William Ury

William Ury is an American author, educator, and consultant on negotiation and conflict resolution. He is best known for his work on the negotiation techniques taught in his book Getting to Yes, as well as his later books on negotiation and leadership.

Ury was born in New York City in 1945 and attended Harvard University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967. As an undergraduate, Ury was deeply influenced by the civil rights movement, which shaped his views on negotiation and tension resolution. After college, he spent two years in the Harvard Negotiation Project, a research center that studied the application of negotiations to resolving conflict in business and international relations.

Ury then went on to become a professor at Harvard Business School, and eventually wrote Getting to Yes. Published in 1981, the book and its subsequent adaptations become a worldwide success, selling more than 3 million copies in over 30 languages.

In the book, Ury introduces his three-step method to successful negotiation: separate the people from the problem; focus on interests, not positions; and, invent options for mutual gain. Ury argues that all three need to be utilised in order to achieve a successful negotiation. He bases his approach in his belief that parties are more likely to come to an agreement if they can work cooperatively as opposed to competitively. The negotiation process should put emphasis on individuals’ underlying interests, not their stated positions.

Ury's three-step model is based on the idea of "principled negotiation," which means finding methods that are fair and reasonable, focused on needs and interests, since neither party's needs can be fully satisfied in a win-lose situation. He suggests that negotiators should keep an open mind, be comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguities, and be willing to take risks in order to find mutually beneficial solutions.

In subsequent books, Ury expands on Getting to Yes, introducing more targeted approaches to handling difficult negotiations. These include his books The Power of a Positive No and Getting to Yes with Yourself. He also offers advice on working with difficult people, as well as how to manage team dynamics in order to achieve successful outcomes in the workplace. His most recent publication, The Third Side, focuses on the importance of mediation and how to prevent disputes from escalating beyond reasonable solutions.

Ury has also become a well-known international speaker, consulting on negotiation and sharing his advice with government and business participants. He has advised various companies, including Microsoft, DaimlerChrysler, AT&T and British Airways, and has also taught corporate executives and diplomatic representatives around the world.

Throughout his career, William Ury has dedicated his work to understanding the complexities of negotiation and finding solutions toward peaceful resolutions. With his action-oriented approach to cooperative problem solving, Ury's books offer invaluable advice to anyone looking to become a better negotiator.