Say you’re giving a friend advice on what shoes to wear on a night out. Your friend picks a pair of polka dot shoes and you pick a pair of striped shoes. Now the worse thing you could do is compromise between the two options, resulting in her wearing one polka dot shoe and one striped shoe.

Often compromise serves as a loose-loose. Where two or more parties give up something that matters to them in order to obtain a part of what they need or ask for.

Of course, there are instances where compromise is a good thing, washing the dishes for your mom when she’s sick when instead you would rather be doing something else is a good example.

However, compromise is too often the default option when it’s not necessarily the best option. We often compromise because it’s the easiest option and not the one that yields the best results.

The real problem with compromise is we don’t get what we want or need. When you become a proficient communicator, particularly a good negotiator, it’s important that you are able to get what you want.

Don’t take one polka dot shoe and one stripped shoe.