning isn't everything: "It is not a situation in which winning is everything" (Ross, p. 11).

Es geht – so George Ross – Donald Trump immer darum, am Ende der Verhandlung für beide Seiten akzeptable und kreative Lösungen zu finden: „Look for mutually acceptable creative solutions“ (Ross, S. 33).

According to George Ross, Donald Trump's aim is always to find solutions that are acceptable and creative for both parties by the end of negotiations: "Look for mutually acceptable creative solutions" (Ross, p. 33).

Das erstaunliche Ergebnis der Lektüre von Ross‘ Buch ist, dass die zahlreichen Strategien und Taktiken von Donald Trump zugleich die Strategien und Taktiken der Elite der Verhandlungsführer, z.B. der ehemaligen polizeilichen Verhandlungsführer wie Dominick J. Misino („Negotiate and Win“) sind.

The remarkable result of reading Ross's book is that the numerous strategies and tactics of Donald Trump coincide with many of those of the elite negotiators, such as former law enforcement negotiators like Dominick J. Misino ("Negotiate and Win").

The core principles are as follows:

1. First and foremost is the team strategy. A distinction is made between the Decision Maker and the Negotiator (compare Ross, p. 179), the individual who makes the decisions and the one who leads the negotiations.
2. Intensive preparation precedes every negotiation. Ross writes about Trump's approach, stating that he researches the facts and gathers as much information as possible ("be the rare person willing to carefully investigate the completeness of all information you receive" - Ross, p. 60).
3. In doing so, he also analyzes his options and keeps them open for as long as possible: "I like to keep every option open in life" (Trump, p. 293).
4. Before each negotiation, "Starting Positions" are developed for all topics, which are highly ambitious positions to begin the negotiations with: "aim high in the beginning. This is good, basic goal-setting advice. ... It becomes a starting point," Ross writes about Trump on this matter (p. 189).
5. At the outset or during negotiations, efforts are made to build a relationship with the negotiating partner. This is done, for example, by asking open-ended questions (Active Listening tactic). Despite public perception, Donald Trump was, according to his longtime lawyer George H. Ross, brilliant at building relationships: "he is a genius at establishing a relationship with the other party" (Ross, p. xiii).
6. At the beginning of the negotiation, one remains cautious and lets the others come to them. "Learn to hold back," or "Don't talk," Ross writes (compare p. 186). Immediately thereafter, it is advised: "Don't accept any offer right away" (Ross, p. 69). Because immediate acceptance would leave the partner dissatisfied and believing they had negotiated poorly.
7. Conflicts (diametrical contradictions between positions) are always managed using the same system. First, the aforementioned starting positions are assertively asserted and defended. It's all about "Playing to Win." The deadlock, or impasse, is consciously and of course politely initiated: "If you initiate deadlocks as a strategy, always smile and be pleasant as you do it" (Ross, p. 78). Trump then noted the deadlock or open points in his deal book. Only when all open points are established is there a change in thinking, and the conflict resolution strategy is changed. From now on, the aim is to find a solution. "Trump-style negotiation is aimed at creating satisfaction for both sides, not a short negotiation where one side wins and the other side loses," writes Ross in his book (Ross, p. 70). Special creativity is needed in such situations: „ “ (Ross, p. 95) and "Look for mutually acceptable creative solutions" (Ross, p. 33).

In short: The analysis or resolution of the conflict occurs very systematically and in three consecutive steps: (1) Play to win, (2) initiate deadlocks as a strategy, and (3) look for mutually acceptable solutions.

This approach embodies best practices in negotiation conflict management, representing the optimal fusion of the "Competing" strategy (Play to win) and the "Collaborating" strategy (look for mutually acceptable solutions), both integral components of the internationally acclaimed "Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)" (http://www.kilmanndiagnostics.com).