In the Classroom II
High-Stakes Negotiations: Cooperation and Conflict in Fallujah
In Iraq, negotiations are complex and rapidly changing. This was graphically illustrated to U.S. Marine Corps Captain Thomas Waller while serving in the volatile Anbar Province in August 2006. A Marine platoon had come across a meeting of Sunni sheiks debating about whether to support al-Qaeda or the United States. The U.S. regimental commander went to meet with them in Fallujah, but the Marines received word that there was an ambush set for the U.S. negotiators returning from the meeting. Waller's unit found the ambushers, waiting with machine guns and RPGs. The Marines successfully captured the enemies and put them in flex cuffs.
But then the motorcade drove past the scene, returning from the successful negotiations. Now the captured adversaries were allies. As a result, Waller and his men had to release their prisoners. "They had been setting up an ambush for the commanding officer," recalls Waller, who recently attended the Executive Negotiation Workshop: Bargaining for Advantage® program as the first recipient of a new scholarship for Marine officers. "It was not easy to cut those guys loose, but you have to make good on your agreements."
I find myself using what I have learned at Wharton every day. Richard Shell emphasized that human relationships are paramount. You never know who you are going to have to work with or depend on. Never burn a bridge. If you don't have to be my enemy, there is no reason you can't be my friend.
–U.S. Marine Corps Captain Thomas Waller, Participant in Wharton's Executive Negotiation Workshop: Bargaining for Advantage®
The cooperation paid off. The alliance helped diminish al-Qaeda's influence and led to the "Sunni Awakening" that began that month. "As we continue to fight counterinsurgencies, we have to do nation building," says Waller. "It is vital for Marines at every level to forge relationship skills."
Foes Become Friends
Waller's experience at Wharton gave him fresh perspectives on his experiences. "I find myself using what I have learned at Wharton every day," says Waller, who now works with officer candidates at the Marine Officer Candidates School in Quantico, Va. "Some managers in the Wharton program focused on the numbers and math during negotiations – to increase their gains. But [professor] Richard Shell emphasized that human relationships are paramount. You never know who you are going to have to work with or depend on. Never burn a bridge. If you don't have to be my enemy, there is no reason you can't be my friend."
Even in the military, where leaders have rank to enforce their points, persuasion and negotiation are essential. "You have to have an understanding of people," Waller says. "We have plenty of weapons and other assets at our disposal. But you have to build relationships with your allies, and with people you are interacting with in a foreign country. They may be an enemy one day and not the other."
Relationships also give leaders their power. "The Marine Corps gives you rank, which is an extra tool in the toolbox," Waller says. "But if you can't inspire people, if you have to rely on the bars on your collar for people to follow you, you have failed. If you don't inspire others to follow, rank will only go so far when the bullets start flying."
Of course, few of his classmates at Wharton negotiated for such high stakes. “In the Marine Corps, our product is not a commodity or a service, but something much more precious,” says Waller.
Leading from the Front
Waller now assesses whether Marine officer candidates have what it takes to lead. During a 10-week program at Quantico, he and other trainers test the knowledge, stamina, and above all, character of the candidates. The potential officers, most of whom are fresh out of college, are pushed to their limits.
At the end of the period, Waller needs to decide whether to recommend them. "I'm using the Wharton negotiations program to help frame the very important conversations I have with my superiors about officer candidates," he says. "We train, screen, and evaluate whether they have the physical, intellectual, and moral fiber to be a Marine officer. For those who do not have it, I need to articulate why this individual is not cut out to be a Marine officer. That is a negotiation."
This assessment is vital to the success of the Marines. "We have to show that even though candidates are physically fit and qualified on paper, they should not be in a position to lead Marines in combat. You might be taking away someone's dream, but it is important for the Marines and for the country to have good officers."
There is no room for selfishness in military leadership. In addition to evaluations by drill instructors and academic teachers, peers evaluate the officer candidates. "As an officer, you might be called a leader of Marines, but a more apt term is servant," Waller says. "If you are serving yourself more than others, you do not have any place being a Marine officer." While the Marine Corps motto is Semper Fidelis, "always faithful," their leadership motto is Ductus Exemplo, "leadership by example." This means leading from the front.
Moral Fiber
Waller points out that the impact of selfishness among leaders is evident in the current economic crisis. "We are reaping what selfishness has sown," he says. "We would probably not be in the position we are today if the decision making was guided by a certain sense of moral obligation."
Waller talks a lot about "moral fiber." In a complex and deadly environment, having a strong moral compass is crucial in governing actions. "Whatever it is that you do, when it is all over you have to be able to look into the mirror and be happy with what you see," he says. "Your moral fiber has to be intact. That guides everything you do in combat, how you treat people, how you treat the enemy."
The Captain Robert M. Secher Scholarship
Waller came to Wharton thanks to a scholarship established in honor of U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Robert M. Secher, who was killed in Anbar Province in Iraq in October 2006. Secher was instrumental in partnering with the Wharton School to design and deliver the Quantico Leadership Venture for Wharton MBA students. The leadership development workshop for Wharton students builds upon the programs and facilities of the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. More than 1,000 Wharton MBA students have participated in this unique hands-on leadership program since it began eight years ago. It has become one of the most popular workshops at Wharton, with more than 500 students interested in the 180 spaces offered each year.
The scholarship, announced at the conclusion of the Leadership Venture in Quantico in September 2007, enables one Marine Corps officer annually to attend a Wharton Executive Education course. "Our partnership with the USMC and Officer Candidate School has greatly benefited our students and the USMC," says Jeff Klein, director of the Wharton Graduate Leadership Program. "To say that the investment both Capt. Secher and the Marines have made in our students is unparalleled would be an understatement. The skills that our students test and learn during our Venture at the Officer Candidate School focus on the USMC values of honor, courage, and commitment. Courage, we say, is about making a difference, and we're proud to honor Capt. Secher and the USMC for making a difference with our students and in the world."
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