8 Negotiation Lessons From The NFL Lockout (OPEN Forum)

1. Step back and start treating the other person — whether a client, vendor, distributor or even an employee — as a partner, advises Ed Brodow, author of Negotiation Boot Camp. "The reason for most deadlocks is because people are too busy fighting with each other and treating each other like adversaries.” ...

8. Eliminate emotions. Although this can be difficult, try to put your emotions aside when negotiating. "Remember ‘It’s not personal, it’s just business,’” says Brodow. “You need to stay calm and not get carried away. Always be willing to walk away from a negotiation. Remember: a negotiation will not determine the rest of your life. If it doesn’t work out, you will find something else as good or better.”

These and six other words of wisdom when it comes to making a deal. And these lessons will come in handy no matter if you're trying to get a raise, hire an actor, renegotiate your contract, or option that piece of material. And some of them are just good life lessons too.

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5 iPhone Apps to Boost Your Business Creativity (Amex OPEN Forum)

The Idea Generator is dirt simple to use. It’s basically three concentric roulette wheels with randomized words. You shake your phone, the wheels spin, and you get three different concepts meant to jolt your thinking pattern and get you off-road a bit. I’ll do three spins right now.

Spin 1: comedic/aquatic/prayer. Spin 2 scary/syrupy/furniture. Spin 3: pre fab/destructive/cellphone. (no kidding!)

So many of us (myself included) feel like creativity should just be something that happens, like the lightbulb going on over our heads, and that using "tools" is somehow cheating. Using the other half of our brains, we can determine that this idea is just plain silly, and that we are all better off using any and all resources available to us. Here are five that fit the bill.
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