Success all about preparation, author/agent says

Solid preparation can trump raw talent in business and life, author Ronald Shapiro told audiences of business leaders and students this week as part of a two-day visit to Cape Girardeau to promote his latest book.

Shapiro is a Baltimore lawyer and sports agent and founder of the Shapiro Negotiations Institute. In appearances on the Southeast Missouri State University campus Thursday and again at the First Friday Coffee sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, he used examples from the lives of what he calls "master preparers" to show that by doing the work necessary for success it is possible to exceed expectations.

"Preparation takes more time and energy, but it is all about building confidence," Shapiro told about 250 chamber members and guests assembled in the Show Me Center. "The common denominator is that they are all superlative in their preparation."

Shapiro is the author of "Dare to Prepare: How to Win Before You Begin," published earlier this year by Crown Business, a division of Random House. The book made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller lists. As a sports agent, Shapiro has represented more members of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame than any other agent.

He didn't start out to be a sports agent, Shapiro said. He was working as a lawyer in Baltimore when famed Oriole player Brooks Robinson needed financial guidance, and the relationship developed into representation. "You can't plot an absolute course for your life, but be the best and an opportunity will come along," Shapiro said.

On Thursday, Shapiro made his presentation to about 250 students, faculty and members of the public. He emphasized similar themes, including an explanation of how his eight-part preparation checklist helps organize the strengths and point out weak spots in any effort in business or life.

To show how his preparation principles work and combine with points he has made in two other books about negotiating, Shapiro explained his surprise when a colleague showed him a magazine review of a book called "The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness" by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. The book shares the title of Shapiro's first book, "The Power of Nice: How to Negotiate So Everyone Wins — Especially You!"

Through preparation, which includes stating the objectives of any endeavor, Shapiro said he and his colleagues concluded they could not win by fighting the authors to prevent them from using the title. Instead, he said, the negotiations that ensued resulted in cross-promotion by Thaler and Koval, with Shapiro's original book and the Shapiro Negotiations Institute Web site logo receiving prominent display on Thaler and Koval's main Web page.

"Isn't that what we want?" Shapiro said on campus. "Isn't that a win-win? That is using the preparation checklist."

The preparation checklist is based on the idea of a pilot's checklist that must be completed before putting an airplane in motion, Shapiro said. There is always time to pause and make sure that each part of a plan is ready, he said. Tight deadlines only mean that tough choices must be made as to when each step must be finished to be ready when the deadline arrives, he said.

"It is all about systematizing things so you have maximum impact along the way," Shapiro said Friday morning.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126

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