I cut my conflict management teeth on the work of Dr. Roger Fisher. His book, Getting to Yes, co-authored with William Ury, and first published in 1981, is the seminal book on interest-based negotiation theory and practice. Dr. Fisher died this week. He is a legend in the conflict resolution community. His legacy includes the still vital Harvard Program on Negotiation.
In this video interview for Mediate.com, Dr. Fisher demonstrates his compassion for people in conflict. (if video not displaying, click here)
I plucked a few quotes, from Dr. Fisher, from the video. They give a sense of the man
- on seperating people from the problem: need to deal with the human dimension independent of their particular point of view.
- on connecting with the other: one of the critical things (in negotiation & conflict management) is building rapport.
- on human touch: most of the world cares about the human being than the resume.
- on negotiation philosophy: would like to make it (negotiation) as human as we can.
- on collaboration: I want people working together, side-by-side as colleagues; let’s get this problem on the table and see what we can do about it.
Thank you Dr. Fisher. May you RIP.
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