The Last Nickel
Larry Roine was one of my mentors, a giant of a man physically and professionally. Among his many Giftings was that of negotiation– First Nations treaties, labour disputes, and high-end commercial tangles. Larry was one of the “go to” stars of difficult, passionate, and high-stakes battles. Although he was a towering Nordic warrior in his own right, as a negotiator Larry had a completely different approach. The victory of the negotiator is in the mutual victory of the parties.
Accordingly, Larry’s philosophy was summed up in a single phrase, a phrase he repeated again and again to those of us who learned from him: “Never take the last nickel off the table”.
If you didn’t get it right away, Larry would explain it further. “You can’t leave anybody in a deal feeling that they were stripped bare. The other guy needs to feel a win, too.” And if you still didn’t get it, Larry would go on to tell stories of embittered losers spending the rest of their lives and capital exacting revenge on the “victor”. That extra nickel you snatched off the table would cost you dearly, dearly, dearly.
It’s not just in high stakes negotiations and interactions that Larry’s wisdom prevails. The principle stands true in your everyday transactions, and mine. Leaving the other side with dignity intact and without the bitterness of having been cornered and diminished. Life, after all, need not be a zero sum game.
Never take the last nickel off the table.