The Weekly Walkaway highlights negotiation in its ‘good’, ‘bad’ and sometimes ‘downright ugly’ forms. Issue No. 117 (5th September 2025)
The Toilet Seat
There is something deeply humbling about changing a toilet seat. Especially when it’s a toilet used (and destroyed) by my three teenagers.
Those mysterious stains and that smell..
And there you are.. on your knees, head tilted sideways trying to get a rusted bolt to turn, while wondering what life choices brought you here.
The smell clings to you like failure.
You’ve led boardroom deals, built businesses, stared down CEO’s. Yet this £34.99 lump of wood, plastic and chrome from Wickes is your greatest adversary.
Never give up. Never surrender… You’re mine!
I’ve spent the last 30mins spraying disinfectant and wiping away god only knows what, fearful of the itch on my nose and that dark ooze coming from under the washer.
That’s it! I need a coffee…
Nah.. It’s not glamorous, it's not clever and it’s definitely not the stuff of LinkedIn hero posts but it's all necessary.
It’s dirty and as I finish my coffee and crack on I can’t help reflecting, because weirdly enough it’s a reminder that negotiation works the same way;
Sometimes in negotiation.. as in life.. you’ve got to get into the muck.
Wins are built on the dirty work. The unsexy prep, the detail, the parts nobody likes to touch but the basics matter; skip them and you’ll be in deeper muck;
The seat has to fit. No point winning the “deal” if you don't know the value of the deal. Take your time and make sure you know your limits;
Humility is the ultimate leveller. When you’ve been elbow-deep in teenage toilet grime, there isn’t a counterpart alive who can intimidate you and it's a great reminder that no one is too important to get their hands dirty.
In the end I twisted. I swore. I sweated and yes, the seat mocked me with every infuriating wobble but I did it, I solved the problem - and I didn't scratch that itch on my nose (thank god).
Negotiation, like the toilet seat, you don’t get to play the all powerful, sometimes you don’t get to be clever. Sometimes you just have to crawl into the muck. Get your hands dirty. Show humility and fix the thing no one else want’s to touch.
What’s the most unglamorous thing you’ve had to do that ended up teaching you a valuable lesson?