10 Inspiring Lessons from Best Negotiators in the World

4. Theodore Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt is well known for many things; his “Citizen in a Republic Speech” is one of the most famous in American history. He also famously delivered a 90-minute speech soon after he was shot by an innkeeper in 1912. “It takes more than that to kill a bull moose,” he reassured his audience, referring to the name of his Progressive independent party.

Roosevelt was just that – as stubborn as a bull moose, unwilling to budge on the issues that were important to him. He also was famed for his soft side – in fact, his act of mercy toward a wounded black bear on a hunting trip made him the subject of jokes in the press and led to the creation of the “Teddy Bear.”

What can we learn from Theodore: 

• Pick your battles: try to move as little as possible on variables that are important for your negotiation outcome
• Show compassion in the dealmaking process, especially in negotiations between parties that have a long-term relationship. Tip 2 in our article procurement gamechanger could help you to understand this better

5. Henry Kissinger

Members of the Nixon administration will go down in history for many things, but few of them are positive. Henry Kissinger, however, is the notable exception. In his capacity of Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to both the Nixon Administration and Ford Administration, Kissinger weathered adversity and came out on top. From establishing diplomatic relations with China to diffusing geopolitical tensions with the Soviet Union, his actions ushered in peace in a time of American discord.

The world’s best negotiators altered the course of global history, whether through toppling evil governments or preventing potential war. Though we may not think about it often, these negotiators prevented bloodshed and ushered in eras of peace, both in America and around the world.

What we can learn from Henry:

• Invest in your relationship with clients: people negotiate, not companies!
• Switch between zooming in and out during your negotiation: this was one of the top tricks of Henry Kissinger to achieve his deals

6. Nelson Mandela

The late Nelson Mandela will certainly be remembered as one of the best negotiators in history. He was “the greatest negotiator of the twentieth century,” wrote Harvard Law School professor and Program on Negotiation Chairman Robert H. Mnookin.
In his chapter on Mandela, Mnookin cites Mandela’s patience, tenacity, pragmatism, and strategic thinking: “He rejected the simple-minded notion that one must either negotiate with the Devil or forcibly resist. He did both. He was willing to make concessions, but not about what was most important to him. With respect to his key political principles, he was unmovable.”

What we can learn from Nelson:

• Keep the end in mind and keep your patience: it took Nelson Mandela decades to achieve his goals
• Make concessions in order to achieve your wanted outcome of the negotiation

7. Chris Voss

It’s not me bringing emotion in; it’s already there, It’s the elephant in the room. There’s this monstrous creature in the middle of every negotiation: It’s what we want, and it’s based on what we care about. Each one of us, we make every single decision based on what we care about, and that makes decision-making, by definition, an emotional process.”
Voss spent more than two decades in the FBI, during which he worked on more than 150 international hostage cases. Eventually, he was chosen among thousands of agents to serve as the FBI’s lead international kidnapping negotiator–a position he held for four years.
Voss fine-tuned his negotiation methods over the years, allowing him to save hundreds of lives. For example, Voss recalled one day in 1998, standing in a narrow hallway outside an apartment in Harlem in New York City. Three heavily armed fugitives were inside. Voss’s job: convince the fugitives to give up without a fight and with no telephone number to call, Voss was forced to speak through the apartment door. He did so for six hours, with no response. He began to question if anyone was even inside. Suddenly, the door opened. A woman walked out, followed by all three fugitives.  Not a single shot fired. No loss of life. Not even a harsh word. How did he do it? Using what he describes as his “late-night FM DJ voice,” Voss repeated variations of the following: “It looks like you don’t want to come out. It seems like you worry that if you open the door, we’ll come in with guns blazing. It looks like you don’t want to go back to jail.” 

Afterward, Voss was curious as to what specifically convinced the fugitives to emerge. 

“We didn’t want to get caught or get shot, but you calmed us down,” they said. “We finally believed you wouldn’t go away, so we just came out.”  This story perfectly illustrates the value of emotional intelligence, the ability to identify, understand, and manage emotions.

That’s why many people consider him the best negotiator in the world.

What we can learn from Chris: 

• No person on earth is capable to close a deal only based on ratio
• Your understanding of  Psychology and interrelational contact has a great impact on deal results. Learn more in our article about this subject

8. Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy is the CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company that specializes in the training and development of individuals and organizations. 

His goal is to help people achieve their personal and business goals faster and easier than anyone can imagine. He has consulted more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5 million people in his seminars throughout Canada and the US.

 Additionally, he has studied, written, researched, and spoken for 30 years in the fields of history, economics, philosophy, business, and psychology. 

What can we learn from Brian:

• Take responsibility to lead your life
• In one of his books, we can learn from him that you should leverage the law of reciprocity

9. Daniel Shapiro

Daniel Shapiro is the founder and director of the Harvard International Negotiation Program, associate professor in psychology at Harvard Medical School, and affiliate faculty at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. 

He is also named one of the top 15 professors at Harvard University. He consults regularly with various government leaders and Fortune 500 companies. Also, he has launched successful conflict resolution initiatives in the Middle East, East Asia, and Europe, and chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Conflict Resolution. 

Additionally, he is a recipient of numerous awards such as the American Psychological Association’s Early Career Award and Cloke-Millen Peacemaker of the Year Award. 

What can we learn from Daniel:

• In order to move past a gridlock, the first step in empathy

10. Marijn Overvest

Of course, we will include our founder as one of the best negotiators right now in 2023. He has more than 20 years of experience in procurement and negotiations. 

Additionally, throughout his journey as a procurement and negotiation professional, he has closed over €200 million in deals with suppliers like Unilever, Heinz, and Pepsico.

Marijn Overvest has founded Procurement Tactics to help procurement professionals in their profession and achieve their dreams in closing every deal that they will make. 

Additionally, he has been working with both large and small companies e.g. Shell, and Walmart; he also is a popular keynote speaker at global procurement events.

What can we learn from Marijn:

• • Understanding the other party’s position and desire through empathic negotiation design is the key to any successful negotiation. 
  • Being unpredictable is one important skill in any negotiation

Best Negotiator – Conclusion

These top-notch negotiators each have their own style. And that’s for a reason. You should learn from the best, but always pay attention to your own preferences and personality. Want to learn more about negotiating? Discover our Negotiation Certificate Program by clicking here.