Old Yeller at the Office

getting-past-no.jpg“A movie producer…had a boss who used to blow up over the most trivial matters. The producer told a friend that he felt like punching his boss in the nose. The friend counseled, “Think about it this way. He’s not yelling at you, he’s yelling for himself. Next time he shouts at you, this is what you do. You lean back in your chair, fold your arms, and let his screams wash over you. Tell yourself how much good it’s doing him to get it out of his system.” The movie producer reported later that the plan worked wonders.”

William Ury in Getting Past No (1993). Ury is co-author of the famed Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (1991).

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