The former Secretary of State shares her lessons on life and diplomacy

E very semester, the Future of Diplomacy Project and the Program on Negotiation brings former U.S. Secretaries of States to Harvard University. Its mission is to connect students and faculty with the Secretaries’ philosophies and to discuss the most vital of negotiations that they conducted while they were in office. Last semester, Harvard hosted former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the Harvard Law School. This semester former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright was invited.

Albright, the 64th U.S. Secretary of State, became the first female and the second immigrant to fill this position. Albright has an impressive record. In 2012, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama. She is a graduate from Wellesley College and Columbia University, author of five New York Times bestsellers, and chair of her own strategy and investment advisory firm.

During her talk, she shared her own unique expertise on the topic of negotiations in a manner that was more concrete than diplomatic. The proud immigrant often invoked her childhood in Europe to engage the audience. “Personal relationships do ease things a lot,” she said. “But you can’t let that personal relationship get in the way.” It was obvious that Albright loved her work as Secretary of State.

Albright stressed that when negotiating, all parties need to be on the same level. If one person can access the negotiations from a higher level, they will negotiate on that level. The key in all conversations is to pay attention to what you say and how you say it.

She recommended not to set deadlines in any negotiation. “Setting deadlines was a mistake,” she described from her experience. Albright explained that as a diplomat you have to feel and act as if you have all the facts, even when you don’t. She recalled a phone call she once had with former President Bill Clinton, who asked her if they were doing the right thing, to which she re-assured him with, “Yes, we are.”

Albright’s challenges taught her you need to understand the context and what is going on. “You need to know the history,” she emphasized. “When you start out, you don’t know anyone in the department. You have to trust that people give you the right information.” To challenge her views, she would often choose to be surrounded by outsiders.

“Leadership is about listening,” she added, “The basis of any successful negotiation is to understand what the other person needs. You don’t have to like everybody, but you do have to know what makes them tick.” One time when she was at the UN, and noted that China barely participated in conversations. On one occasion, she directly addressed the Chinese foreign minister and asked if they could swap out talking points, so they could talk about the hard topics.

Further on in the discussion, Albright presented her views on U.S.-China relations. She joked that, “whenever we can’t figure out relationships, we say they are multi-faceted.” Her political experience show her that the Chinese are resource hungry and are feeling expansive, but that it is important that the two countries understand that they depend on each other.

Toward the end of her talk, she explained how upon becoming a naturalized citizen, Kissinger called her and complained that she had taken away his one unique characteristic. But Albright told him that she had not for she did not take his accent. It was this anecdote that encapsulates her strength as a stateswoman. It is her nuanced understanding of other people that helps her to be a great negotiator and diplomat.

This piece was originally published at The Harvard Law Record, the student newspaper of the Harvard Law School. Edited by Theodora Karamanlis.