In most negotiations, questions are collaborative tools. They clarify priorities, surface constraints, and move conversations forward.

This episode looks at what happens when they're used for something else.

In the first 2026 episode of S4N, Gene examines how questioning shifts from exploration to influence – and why that shift is difficult to recognize in real time.

Using examples from illegal gambling and reformed mobster Michael Franzese, the conversation shows how patient, well-timed questions can feel supportive while quietly doing more directional work. Nothing sounds aggressive. Nothing feels rushed. And yet, over the course of a conversation, options narrow, commitments harden, and exiting cleanly becomes more difficult.

Rather than teaching new questioning techniques, we're honing your awareness: how to tell when a conversation is still collaborative, when it's becoming guided, and what changes once that line is crossed. These moments appear differently early in a career than they do later – but the underlying risk is the same.

This episode is for anyone who's ever left a negotiation thinking, "I agreed to something before I realized I was deciding."

Remember: negotiation is life.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Michael Franzese's YouTube channel
• The West Point Way of Leadership by Larry R. Donnithorne

Are your business meetings stalled, off-track, or simply not delivering results? Say goodbye to all that in 2026. In the last 2025 episode of S4N, Gene draws astonishing parallels between the missteps of world leaders in 1914 and the mistakes we still see in today's boardrooms, team huddles, and high-stakes negotiations.

Using colorful stories from the infamous Sarajevo assassination and the global domino effect that ensued, you'll be confronted with the real-world consequences of unclear communication, rigid thinking, and poor meeting leadership. Gene decodes how a lack of message discipline and an over-reliance on tradition cost millions – and why these same pitfalls undermine modern businesses every day.

You'll learn:

• Why "this is how we've always done it" is the most dangerous phrase in business
• How holding back – or over-sharing – key information can make or break your next big deal
• The irreplaceable value of face-to-face encounters, even in a remote-first, digital world
• Tactics to pinpoint who actually makes decisions in the room (and how to get them to move)
• How to transform meetings from time-wasters into innovation engines

Packed with examples, this episode arms you with tools for assertive leadership, adaptive negotiation, and meeting management that will resonate with CEOs, sales strategists, and project leaders navigating today's hybrid workplace.

If you're ready to break the cycle of fruitless meetings and lead your team with clarity – and impact – don't miss these negotiation strategies forged in the crucible of world history. Listen in and reimagine how you prep, how you show up, and how you bring others to the table – so your meetings never miss the moment that matters most.

Remember: negotiation is life.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Germany and the Next War by Friedrich von Bernhardi
• The Great Illusion by Norman Angell
• The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman

This week on S4N, Gene dives straight into one of the loudest leadership debates happening right now: is diversity a competitive advantage, or – as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently claimed – "not our strength"?

Gene doesn't just push back on Hegseth's idea. He brings historical receipts.

Using one of the most powerful leadership case studies in American history, he breaks down how Abraham Lincoln built a wartime cabinet that should've collapsed under its own contradictions: rivals, skeptics, political opponents, and people who were openly hostile to his agenda. Instead of insulating himself with loyalists, Lincoln engineered productive friction – forcing tough arguments, sharper thinking, and better decisions when the stakes couldn't have been higher.

And here's the part modern executives will actually use: Gene breaks down the mechanics behind why that approach worked – and how the same patterns show up in high-performing organizations today. How to encourage dissent without losing control. How to slow decisions just enough to get them right. How to turn conflict into momentum instead of gridlock.

If you want a clear, historically grounded rebuttal to Hegseth's argument – and practical leadership and negotiation tactics you can apply immediately inside a boardroom, startup, or enterprise – this episode delivers the context, strategy, and actionable steps you won't hear anywhere else.

Remember: negotiation is life.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin