The successful physician negotiator.

Whether you realize it or not, you are in the middle of a negotiation every time you are asked to do something. Negotiation skills are important for physician executives, both in their professional and personal lives. The Successful Physician Negotiator: How to Get What You Deserve provides useful examples of how to negotiate and helps you get in the proper mindset to get it done effectively. While the book explores the concept of cooperative negotiation, which is important if you want to have a long-term relationship with a person, it's also important to have other tactics. You need to understand your opponent by gathering information about his or her values and work situation. You can gather information when talking to your opponent, but you also need to do some "behind the scenes" preparation before the encounter begins. Other recommendations include: don't negotiate in your office, use time to your advantage, be able to keep silent when necessary, have options, be able to say no and walk away, keep your cool, and take notes.