On June 30th, we wrapped up June with a thought-provoking conversation at our Barcelona Leadership Breakfast Series, held at the Círculo Ecuestre.

Salva Badillo, former police officer, high-intensity negotiator, and author of “The Negotiator’s Code”, reminded us that the most difficult negotiations are rarely resolved by simply responding to what the other party says they want. The key lies in understanding the interests, concerns, or needs behind that position.

Among the key takeaways were: understanding how a negotiator combines strategy and technique to create the conditions for reaching an agreement, recognizing when someone is willing to sacrifice an agreement rather than concede, understanding that a negotiator helps people make decisions, and accepting that the goal is not to reach consensus, but to build agreements that all parties can uphold.

Special thank you to Salva Badillo, to the Círculo Ecuestre and to Levón Grigorián, Maria Carroll, Rubén López Rivas, Javier Marcet and Natacha Bobin to make it possible.

Next stop: Barcelona, Arquitecture’s World Capital 2026. Stay tuned.

Hoya Saxa!