{"id":12812,"date":"2023-10-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/up-in-smoke\/"},"modified":"2023-10-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T00:00:00","slug":"up-in-smoke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/2023\/up-in-smoke\/","title":{"rendered":"Up in smoke"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article__content\">\n<p>Did you hear the one about the lawyer who insured his cigars against fire? It\u2019s a great yarn on how fluid power can be. Power is not static \u2014 it changes based on the marketplace, the players involved, the issues at play, and a variety of other factors. Therefore, how we use our power becomes paramount to the outcome of a negotiation. However, it can also have a profound impact on how the other side will use their power.<\/p>\n<p>First, the story about the lawyer . . .<\/p>\n<p>A lawyer purchased a box of 24 very rare and expensive cigars. Seeking to protect his investment, he had the cigars insured against theft and, believe it or not, fire. Shortly after the insurance company sold him his policy, and before the first premium could be paid, the lawyer had smoked his entire box of cigars.<\/p>\n<p>He then filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, he stated that the cigars were lost in a series of\u00a0<em>small fires<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The insurance company refused to pay the claim on the grounds that the insured had consumed the cigars in a normal fashion, and the cigars were not actually lost to a fire.<\/p>\n<p>The lawyer sued the insurance company \u2014 and won! While the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous, he noted that the insurance company did sell the policy, thereby making the cigars insurable. In addition, the insurance company had guaranteed that they would insure them against fire. Since they had not defined the standard by which to judge the \u201cfire,\u201d they were obligated to pay the claim.<\/p>\n<p>Having incurred legal expenses to defend this claim and seeking to avoid a lengthy and even more costly appeals process, the insurance company accepted the judge\u2019s ruling and paid up.<\/p>\n<p>Once the lawyer cashed the check for the claim, the insurance company had him arrested for 24 counts of arson!<\/p>\n<p>Lesson learned: Power is fluid.<br\/><br\/>The lawyer in this story had all the power to begin with. He had a valid insurance policy and, it seems, he knew exactly how he was going to wield his power. But as soon as the power shifted (when the check was cashed), the insurance company did what most people would do in that situation \u2014 they found a way to exact revenge.<\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019re in a position of power, it\u2019s really tempting to wield that power to get what you want. However, knowing that the power dynamics will at some point shift, you need to be strategic regarding how you use that power. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you use\u00a0<em>your<\/em>\u00a0power:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>How could the power change?<\/strong>\u00a0You want to understand your power dynamics and the factors that will impact your power. Just by exercising your power, your power can shift.<br\/><br\/><\/li>\n<li><strong>How will the other side respond when the power changes?<\/strong>\u00a0Assume the power will shift \u2014 it always does. When it does, examine how the other side might use their newfound power.<br\/><br\/><\/li>\n<li><strong>Are the costs worth the gains?<\/strong>\u00a0Just because you can use your power doesn\u2019t mean you should. When power is used indiscriminately, the cost can be monetary, but it can also tax relationships, trust, and future collaborations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Don\u2019t let your power go up in smoke. Understand it so you can use it wisely.<br\/><br\/><br\/><strong>We Can Help You Keep Your Power From Going Up in Smoke.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When it comes time to wield your power, you\u2019ll want to be ready for the consequences \u2014 and there\u00a0<em>will<\/em>\u00a0be consequences. We can help! Draw on Scotwork\u2019s nearly 50 years of real-world negotiating experience to help you stay in control of your power dynamic.<\/p>\n<p>Call one of our experts today:<\/p>\n<p>P: 042979069<\/p>\n<p>E: <a href=\"mailto:info@scotwork.co.nz\">info@scotwork.co.nz<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you hear the one about the lawyer who insured his cigars against fire? It\u2019s a great yarn on how fluid power can be. Power is not static \u2014 it changes based on the marketplace, the players involved, the issues at play, and a variety of other factors. Therefore, how we use our power becomes&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":12813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_legacy_url":"blog-nz\/2023\/up-in-smoke\/","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Up in smoke | Scotwork NZ Negotiation Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"World leaders in business negotiation training and consultancy with experts across 120 countries, with negotiation courses taught in 29 languages.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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