Adapted from “First, Empathize with Your Adversary,” by Susan Hackley (managing director, Program on Negotiation), first published in the Negotiation newsletter.
Jamil Mahuad, a former mayor of Ecuador’s capital, Quito, was elected president of Ecuador in 1998. For many years, his country had battled with Peru over a disputed border. With his own skills and the aid of negotiation expert Roger Fisher, Mahuad negotiated an historic peace agreement that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. In an interview with Negotiation, Mahuad spoke candidly about his experiences as a negotiator during his tumultuous term as president.
Q: What was the situation in Ecuador when you took office?
JM: The country was on high alert. Troops from both countries were poised at the border between Ecuador and Peru, ready for battle. For roughly 200 years this border had been in dispute, and fighting broke out regularly. There was a long tradition of the leaders of the two countries not speaking to each other. Just seven days into my presidency, I made a risky decision. I decided that I wanted to meet face to face with the president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, and try to negotiate a peaceful settlement to this long-standing dispute to avoid an imminent war.
Q: How did you approach the negotiations?
JM: Initially we were suspicious of each other, though we both were mindful that the alternative to a peace agreement was continued war and instability in our countries. Rather than confronting President Fujimori as an adversary, I sought to understand him and his interests. I consulted with negotiation expert Roger Fisher, who urged me to approach Fujimori with respect for his seniority, as Fujimori had been president of his country for eight years.
I approached the president and asked him for his ideas. How did he think we should settle this dispute? Hearing what he thought would give me a deeper understanding of all the issues and the right to expect the same active listening from him. It didn’t mean I had to agree with his views.
Q: What kind of relationship did you develop with President Fujimori?
JM: I worked hard to establish rapport with him. When you have good rapport with the other person, even your worst adversary, seemingly intractable problems can suddenly feel solvable. On the other hand, when you don’t have rapport, even small annoyances can seem insurmountable. I also assumed that once we both understood our interests, his actions would be revealed as rational behavior rather than as personal whims. Then I could develop possible scenarios and theories for how he would be likely to respond.
Q: Even with good rapport, there were substantive differences to resolve. How did you handle them?
JM: I was psychologically open to trying innovative approaches. I started a process of negotiation that allowed us to look creatively at the problem. We met ten times over a period of three months in different Latin American capitals and in the United States. We tried many different techniques, including a process of facilitated joint brainstorming that encouraged both sides to offer options without having to commit. We took personal responsibility for finding agreement. Fujimori, for example, marginalized a minister who was not on board with what they were doing.
Q: What rules of negotiation have you developed for yourself?
JM: Identify your own personal style of communicating, negotiating, making decisions, and leading. In the beginning, clarify and express your understanding of the situation. During the process, double-check your presumptions and be prepared to destroy your own hypotheses.
Also, remember that most negotiations are fundamentally about human relationships, which vary from person to person. You must have genuine curiosity about a person to learn their true interests. Always perform as yourself; never act a part.
Ecuadorian /
Jamil Mahuad, He is responsible of the lost of our territories with Peru. He sold our lands and escaped to overseas, so he couldn't be capture by the justice. It is very sad that a prestigious University (Harvard) had hired this thief of nation.