Developing Successful Negotiating Skills - WAMR 2013 Vol. 7, No. 1

JAMES A. BAKER III, is Honorary Chair of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public policy at Rice University in Houston. Secretary Baker has served in senior government positions under three United States presidents. He served as the nation's 61st Secretary of State from January 1989 through August 1992 under President George H.W. Bush. During his tenure at the State Department, Baker traveled to 90 foreign countries as the United States confronted the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of the post-Cold War era. Baker's reflections on those years of revolution, war and peace;The Politics of Diplomacy was published in 1995. Secretary Baker served as the 67th secretary of the treasury from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. As treasury secretary, he was also chairman of the President's Economic Policy Council. From 1981 to 1985, he served as White House chief of staff to President Reagan. Baker's record of public service began in 1975 as Undersecretary of Commerce to President Gerald Ford. It concluded with his service as White House Chief of Staff and senior counselor to President Bush from August 1992 to January 1993. Secretary Baker’s memoir: WORK HARD, STUDY . . . AND KEEP OUT OF POLITICS! ADVENTURES AND LESSONS FROM AN UNEXPECTED PUBLIC LIFE was published in October 2006. He has been awarded numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991. Secretary Baker may be contacted at +1-713-229-1234.

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Originally from World Arbitration And Mediation Review (WAMR)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have been asked to speak to you today about “negotiations.” And to begin at the beginning, let me say a word or two about what I think it takes to be a good negotiator. Over the decades, experience has taught me that successful negotiations more often come to those who are well-honed through years of hard work at developing this special craft. That is important because, as you would expect, bad negotiators produce bad negotiations.

As I moved from the world of law and business to the world of politics and public service, I was struck, not so much by their differences as their by similarities. The politics of success in the boardroom and the courtroom, and the politics of success in elections and in government, may not be exactly the same. But, it is still politics.

My old friend, George Bush, No. 41, taught me that there are two kinds of politicians. One, he said, is like the Dalmatian who grows up in the fire house. From the time he’s a puppy, every time the bell rings, he runs.

But that President Bush and I were the other kind. Both of us served in the military, then worked for a living. He founded a successful oil company before he ran for Congress in the 1960s. I worked as a lawyer before joining the executive branch of government in 1975.

When I speak to young people who are interested in politics, I encourage them to do what 41 and I did: First, get a life! Get a job. Start a family.