Negotiating with a (Very) Hard Bargainer (Vladimir Putin)

When facing any negotiating counterpart, especially a very tough one, it is wise to learn as much as possible about their background, likely approach, and tactics that can turn the interaction to your advantage.  This episode uses Vladimir Putin as a prototypical hardball opponent and shows just how much one can usefully learn by speaking with others who have extensively and personally negotiated with this challenging Russian leader. Via interviews with

former U.S. Secretaries of State Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Rex Tillerson (who also carried out many negotiations with Putin when Tillerson was a top ExxonMobil executive), this episode gives valuable insights into dealing effectively with Putin, but more generally demonstrates a key element of preparation for tough deals. 

For further reading and information:

• 3-D Negotiation: Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals by David Lax and James K. Sebenius
• Playbook for Negotiators in the Social Media Era
• Negotiating with Vladimir Putin by James K. Sebenius and Robert Mnookin
• The Man Without a Face by Masha Gessen
• Mr. Putin by Fiona Hill
• Putin’s People by Catherine Belton
• The Road to Unfreedom by Timothy Snyder
• From Cold War to Hot Peace by Michael McFaul
• Putin’s People by Ann Applebaum
• Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov

Host: Jim Sebenius

Co-producers: Alex Green and Avery Moore Kloss

Outreach: Podglomerate

Materials courtesy of the American Secretaries of State Program, a joint effort of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, the Program on the Future of Diplomacy at Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Business School. Copyright © President and Fellows of Harvard College.