The Horse-trader: A negotiation parable
A quick word first1
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A numbers game
When people squabble, they can get so emotionally invested in winning that they can’t see a creative solution, even if it’s right in front of their nose.
That’s when bringing in a third party can pay off. It doesn’t have to be an umpire who’ll declare who’s right and who’s wrong. Often it’s better, in fact, to have a problem-solving mediator. When the dispute is among family members, a new perspective, offered by a trusted friend, can be the answer.
Take, for example, the story of the three brothers fighting over their inheritance from their late father. The old man was a rancher who had owned three dozen fine horses. His will provided that half of them would go to Adam, the eldest son. One-third would go to Brian, the second born, and Chuck, the youngest, was to get one-ninth.
The problem, though, was that one steed had been stolen, so now the count in the herd was down to 35—a number that, unlike 36, can’t be divided by two, six, or nine.
Adam argued, “Clearly, Pa favored me, so if this is going to be divided unevenly, I should get any extra.”
Chuck howled, “Here we go again. I always get the dregs.”
“You two drive me nuts,” Brian said. “I’m stuck in the middle taking grief from both of you.”
It looked like the trio was about to come to blows when their father’s best friend Zach rode by on his handsome Morgan horse. He asked them what they were shouting about and the boys explained the problem.
Zach dismounted and said, “I loved your dad deeply. I hate to see you guys fighting. Out of my respect for him, let me contribute my own horse to your herd. That would bring the number back up to 36.” The sons protested at first but decided to respect Zach’s generous proposal.
Just to confirm the agreement, Zach asked Adam, “So if you get 18, that’s half of 36, you’ll be fine with that and want nothing more. Correct?” “Yes” was the reply. “That’s all that’s coming to me.”
Brian and Chuck likewise agreed that the respective numbers for them, 12 and 4, were what they father had promised, so they’d be satisfied. The three boys shook hands. Once more there was peace in the family.
Zach got back on the horse he had arrived on. And then he led a second one out of the family’s corral and took that with him, too. Tipping his hat, he said, “Thanks boys. Always glad to be of help.”
“Hmmm,” you might say. “What just happened here?”
Look at the math 18 (for Adam), plus 12 for Brian, plus 4 for Chuck added up to 34. There was one extra horse left in the herd.
The three boys absorbed in their rivalry didn’t see the solution at hand. But Zach, a disinterested party, recognized it and earned for himself a four-legged commission.
A Reminder
On an entirely different note, last week I posted a scenario about honesty and deceit in negotiation. You can submit your response (anonymously, if you like) up to 7 AM ET this Thursday (May 27). I’m looking forward to reading your comments!
Please share the piece with people in your network who want to expand their knowledge of negotiation. Thanks. Mike
Photo credit: Photo by Ernesto Velázquez on Unsplash