It gives me great pleasure to write the foreword to this excellent book by Dr Vimal Babu and Dr Robert Hisrich. I have known both authors and particularly Dr Babu through their extensive academic and research endeavors, as well as their international consulting work.

When I look back on my career, I realize that a person’s potential to solve problems and overcome obstacles is not in itself enough to make a contribution. Rather, to leave a mark, this potential must be harnessed and given expression through effective human behavior. After more than two decades of professional experience, I am convinced that good negotiation is a particularly important aspect of human behavior that can favorably influence the outcomes attained by an individual.

Moreover, it doesn’t matter whether you’re negotiating with a person from a different field or industry, what matters is how you structure your negotiation to meet your needs. This is particularly true for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs have to deal with a variety of different stakeholders in the context of their work. As a result, they have to be adept at negotiating when they collaborate with others and need to accomplish their goals through the involvement, commitment and engagement of others. Entrepreneurs are savvy negotiators when they can persuade, influence and convince people with enhanced trustworthiness, transparency and authenticity in their actions and responses.

There is a lot in this book to recommend to readers. There are chapters on the basics of entrepreneurship, conflict management and communication, as well as the psychological and behavioral dimensions of being an entrepreneur. There are also chapters on negotiation and entrepreneurial ventures that cover topics such as the process of negotiation, considerations for entrepreneurs who are women and how cultural diversity affects how entrepreneurs negotiate. In general, the authors have done well in selecting the most essential aspects of negotiation in the context of entrepreneurship with a focus on evidence-based discussions, real-life examples, case scenarios and thought-provoking questions as well as a rich reference list of readings to follow up with.

It’s clear that both authors have a wealth of knowledge that they can draw up.