How RPG And Being A Boss Made Me A Better Negotiator

The Sogo building in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Taken on the 14th of December 2006. Part of the Sogo Chute Series 1.

One of the things I have realized is that my professional past helps me deal with a lot of situations that I face. And not only because of that, also because I used to play table top RPGs a lot when I was younger.

Let me explain.

Table top RPGs?

Cyberpunk, Ars Magica, MERP and others. You might know Dungeons & Dragons. I have only played D&D a few times, but I have played RPGs for years. Right now, I am not talking about computer based RPGs, only games where you interact with other people around a table.

How do they work?

Well, a person decides he wants to play this game, gets a bunch of people together and buys a few books. Then his friends create characters in a fictional world, that normally are very different from how they are in their normal lives. And the person then runs a game and scenarios, as well as adventures.

This had the benefit of exposing me to situations that I would have never faced in reality at that age, negotiations, dealings with royalty and state people, schemes and other things. Naturally right now, I haven’t played any RPGs in a few years, maybe close to 5 since most of my friends are thousands of miles away in Quebec City, Canada.

Still, it gave me experience in new situations.

Experiences from which I learned.

Another thing that most people will easily forget.

I have been a boss.

Really?

Yes, really.

I was in charge of a small office of 6 employees, supervising my agents, as well as the office staff, from secretaries to recruitment. I mainly managed my team of 4 agents, but still had to pitch in other areas, such as recruitment. I was in charge of hiring/firing and other hard to deal with areas, that most people rarely think about.

As much as in hindsight I dislike my past career, that one in particular, I learned a lot.

This has helped me a lot to deal with office situations and professional situations that arose in Taiwan.

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