I’ve solved it!
This little model is all you need in these uncertain times.
I designed this as a guide to negotiating during these Covid-19 days but, guess what? It helps with any decision you need to make at the moment.
Should I ride my bike around the bay? If I can trust my skills but am not sure if the crowd will be too crazy, inch forward. If you know that everyone is at home watching MasterChef but your bike-riding skills are rusty, wait it out for now.
Should you fire up the oven in a moment of boredom to make a chocolate souffle? If you have the right ingredients, a good oven and you’ve done it successfully before, then go for it. If you’ve never made a souffle and you are short on eggs, then no, don’t even consider it.
See how this works?
In terms of negotiating something in these uncertain times, it’s fine to proceed if the other party is someone you trust, and you have enough predictability in the situation. But, please, don’t start negotiating with someone if there is low trust. Even if the situation has a high level of certainty, there is too much flux elsewhere so it’s not a good time. Just wait it out and spend the time building trust until the right time to proceed comes along.
If you are wondering why this model is valid now, in Corona-times, and not all the time, the answer is the context. With the souffle example, in non-Corona times you could start preparing the souffle in the knowledge that eggs are readily available at a corner store. With the bike ride, it would be fine to take your rusty skills out for a spin on a quiet day. And for the negotiation, in non-Covid times you would probably proceed while exploring opportunities with the other party to improve the relationship and decrease uncertainty.
Can you think of other ways this model applies in these uncertain times?