Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • September 2002
  • Background Note
  • HBS Case Collection

Presence of Mind

By: Michael A. Wheeler
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:14
ShareBar

Abstract

This case is reflection on the importance of acquiring presence of mind in negotiations. Using a variety of metaphors, the case explores different ways for negotiators to achieve this selfawareness. Athletes experience the phenomenon of "being in the zone," artists and writers speak of being "in flow," and practitioners of mediation strive for "mindfulness." These different experiences all provide insight for negotiators as they face complex interpersonal and contextual discussions. This case resents a vivid example of a firefighter facing an extreme situation--and using an enviable presence of mind to see it through.

Keywords

Management Skills; Negotiation Tactics; Negotiation Style; Interpersonal Communication; Decision Making

Citation

Wheeler, Michael A. "Presence of Mind." Harvard Business School Background Note 903-009, September 2002.
  • Educators
  • Purchase

About The Author

Michael A. Wheeler

→More Publications

More from the Author

    • Winter 2021
    • Negotiation Journal

    Introduction

    By: Michael A. Wheeler
    • Fall 2020
    • Negotiation Journal

    Christo and Jeanne‐Claude: The Negotiation of Art and Vice Versa

    By: Michael A. Wheeler
    • Negotiation Journal

    The Luck Factor in Negotiation

    By: Michael A. Wheeler and Kimberlyn Leary
More from the Author
  • Introduction By: Michael A. Wheeler
  • Christo and Jeanne‐Claude: The Negotiation of Art and Vice Versa By: Michael A. Wheeler
  • The Luck Factor in Negotiation By: Michael A. Wheeler and Kimberlyn Leary
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.