#34 – From Crimea to the Conference Room: The Art of Keeping a Deal Alive

This week on S4N, Gene opens with Tennyson’s "Charge of the Light Brigade" and the fatal consequences of a misunderstood order, drawing a direct line from Crimea in 1854 to the high-stakes negotiations at Yalta in 1945 – to the boardrooms of today. With Ukraine and Crimea once again in the headlines, we explore how blind obedience, unchecked egos, and behind-the-scenes power plays helped shape the modern world – and what today’s business leaders and negotiators can learn from the decisions made behind closed doors.

At Yalta, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin weren’t just dividing territory – they were wielding influence, managing perceptions, and negotiating straight through imbalance and urgency. Their choices offer enduring insights into persuasion, positioning, and compromise when the pressure is on.

Whether you’re navigating a merger, managing a team, or brokering a high-stakes deal, the lessons of Yalta still apply: when the stakes are high, how you handle pressure and power can change everything. What did these leaders get right? Where did their blunders echo through history? And what can today’s negotiators learn from their triumphs and mistakes? Plus: why it ain’t over ’til it’s over and why it might matter who signs the deal first.

Remember: negotiation is life.

Mentioned in this episode:

• "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• Yalta: The Price of Peace by Serhii Plokhy 
• History Hit