Faking Confidence Is a Trap — Here’s What to Do Instead - with Derrick (The Van Gogh of Negotiation) Chevalier (Part I)

Negotiate Anything

American Negotiation Institute

Education, Business, Self-improvement

4.7 • 748 Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

One mistake. One moment of faking expertise. And it cost him a deal with Stevie Wonder. Order NOW The Book: EVOLVE or Be Slaughtered: Negotiation For The 21st Century (Beyond Negotiating) by Derrick (The Van Gogh of Negotiation) Chevalier In this unforgettable episode, Kwame Christian sits down with Derrick Chevalier — bestselling author of Evolve or Be Slaughtered and executive VP at Harrison Chevalier — to unpack the painful but powerful story that changed his life. From a failed negotiation with Stevie Wonder to creating a framework that helps leaders master their craft, Derrick shares how true confidence is built through competence — not performance. What you'll learn: Why pretending to know something can ruin your credibility — permanently. The ICSEAR framework: a step-by-step model for mastering any skill, including negotiation. How to move beyond balance and embrace harmony in high-pressure conversations. Why great negotiators must learn to flow like jazz — and how to get there Connect with Derrick https://h-c.com/ Follow Derrick on LinkedIn If you’ve ever walked out of a meeting thinking, “I should’ve done better,” this episode will show you how to make sure that never happens again. Contact ANI Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn The Ultimate Negotiation Guide Click here to buy your copy of How To Have Difficult Conversations About Race! Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Okay, imagine this situation. You're in a room with Stevie Wonder, and he is about to buy thousands of dollars worth of audio equipment from you. You think you've got the deal. But what if in trying to make the sale, you lose his trust in the process, and it costs you not just the sale, but the chance of ever working with him again. That is exactly what happened to
0:22.9	today's guest, but what he learned from that moment of failure became the foundation of an
0:28.2	entirely new way to negotiate. Today's guest is Derek Chevalier, executive VP of Harrison
0:35.5	Chevalier, bestselling author of Evolve or Be Slaughtered, and one of the
0:39.6	most compelling thinkers I have ever met on what it means to negotiate with mastery in the
0:45.4	21st century. In the first part of our conversation, Derek takes us on a journey from studying
0:50.0	law and theater to training under the legendary Dr. Chester Carras, to the painful moment that
0:55.9	changed everything, a failed negotiation with Stevie Wonder that forced him to redefine what
1:01.0	excellence really means. So if you've ever felt the pressure to pretend you know more than you do
1:06.5	or struggled with the confidence to show up as a true, authentic expert, this episode is going to speak directly to you.
1:16.4	For me, Derek, one of the things that makes your career and your experience and expertise so fascinating is how varied it is.
1:24.8	Because you've been in so many different industries and you've learned
1:27.5	from some of the greatest and then you've evolved your own approach to work with your own
1:32.8	clients. Especially think about theater and speech influencing your approach. So when you think
1:38.3	about this incredible multidisciplinary background that you've had, how do you think that informs
1:44.0	the way that you negotiate?
1:45.7	That's a great question. Just yesterday, LinkedIn published a list of the 10 most important
1:52.5	soft skills in business right now. And when you think about all of those skills, I actually
2:00.6	responded in saying they had
2:02.3	negotiation as number 10, but they were talking about cross-cultural collaboration. They were
2:08.7	talking about management. They were talking about every one of those skills was a skill that is a
2:15.9	derivative of negotiation. So therein, when you think about cross-cultural
	...

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