Family Unity

I'm sure it's been said that a crisis makes a family stronger. It is in this time of crisis, I was able to thrive and help my family. It was an opportunity to act in our shared best interests and become adept in the things we needed to be to survive and later thrive.

Where are my other siblings in this time of need? I guess this exposure to these problems and giving us, the children, the chance to deal with it or, at least, be there in it's resolution helps remind us to respect each other and cultivate our strengths. It was in these situations where I learned what I needed to be, what practical skills I needed to have to help out.

I get to wondering about my younger brother and sister. It's true that you remember the people you need, when you need them. Being short handed with people to trust and to execute the family's self interests, I think about them more. Since they are not there, I talked to my most trusted friends. I can talk to them about the crisis but I cannot have them intervene without risking our friendship. When it's family: we make mistakes, say the wrong things, and give each other a hard time but we are still family.

Negotiation trick.
My parents and many Filipino businessmen are amazed, awed and frightened by the Indian businessmen's negotiations savvy. My parents generation and the aristocrats who ruled them did business in the gentleman's agreement. In game theory monopolies or uncompetative parties sharing a market can leverage a mutual gain to the third party, the customer. Giving the best price is a matter of of ones personal moral code, and it is vey very flexible and difficult to measure.

In a culture like India and china, gentlemen's agreement exist but because of crushing poverty and the many monopolies found there is no more room for gentlemen's agreement. It is meritocracy in action, where the previous dominant strategy gave way to skilled negotiations.

It's not much as fast talking but more of coming into the table prepared and mastery of your subject matter. They can generate advantageous options for every offer and know how to exploit leverage to the fullest. There is no magic in that, it just appears to be magic when gentlemen play golf, meet at exclusive social gatherings and partake of luxurious past times compared to the foreign businessmen honing his craft before the meeting.

Meetings are very critical weaknesses in negotiation because there is a huge coordination cost to bring parties to the table. Meetings easily set up are for representatives/agents who stubbornly does not budge from their positions. Bringing the main decision maker to the deal is like opening up your king. You never open up your king it doesn't serve to let you capture theirs.

I know well enough to see what they do and understand the trick. I don't know the first thing to doing the trick for myself. I only know that it is the same as how lawyers prep for cases, which they are hired for.

I know in such cases you need a subject matter expert skilled enough that he/she can be delegated during the issuance of massive data dumps like contracts, financial statements, and marketing during the course of a negotiation. You need a team skilled, cooperative and familiar with each others methods that they hide, better feign, the emotional state of the team.

It's expensive to get good help.