Over on The Negotiator Magazine, Eric Garner recently had a great article on “Timeless Principles To Steer You Through Negotiations” that listed seven principles of negotiations that define a sure-fire way to succeed.

The list, which also included 7 timeless quotes, one per principle, is as follows:

1. Negotiating is an essentially human way of interacting.
2. Negotiating is not about dividing up a limited cake in ways that are divisive. It is about making a bigger and better cake.
3. Conflict is at the heart of negotiation but only a positive view of conflict will result in a successful outcome.
4. There is a time to speak and a time to shut up in negotiations. When you do more listening than speaking, you actually increase your power.
5. In power negotiations, when the stakes are high, let the other side believe what you want them to believe. But don’t lie or be dishonest.
6. Recognize that you will only reach agreement by understanding the deeply-held needs of the other side.
7. You can only succeed in negotiations with a win-win attitude.

Essentially, you’re dealing with a person, and you’re only going to succeed if you approach the negotiations with integrity, listen to the other person, and reach an outcome that both parties view as a success. Strategy, tactics, and textbook methodologies will be useless if you forget these basic points. Writing anything further would just miss the point.