You can not be anything but worried about how things in our world seem, as they are spinning out of control. It does not make it easier to try and understand it all by following what the media and the press are writing about everything.
Most because they do not make it easier to understand, especially when most of their efforts are put into just explaining what is happening and not why things are happening.
No one can miss out on what is going on between USA and China, or the tariffs that USA are threatening to put on Mexico, that indicates that if you do not agree to our demands, the tariffs will go up to 5% and if you do not comply, then to 25%.
It is the same between UK and EU, considering what Farage said in the EU parlament, or what Boris and Macron are up to by throwing threats at each other.
A lot of the dialogue is more about positioning themself in an as favourable position as possible before going in to negotiating a Brexit deal, or a trade deal, and in some cases it is just short of trying to bully someone into submission.
If you set aside what you think about Trump, and take your time just trying to understand why he is acting as he is, and what he is trying to achieve, then it all becomes much clearer.
Feelings and emotions blur everything, it is much easier if you try to stay neutral and focus on what, and why, things are happening, instead of focusing how you feel about it all.
Set your emotions aside and focus on the ball instead of on the player you are up against, it makes it all much easier to handle.
Do not forget to think what you would like to get in return, out of an agreement if you have to trade or negotiate under pressure, there’s always something for you.
None of us can miss out on what is going on with China, Huawei and that USA has put Huawei under a lot of pressure lately, China is responding with a de-listing of companies not yet revealed or public.
At the same time you can hear Trump talk about that if China can agree to a trade agreement, Huawei can be part of that Trade settlement to.
If you listen to what Farage said to the EU parlament, no one can miss out on what he thinks about EU, but he actually used terms like” long tearm relationship” after Brexit, in his speech.
Farage also talked about that if UK did not find a Brexit agreement that UK could live with and accept, then Germany should prepare themself for higher car tariffs to USA, I wonder how he can talk about threats that include USA?
Trump indicated that UK could have a favourable trade deal after Brexit that would make it more interesting for car companies to have their production in UK.
In all of these cases it is all about understanding the negotiation power and how to use it, it is not about taking it personally or letting them get to you by twitter or not, or by making you angry or unbalanced.
In most negotiations there is a power game going on, in most cases there is a fair amount of sticks and stones mixed with carrots.
It is all about what it will cost you to do a deal or not, or what it will cost you if you walk away without trying to come to terms with each other.
It is your decision, but remember you have to live with it if you decide not to strike a deal and walk away.
In most cases, on this level of negotiation, it is always better to find a solution or to respond in a proper manner.
Over reacting will only increase tension and could very well end in a trade war where everyone will have casualties and costs.
One thing is already certain, trust is gone, no one dare to trust Trump or USA in any deals in the future, once trust is gone it will take forever to rebuild it, and it will cost USA more than a wall to rebuild that trust again.
You can not always like who you do business with, but in most cases it is better to try to settle an agreement, if you find yourself low on power in a negotiation, there are solutions to that too, if you know where to ask.
Do not ever allow anyone to bully you in to submission, if you do, they will come back again and again, because you have given them an excuse to do so, by giving in to threats.
It is never pleasant to realise that you have trained your opponent in how they should treat you, just because you gave in too easily, when you should have stood your ground and made a counter proposal, that matches their demands on you.
Wait and see, we can all learn from how China probably are going to respond to Trumps way of conducting international agreements, I am sure there will be a considered counter proposal to balance out Trumps demands.
Remember, the door sometimes swings both ways.
Christopher Bell Blomquist
Managing director Scotwork Sweden
BellBlomquist Consulting.
www.scotwork.se
www.bellblomquist.com
