Ackerman: Don't compromise, which is an interesting thing we're going to talk through. The win-win mindset pushed by so many negotiation experts is usually ineffective and often disastrous at best it satisfies neither side. Most people in negotiation are driven by fear or by the desire to avoid pain. So don't settle. Never split the difference. Creative solutions are almost always preceded by some degree of risk,. annoyance, confusion, conflict, accommodation, and compromise produced. You've got to embrace the hard stuff. And that's what negotiators do.