My dad used to be a corporate raider. His lawyer once told me that when dad negotiated with others, he would come across stupid and clueless. He would do this to encourage exploitation from the opposition. Then he would leverage it to tilt the negotiation in his favour;
My dads default belief was that everyone exploits when given the chance. And he would encourage them to take that chance by him appearing naive & weak. Then he would make them pay, and flag them as dishonourable for the foreseeable future, exercising his ruthlessness at will.
If someone didn’t take the chance to exploit him, then he would proceed with negotiations as normal, with no leverage, and write that disadvantage off as the “cost of dealing with someone honourable”. He would then remember them as decent businessmen from there on in.
I was told that my dad would prepare for weeks just for one meeting, looking at every detail, thoroughly. Not just to be prepared, but to actually look for details he can make himself conveniently oblivious to, and set himself up for exploitation.
Where most people become resentful and upset for getting exploited, my dad would encourage others to exploit him, just so he had a reason to take everything they had. It was the most bizarre trait I heard he had in his days. And he never told me. His lawyer did.
