Gentle Power 36. Why execs don’t win at negotiations
Dec 2, 2025
Discover surprising insights as mid-career professionals often secure better negotiation gains than senior executives. Overconfidence can hurt those at the top, leading to hasty decisions. Executives frequently reveal too much too soon, losing critical leverage. Tactics like calibrated naivete can enhance rapport, while the scarcity of high-level roles pressures leaders to accept suboptimal terms. The balance between transparency and tactical silence is crucial in negotiations. Learn how to negotiate effectively and avoid common pitfalls that might cost you.
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Mid-Career Candidates Win Bigger Increases
- Mid-career candidates often secure larger percentage and absolute pay increases than senior executives during offer negotiations.
- This counterintuitive pattern emerges across hundreds of cases Alex Choi and Gerta Malaj have worked on.
Power Fuels Overconfidence In Leaders
- Seniority breeds overconfidence that can distort judgment in negotiations.
- Gerta Malaj cites multiple studies showing power increases overconfidence among leaders.
Exec Shared W-2 And Lost Leverage
- An executive shared their W-2 with a prospective employer and revealed too much information.
- Alex Choi used this example to show how senior people can 'show all their cards' in negotiations.