Mike Bosack

Do the things that only you can do I only want to do the things that only I can do. Whether you are a leader or a follower, the key to maximizing your utility within any organization is to keep this core tenet in mind.

"I only want to do the things that only I can do."

If you want to maximize your utility in an organization and get the most out of your teammates, this is an incredibly important tenet to keep in mind.

Learn more about it here:
www.linkedin.com/pulse/do-thi...

"Negotiate: A Primer for Practitioners"

#Free digital download here: www.parleypolicy.com/_files/ugd/3...

To purchase⬇️
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Negotiate-Pr...

Lulu: www.lulu.com/shop/michael...

"Negotiate: A Primer for Practitioners" turned 3 this week.

It is my favorite thing I've ever written, and I still reference it often for my current #negotiation efforts.

I'm also proud that I published it with YCAPS to make it as accessible as possible.

Links below⬇️

Diagnosing problems with the 4 P's It is an inescapable fact that throughout your career, you will encounter problems in the workplace. It doesn’t matter how prepared you are or how much you try to insulate your organization from these...

All #practitioners encounter #problems in their work--the key question is how successful they are in responding to them. For me, problem solving starts with the "4 P's" and diagnosing the root cause issues.

What are the 4 P's?

Learn more here⬇️
www.linkedin.com/pulse/diagno...

Not perfection, but a net postive It’s one thing to strive for perfection. It’s another to be crippled by it.

"Is it a net positive?"

This fundamental question underpins an approach to #decisionmaking, #teambuilding, and #evaluation that I've adopted as a recovering #perfectionist, and it has been among the best mindset shifts of my career.

Learn more here⬇️
www.linkedin.com/pulse/perfec...

#Negotiation is a long & complex process, which is why it is important for practitioners to understand the six different phases.

Making good deals requires an ability to navigate the challenges of all six of those phases, which is doubly important when the stakes relate to war.

When the two sides do agree on the parameters of the negotiation, settle on their negotiating teams, and establish some regularity in their talks, they will move into the next phase of #negotiation, which is to come to an "ad ref" agreement for consideration at political levels.

No word on where the next round of talks will take place, but the #Kremlin has rejected the #Vatican. The more likely location is either #Istanbul (again) or #Geneva.

Now, the two sides are working on the format, location, and parameters for the negotiation via memoranda that each side is producing.

The #Ukraine side's memorandum is done, and the #Kremlin says that the #Russia side is nearly done with theirs.

What began on 16 May in #Istanbul was the start of phase 2: the "Agreement to Negotiate" phase. While they secured another negotiated prisoner exchange (the 65th since March 2022), they also started deliberating the contours of their formal #ceasefire negotiations.

Then came #Putin's unilateral 3-day #ceasefire declaration and later announcement on sending a delegation to #Istanbul for talks.

There were attempts to secure bounded #ceasefire agreements related to maritime corridors in the #BlackSea and energy infrastructure.

The #Ukraine side sought to expand that out to a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire. The #Russia side refused.

The #prenegotiation phase began in earnest with the push from the #US government to jumpstart #ceasefire negotiations, including the meetings in #Jeddah with both the #Ukraine & #Russia sides and the US-Ukraine negotiations over the Minerals Deal.

There are six distinct phases of negotiation, each with their own characteristics and objectives.

There are six phases of #negotiation, and the #Russia & #Ukraine sides are currently in the "Agreement to Negotiate" phase of their #ceasefire deliberations.

Allow me to explain...

Common mistakes in strategy building What are the most common mistakes people make when building a strategy? There are several, but Parley Policy highlights ten in particular to avoid when developing and implementing strategies.

A quick read on common mistakes that I have observed when it comes to building & implementing #strategies (and how to avoid making them)⬇️
www.parleypolicy.com/post/common-...

📍 On April 28, YCAPS Special Advisor @mikebosack.bsky.social and Maritime GENIE Ivy Ganadillo participated in the Australia-Korea Academic Maritime Security Dialogue, @latrobeuni.bsky.social

They shared insights on advancing maritime capacity coordination in the Indo-Pacific🌊

4 quotes to live by in social media Social media is tricky. It is an incredibly useful tool that anyone who has a serious communication strategy must employ.

Social media is tricky. Anyone who has a serious communication strategy must employ it; however, if wielded inappropriately, it can have significant consequences.

I have found 4 quotes that help guide the way.

Learn more here⬇️

What to make of the restart in Russia-Ukraine ceasefire negotiations Securing a prisoner swap agreement marks progress but big gaps remain on core conflict issues.

“The Ukrainians could have delivered a fully formed draft agreement to serve as a new anchor for the talks,” writes Michael MacArthur Bosack in The Interpreter.
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/what-make-restart-russia-ukraine-ceasefire-negotiations

Had a chance to brief the members of the Australian War College today. This has become somewhat of an annual tradition for me, and I always enjoy it.

The Defence and Strategic Studies Course always has such a sharp & capable multinational cohort!

4/...a 30-day #ceasefire.

If it is tied to a mutually agreed upon negotiating schedule, it might be doable. That is using #process to one's advantage.

If it is being cast as a #precondition, the Russians will likely balk at it while claiming the Ukrainians can't be trusted.

3/...(1) the two sides are too far apart in their positions and (2) it would seem like #Putin showed up because he was summoned.

The Russians will do everything they can to show that they have the upperhand in the negotiation.

The bigger question mark will be...

2/For me, a successful outcome from the negotiation on Thursday is agreement on the negotiating agenda, the timeline for subsequent negotiating sessions, and possibly the establishment of working groups for each agenda item.

I have no expectation for #Putin to show up because...

There'll be high expectations for the #Russia-#Ukraine negotiations that seem set to occur in #Istanbul on 15 May.

But overly high expectations can kill momentum--the natural inclination when they aren't met is to conclude that the other side is acting in bad faith.

...1/

Frankly, the interests, constraints, and restraints in Russia-Ukraine #ceasefire negotiations have been evident for quite some time now. The question is how the parties will use their various #negotiation strategies to maximize outcomes while minimizing concessions.

We'll see.

• #Ukraine's partners will have a choice to make: increase pressure on Russia, or push Ukraine to deliver more concessions.

More concessions (particularly territorial concessions) will only incentivize Russian obstinance while making a peace agreement unratifiable in Ukraine.

• The Russians will likely reject the first proposal by claiming that it does not "resolve the root cause issues"--really, because the Ukrainians will not recognize Russian sovereignty over occupied territories of #Ukraine in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea.

For context, an "anchor" in a #negotiation is a reference point for deliberations. In intergovernmental negotiations, a draft agreement typically serves as the anchor.
(Learn more in "Negotiate: A Primer for Practitioners: www.parleypolicy.com/_files/ugd/3...)

• #Russia is likely to try to anchor the negotiations in the March 2022 Istanbul Communique, which heavily favored Russian positions.

If Ukrainian negotiators are wise (and they usually are), they will have a new, fully drafted agreement ready to present to create a new anchor.

What does this all mean?

• I suspect that negotiations in #Türkiye will happen. The last time negotiators from #Russia & #Ukraine met in-person was in Istanbul in March 2022.