"The only people who see the whole picture are the ones who step outside the frame." ~ Salman Rushdie

Photo Credit: Kevin Jordan, Storm Castle Peak, near Bozeman, MT. August 1, 2025

Greetings -

I hope you, your families and friends are enjoying the dog days of summer and staying cool! For those traveling during the upcoming holiday weekend, I wish you safe and joy-filled journeys!

Our voyage of discovery concluded yesterday with our return to the beautiful confines of West Marin County, CA. Wow! We had a lot of fun. And it is nice to be back in the Bay Area and acclimating to our life here.

The last 6 weeks found your fearless nomads on a whirlwind tour across multiple states, with stays in Bozeman and Missoula, MT, and Portland and Ashland, OR. We were treated to great and moving natural beauty.

Much like Utah, Montana provided some spectacular hiking and stunning scenery. In between sporadic rain storms in Bozeman, we hiked on the Drinking Horse and Triple Tree Trails and capped the week with 2k+ elevation gain up to the top of Storm Castle Peak. Missoula was no less impressive with its hiking options and panoramic views of the city. We ventured far above the 600 foot concrete "M" above the city to reach the top of Mount Sentinel, where we were rewarded with a peek inside a copper mine from 1890 and gorgeous views of the surrounding area. The Sawmill Curry Gulch Loop Trail, offered views of beautiful pine trees and expansive, open meadows that were as quiet as they were idyllic. We enjoyed the opportunity to see the "Curry Cabin," an historic prospecting cabin (that has seen better days :)). When not hiking, we were treated to an array of great food and drinking options during our stay. 

Portland and Ashland were lovely (and quite warm), as they tend to be in August. We had great fun connecting with family and friends and enjoying an array of outdoor activities. And no visit to these towns would be complete without sampling a variety of excellent food and beverages, especially the delicious wines of the Willamette Valley.

With respect and deep admiration for you all, happy reading and listening!

Be well, take good care of yourselves, families and community. 
-kj

PS - (Missed a newsletter? Past editions can be found here: https://www.kevinjordan.coach/blog. And if you hit paywall on an article(s), feel free to send me a note and let me know what you need. I have subscriptions to many of the sources that I cite.)

Featured: Harvard Business Review: What People Still Get Wrong About Negotiations. 
The best leaders don't rely on a single negotiation playbook. They constantly adapt their approach, expanding their toolkit to meet evolving business contexts and organizational demands. This requires both self-awareness and environmental curiosity—qualities that unlock new levels of discovery and value creation for everyone at the table.

In his compelling HBR article, Max Bazerman challenges us to broaden our negotiation perspective. His value-creator framework delivers practical, actionable strategies that transform not just what we negotiate, but how we approach these critical conversations. The key insight? Moving beyond zero-sum thinking. Why assume the pie is fixed when we might expand it for all parties involved?

As Bazerman observes: "The simple genius of value creation in negotiation is that everybody benefits. That principle is not new, but I find that people at all managerial levels have lost sight of it and urgently need to be reminded."

He identifies a troubling trend: we've become increasingly polarized and rigid in our negotiations. We're less willing to see our counterpart's perspective, less inclined toward collaborative problem-solving, and consequently, we miss mutually beneficial opportunities. We routinely forfeit the "solidarity dividend"—the gains achievable only through productive cross-boundary collaboration.

The stakes are clear: master the art of value-creating negotiation, or continue leaving wins on the table. In our interconnected business environment, the leaders who thrive will be those who can meaningfully persuade, forge desirable outcomes, and consistently drive greater value creation for all involved.

Articles
Harvard Business Review: The Right Way to Prepare for a High-Stakes Conversation. "Curiosity is a choice, and that choice begins before you speak your first word. By honestly assessing where you sit on the Curiosity Curve, setting realistic intentions to move toward greater openness, and deploying targeted Curiosity Sparks, you can transform your most challenging interactions from battles to be won into opportunities for mutual discovery and collaborative problem-solving."

Chicago Booth Review: To Sway Someone’s Decision, Use Numbers. "A grade of 97 percent looks better than an A."

The Wall Street Journal: To Get What You Want, Try Shutting Up. "Silence makes us feel awkward. Deploying it can be a superpower."

Blog Posts & Opinions
Glenn Gow: Mastering Negotiation as a Founder CEO. "Negotiation isn’t about dominance. The strongest negotiators don’t talk the most; they listen the best. They ask thoughtful questions, bring relevant data to the table, and balance logic with emotional insight. They know when to speak, when to pause, and how to build trust across the table." [KJ: there are great, useful nuggets in Glenn's post that are by no means limited to founder CEOs.]

Paul Graham: The Right Kind of Stubborn. "But is there any real difference between these [persistence and obstinacy] two cases? Are persistent and obstinate people actually behaving differently? Or are they doing the same thing, and we just label them later as persistent or obstinate depending on whether they turned out to be right or not?"

Podcasts 
The Tim Ferriss Show: Master Negotiator William Ury — Proven Strategies and Amazing Stories from Warren Buffett, Nelson Mandela, Kim Jong Un, Hugo Chávez, and More. "William Ury, cofounder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation, is one of the world’s best-known experts on negotiation. He is coauthor of Getting to Yes, the all-time best selling negotiation book in the world. He is also the author of Getting Past No: Negotiating in Difficult Situations and Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict."

Hidden Brain: Relationships 2.0: Become a Better Negotiator. "When we head into a negotiation — whether we're asking for a raise or trying to get our spouse to do the dishes — our focus is usually on getting the other person to agree to our preferred outcome. What we don't focus on are our own biases and blind spots. Behavioral scientist Max Bazerman studies the theory and practice of negotiation, and he says that paying attention to these biases can help us to craft better deals."

The Prof G Pod with Scott Gallloway: Lifestyle Arbitrage, Balancing Ambition and Relationships, and What Gives Scott Hope."Scott unpacks whether young Americans should consider lifestyle arbitrage — moving abroad for a better quality of life. Then, he offers advice on balancing ambition and relationships in your 20s and 30s."

Arts, Music, Culture & Humor Corner
Colossal: Ireland’s Oldest and Largest Medieval Book Shrine Goes on Public View for the First Time. "In an unassuming lake in Ireland’s northern County Longford, an unprecedented find emerged in 1986. Thanks to the sediments in the body of water, pieces of a unique, highly decorated metal object dating to the 9th century were remarkably preserved. And now, after a 39-year conservation project, the nation’s oldest and largest medieval book shrine is now on view."

Paste: Matt Berninger On the Other Side of Collapse. "The National frontman spoke with Paste about life after writer’s block, leaving Los Angeles for Connecticut, and the 'spiderweb' of collaborators found on his new solo record, Get Sunk."

The Atlantic: The Puzzling Gap Between How Old You Are and How Old You Think You Are. "There are good reasons you always feel 20 percent younger than your actual age."

The New Yorker: Shouts and Murmurs: Cover Letter for a Job I Don’t Want but Will Be Offended Not to Get. "My résumé reflects a pattern of, let’s call it, erratic brilliance punctuated by long stretches of disillusionment, which I’ve cleverly framed as 'consulting.'"

Reflections
"Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots." ~ Victor Hugo

“He who does not imagine in stronger and better lineaments, and in stronger and better light than his perishing mortal eye can see, does not imagine at all.” ~ Blake

"When you know what's coming, prepare. When you don't know what's coming, position...Being well-positioned enables anyone to come out ahead no matter what obstacles the unknown may present."~ Shane Parrish