Schmooze or Lose at The Negotiation Table

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer for success in negotiation. 

That's essentially the message respected management consultant Jack Welch and author Judy Welch deliver in their blog post titled Schmooze or Lose: How the Lost Art of Negotiation Led to a Shutdown. 

Targeting the three-day U.S. government shutdown, the authors claim that a failure to schmooze by government leaders is at the heart of the blame game in Washington.  In the authors' view, regular face time and ongoing dialogue between negotiating partners (including historical adversaries) helps to build trust and transparency at the negotiation table.

And, I can see their point.  Relationship is such a critical element to success in negotiation, and a strong relationship doesn't happen overnight.  It must be nurtured and developed even between adversaries so that when a conflict arises there’s a joint sense of purpose and commitment to a negotiated outcome even if the ultimate outcome isn't immediately clear.