5. Look for opportunities – Very often, if you’re not negotiating, you are likely to be overlooking opportunities to create more value for yourself and others. Instead of assuming that something is impossible, ask, negotiate, and you might be pleasantly surprised.

4. The skills are useful – Learning to negotiate will help think strategically, listen effectively, solve problems creatively, manage your emotions, and much more. These skills are then useful in many other aspects of life.

3. Conflict happens – Where there are humans, there is conflict, and need to use your negotiation skills to resolve it. Without conflict, teams are dysfunctional, communication breaks down, and trust is eroded over time. Conflict avoidance is costly.

2. You can’t escape it – Even if you try to avoid negotiating or just like to be left alone, other people will still come to you to meet their needs, and you need to resolve matters with them.

1. Yes, you do! All the time. – Negotiations happen anytime you and someone else make a decision and don’t start off in the same place. So, like most of us, you probably negotiate all day every day. You’re just not calling it that.