The 18th Goat: Solving the Unsolvable with Trust

A note to young leaders.

The solution isn’t always in the numbers.

A man passes away, leaving 17 goats to his three sons. His will states that the eldest should receive half, the second a third, and the youngest a ninth.

The sons are perplexed – 17 doesn’t divide evenly by 2, 3 or 9. They’re stuck.

A wise neighbour sees their dilemma and offers one of his own goats, bringing the total to 18. Now, the eldest gets 9 goats (half), the second gets 6 (a third), and the youngest gets 2 (a ninth).

That adds up to 17. The wise man then takes back his goat, and everyone is happy.

The extra goat unlocked the solution but did not form part of it.

I’ve seen this play out a few times in joint venture negotiations where control and trust are big issues. By showing that I was willing to trust the other party and relinquish formal control, we were able to overcome the impasse. Later, as mutual respect grew, we were able to negotiate shared control over the issues that mattered most to us.

The 18th goat here was trust and goodwill. I offered the goat, advanced the deal and later got my goat back.

If you’re ever at an impasse in a negotiation: look for the 18th goat.