We function through frameworks we develop from an early age. These frameworks or “mindsets” determine how we react, how we analyze, how we plan and how we make decisions. 

Professionally speaking, we negotiate with our “business” or external mindset, which starts to develop when we are first exposed to institutional behavior in daycare or in school. Those infamous words “But my teacher says…” are a good example of a young mind trying to reconcile differences between the personal mindset and the external world.

From that point forward, we all spend the rest of our lives struggling with who we are professionally vs. who we are personally. A good negotiator must always be mindful of what mindset he or she is in, especially when things get tense.