It is the spring of 1997 and I am sitting in Pound 107 while Roger Fisher ’48, Williston Professor of Law, Emeritus, is telling a story about his serving as a weather reconnaissance pilot in World War II. As a teaching assistant for the Negotiation Workshop, I have heard the story at least a dozen times by now and feel my mind wandering. And yet, against my will, as the story reaches its crescendo and the combination punch line/negotiation lesson flows from Roger’s lips, I find myself involuntarily leaning forward and, a second later, helplessly bursting into laughter. The note I jot down to myself is: “All of life is about who tells better stories.”
Storytelling was indeed one of Roger’s finest talents. His sense of timing, the inflection of his voice and his radiant smile seemed to be perfectly calibrated with his audiences, whether they were law students, diplomats, soldiers or community mediators.
But teaching about “all of life” was Roger’s real gift and his ongoing legacy for generations of students and others whom he touched, directly or indirectly, through his work.
In many ways, Roger did not fit in easily at Harvard Law School. In a profession that trains students to identify analytical gaps in others’ reasoning and to posit critical arguments for why something—an idea, a vision, a reform—that might seem likely to happen at first glance couldn’t, shouldn’t or wouldn’t happen, Roger took a different tack. His energies seemed ever focused on figuring out how things that seemed unlikely could be made reality. In this way, he unwittingly exposed himself to charges that he was an ivory tower idealist, unaware of the harsh realities of a world filled with malevolence and evil.
But to those who knew him, to those who witnessed his sharp mind in action every day, just the opposite was true. Here was a man who, after serving in Europe in World War II, returned home to learn that his college roommate and two close friends had perished in the conflict; a man who, as a young State Department lawyer, assisted W. Averell Harriman in crafting the Marshall Plan; a man who served as a fierce and partisan advocate for the government in arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court as a young lawyer. Though he had witnessed the consequences and carnage of violent conflict, Roger somehow chose to see, engage and elicit the best of human potential.
Roger was a master at the art of perspective-taking, of understanding how deep human needs—to be heard, valued, respected, autonomous and safe—when unmet or trampled upon, become seeds of evil and violence, seeds that can cause us to villainize each other, and that motivate us to see the world in stark black-and-white terms. For Roger, the purpose of perspective-taking was never to excuse or justify evil. Rather, it was a way to discover new approaches to diplomacy, to influence and to understanding. These approaches resonated with many because they cut across cultures and appealed to common human needs, which he often termed “interests,” instead of appealing to force, coercion and power. Roger’s revolutionary approach to negotiation, one that typically began by putting the protagonist in the chair of her perceived opponent, giving her a view of the world through her adversary’s eyes, inspired generations of Harvard Law School students to commit themselves to conflict resolution as a career.
Roger’s brilliant and, at times, counterintuitive, thinking is embodied in a series of best-selling books, articles, and manuscripts spanning the second half of his long and storied career. The most famous of these, “Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In,” 3d. (co-written with William Ury and Bruce Patton ’84), has been translated into 36 languages and has sold millions of copies. Though at times dismissed for choosing to write prescriptively and in easily comprehensible terms to a mass audience instead of articulating grand theory for an academic one, Roger nonetheless gave birth to an entirely new field of study within the academy, one that has changed fundamentally the face of graduate school education, not just in law schools, but in schools of business, public policy, communications and diplomacy.
He used his academic vantage point to tackle real-world problems. His direct interventions and advice advanced negotiations that facilitated the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1979, eased the way for a peaceful transition of power in post-apartheid South Africa in the early 1990s, and promoted the resolution of a border dispute and the signing of a permanent peace treaty between Ecuador and Peru in 1998.
But it is a mistake to think that Roger’s attempts to make a difference were always, or even mostly, successful; I suspect they were not. In my early days teaching at the law school, I can recall venturing into his office on occasion for some counsel or to ask a question. After sharing his thoughts with me, he would motion for me to sit down: “Now, can I ask you for your advice? I am writing a letter to the secretary of state about X …” Time and again I was struck, first, by the notion that a professor, senior to me by half a century, valued the input of a 20-something neophyte, and, second, that Roger seemed completely undeterred by the small chance that the secretary of state would read his letter. Always, with Roger, there seemed to be an unrelenting urgency to bring theory to practice, to make a difference on the ground. “The problem,” Roger would say, “is not in finding a solution. Lots of smart people discover good solutions all the time. The problem is finding a way to get there.”
Thirty years after Roger first started teaching the Negotiation Workshop at Harvard Law School, the course remains one of the most popular at the school, and the pedagogy it deploys—creative and interdisciplinary—remains a model for others at Harvard and around the world. In designing the course, Roger drew from many academic and pedagogical wells. He experimented with new teaching methods, the use of simulations, and the use of video and intensive personalized feedback. He looked outside the confines of the law to integrate the work of thinkers like Chris Argyris in action science and Howard Raiffa, a renowned Bayesian decision theorist, to name just a couple. In both its content and its form, even with 20 years of innovation since his retirement, Negotiation Workshop remains one of the enduring gifts that Roger left Harvard Law School.
But there is more than just the concepts, the pedagogy and the form of Negotiation Workshop that I carry with me as a teacher, more than just the course content and delivery style.
For example, I remember Roger, at the end of class each day as students filed out of Pound 107, walking up and down the rows throwing away the empty Coke bottles and candy wrappers students had left at their seats. By the midpoint of the semester, students disposed of their own garbage.
Those of us who had the honor of having Roger as a professor or of working with him in Negotiation Workshop will surely recall similar subtle teaching moments along with his more blunt exhortation, “Choose to help.” In other words: Don’t just do your job well, but be observant; find ways to exert your influence to make a positive difference whenever you can.
As I think about Roger’s career, his many accomplishments and his long life, it seems to me that his admonishment to us embodied his own sense of calling: “Choose to help.”
In a profession where sharp-edged critiques tend to outnumber new ideas, and in a world where threats, whether of lawsuits or of wars, seem to eclipse the voices of engagement and dialogue, Roger’s contributions—his scholarship, his stories, his example and his never-ceasing “choose to help” attitude—are to me as inspiring, fresh and urgent as ever. And I trust they will remain alive in the heart of this student—and in those of so many others—for years to come.
This DIY Fountain was one of the easiest DIY outdoor projects I’ve done. Here in the PNW, we only have about 4 months if we’re lucky to enjoy outdoor living. But once we’re outside, I want it to be inviting.
As one of the Lowe’s Creators & Influencers, this DIY Fountain water feature was my project for our outdoor fun challenge a few years ago. I had been wanting to make my own garden fountain for a while, as well as my DIY Tabletop Fire Bowl.
This simple DIY fountain was easy to make and I’ve learned a few tips to make it even better year after year.
Ceramic sphere that is pre-drilled- I found mine at a local nursery for $5! I asked my nursery where they got them or if they’re getting more and they said they couldn’t remember and no they weren’t getting more. I did find this blogger who made her own. See her garden fountain here.
I’ve been wanting to complete this fountain since I bought the bright blue egg and fountain bowl from my local nursery here in Camas Washington. I bought the pump at Lowe’s and some pea gravel. This was SO simple to make.
I threaded the pump tube through the bottom hole and positioned into the top hole of the blue egg. The pump will just sit on the bottom once the sphere is placed in the bowl. The tube is reaching up and into the ceramic sphere hole at the top.
Before placing the pea gravel in the bowl, you may want to rinse it using a large colander. I didn’t rinse, resulting in murky looking water, as you can see in the photos. I had to drain the water and refill a couple of times before I had clear water.
This DIY water feature took me about 15 minutes! I can now enjoy the soft sound of water, as well as enjoy my beautiful blue egg.
Filed Under: DIY Projects, For The Home Tagged With: Decorating, DIY Decor, DIY Tutorial, Lowe's Creative Team, outdoor space, Summer
Love your fountain. I went over and signed up for the Lowe’s subscription. I would love to win a gift card, if I did, I think I would use it for a new fountain, I have one, but it is looking really tired, yours is so bright, I think I need a new one!
I have been a crafting fool this summer! Go back to work in a week and a half and still have so much to do! Love your fountain, I need to get another pump for mine. Love the water sounds on a summer’s night!
Love the fountain. I have the Lowe’s subscription and like them on facebook. I would buy cushions for my outdoor seating with the $100 Gift card!!
I’m having a pretty good summer, it’s going fast! I subscribed to the Creative Ideas Magazine. I love your fountain! Where did you find the egg? I’ve been wanting to make a fountain FOREVER!
Love the blue egg! I would use a gift card towards new flooring for my kids’ bedrooms. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
I am having fun this summer by taking the summer off from my college courses and finally moving into my first place 🙂 now it is time to paint, decorate and make my place my home, all before the next semester starts!
Hi Kim! I love your fountain! I’m spending my summer browsing home improvement/diy/decorating blogs, Pinterest and magazines looking for inspiration and ideas for MY FIRST HOUSE! We move in a week from Monday and I can’t wait to get to work!
Joined the Lowes site and have been remodeling a townhome on the water this summer…..LOVE Lowes and could really use that remodel for the master bath….that would be awesome since I’m looking for ideas now to make this dream complete!
We’re having fun this summer by watching movies, going to the local waterpark, and watching the summer Olympics! 🙂
Love DIY projects in my super cold air conditioned apartment 🙂 Enjoying my summer reading blogs like this and trying out myself!!
I have been working on a bedroom redo for my daughter this summer. We’ve had a lot of fun picking out furniture and painting everything. Now we just have to build her bed!
Having a blast this summer with 3 of our 7 grandchildren. Have the 3 two days a week going to beach,waterparks,fishing,and plain homegrown slip n slides. Took older of the three up the Ca. coast from our house up to San Fransisco a fun 6 day trip and got out of the heat where we live it was 101 at home and 57 in Frisco. Loved touring the coast with them.
I have been signed up to the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine for a number of years and they have some nifty projects.
I just picked up some paint samples yesterday for my bedroom. I want to see how they look during the day before I decide which color is the best choice. If I won, I would be able to buy the paint, tape and brushes with the gift card. That would be just perfect timing, wouldn’t it? I also want to paint the blades on my ceiling fan. I love, love, love my fan and wouldn’t take it down for anything. The rug needs to be replaced too, but that would be for another time.
Forgot to mention that I am being very productive this summer working on projects inside and outside my home. However, I have to pencil in some lazy beach days and I hope to go and visit my son and his wife before school begins.
We just returned from a 4 day vacation. Our first vacation in four years when my husband lost his job. We drove around Michigan stopping at different Thrift stores and garage sales. We had a really good time.
Good Morning – I just joined Lowes on facebook & subscribed to their magazine. A silly way I’m enjoying my summer is by staying up later than usual, even though I’m working my schedule is later since I work in a school district…so I feel like a kid again…up late during the summer lol.
I just joined Lowe’s Create Ideas Mag. I am having fun this summer by doing things around town with my son. We live near the beach so summers are great!
We have been spending time outside, in the garden and flower beds. Going to the Greene for their free live music events too.
Having fun this summer by decorating an apt we just moved into after selling our home of 30 years. Quite a change!
I signed up.. I’m enjoying the summer by traveling and then finishing off the summer with a visit to my parent’s house!
This summer I decided to let the house go! Not completely of course, but I gave myself to my children this summer. I realized time was flying at a speed I could’nt keep up with and I wanted to make lasting memories with my boys! It has been AWESOME! School starts in 9 short days and plenty of housekeeping, oraganizing, etc awaitws me.
I have already joined the magazine. My kids and I are having fun by staying indoors and doing water color paintings and drawings mostly since it is super hot outside!
I get the Creative Ideas magazine and love it! Just moved back to the midwest so we are trying to get used to the heat and humidity again!
I already receive Lowe’s Creative Ideas. I am having so much fun this summer – hanging with my kids, going on a road trip with my sister, going to Myrtle Beach with my family, and just relaxing!!! I love Lowe’s & I would really love a Lowe’s gift card!!
I love your fountain- I will c.a.s.e you on that:). Thanks for reminding me to re subscribe to Lowe’s magazine- so helpful! I have been enjoying my deck this year! I’ve been able to keep the flowers beautiful and love reading in my compfy deck furniture! My shed redo is nearing completion so that Lowe’s gift card could go for some lovely finishing touches! Thanks!
I am already subscribed-and love it! We are having fun by having a “turn off the tv summer”. Lots of diys, activities, theme nights, etc!
The fountain is gorgeous–and simple enough to tackle! Thank you for sharing! I am a Lowe’s subscriber, and stack them up and fold pages over for my DIY days 🙂 This summer is all about enjoying my husband returning from Afghanistan, sand under the toes, and taking time to smell the sea breeze.
If I won? House paint for us (booorring!) and Step2 Kickback Soccer Goal & Pitch Back for my nephew (yay!)…I didn’t know they had so many playgroundy things for kids!
I’ve actually been getting the Lowes’ magazine for years and LOVE it! Great fountain- fabulous colors! We’re doing a bit of travel right now and visiting some friends we haven’t seen in over a year. Wonderful time but I’m looking forward to going home too.
I have been having fun with the grandkids visiting – never a dull moment. I already receive Lowes magazine.
I’ve been an LCI fan for years! Just finished up building their modern adirondack chairs this weekend, actually. I would love to use $100 to buy more lumber for more projects! I saw a kids’ slide on there last week that I’m now dying to build!
I discovered the Lowe’s Creative Idea’s Magazine last month during the giveaway. Thank you! This summer I am busy traveling around the great state of Montana. SOme work, some play. It is great.
In your pictures, it looks like you cut the egg in half? Did you or does the picture just look like that??
I already receive the creative ideas mag and i look forward to each new issue. I would love to have the gift card to spend on some outdoor seating. Glad you have had a great summer so far. It has been so hot here in Ga.
I receive my Lowe’s subscription in the mail and on my iPad. I love it! We recently bought a pop-up camper and I love to celebrate summer by going camping. Not to mention what seems like an endless supply of birthday parties, weddings, , baby showers and housewarmings to attend. None the less, it wouldn’t be summer without those things!
I currently receive the Lowes Magazine and I love it! Even my 3 three year old little boy gets excited when we pull in the parking lot of our local Lowes Store….he knows the store from front to back and they know us so well that they will let him sit in the little forklift because he is all about construction equipment :o)
This summer we have been working on making our house a home and spending time doing projects together as a family. My elderly father just moved in with us after having a stroke and with the gift card we could purchase the items needed to make getting around the house a little easier for him with his physical disabilities.
For fun this summer we have been hanging out at my mom’s pool staying cool and having cookouts. Will be going to the beach in Augsust and then again in September.
I am enjoying tending my “raised bed container garden” full of assorted vegetables this summer! Love the fountain!
What an awesome give away! I joined the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine, which I am super excited about. We are having fun this summer by traveling to see family and crafting away!
From Cirque de Soliel in Las Vegas to camping, the fair, and Sea World, my daughter and I are having a blast this summer. While on vacation next week, I plan to fix up the house and would be thrilled, as a single mom, if I won a gift card to Lowe’s. I already subscribe to their awesome magazine and frequent their stores often since I just bought a house!
I am already a subscriber to Lowes Creative Ideas. My summer has been extremely fun. We are expecting our first grandchild!!!!! It has been so fun planning the nursery at their house and doing one at my house as well!!!
I’m having fun this summer gardening with my grandbabies, growing heirloom tomatoes, picking blueberries painting a landscape scene on a piece of furniture (curved office desk….very unique/interesting), and visiting and receiving family from Canada. I’ve been fending off the heat by visiting neighborhood pools and having dinner with friends. My life is not quite as full as I would like for it to be, but I’m blessed none-the-less!
I am subscribed to the Lowe’s magazine! Love your fountain. My entry way is in dire need of decorating. I could use this card for that. I am having fun tending my veggie and herb garden this summer (and enjoying the results!).
I am having fun this summer by spending as much time outside in the sun as possible- beach, pool, soon to be kayaking. Can’t wait for that one!
We’ve been enjoying summer in our travel trailer camping with family and friends. We’ve also been enjoying our pool.
I am finishing a paver patio, and really need some nice chairs for it so I can relax and enjoy the garden while the kids play. If I win, I’ll put the money toward chairs!
I love the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine! I’ve been on the list for a couple of years! Our summer fun so far has been on the road. We’ve clocked over 2500 mile so far!
I have a Lowes subscription. I read it on my iPad (awesome app BTW) We’ve been grilling up a storm this summer.
We made a Summer bucket list and we are having so much fun! So far we’ve been camping, went to the aquarium, to the Science center, to the Ski Lift rides up north, to Slide Rock (a giant creek where you can actually slide), to the movies, to the waterpark about a dozen times and this weekend we are surprising the kids with a trip to the beach and to Legoland!
We have been doing things with the kids this summer for fun….Disney, a tractor pull, the TN river….they start school this week though. 🙁
I already get the Lowe’s magazine & I love it! I’m having fun this summer by visiting the pool as often as I can on the weekends!
Great fountain! I subscribed to the Creative Ideas magazine. If I win, I’ll buy plants. I need some flowers!
Hi Kim, I am enjoying this summer a new novice bee keeper and, a mosaic tile project and building hypertufas (English gardening container that require building a form and mixing concrete, and and pete moss to make the containers) The Lowe gift card would be perfect for my summer projects. Thank for the opportunity!
Hi Kim, I am enjoying this summer as a new novice bee keeper, and working on outdoor projects including making a mosaic tile project and building hypertufas (English gardening container that require building a form and mixing concrete, and and peat moss to make the containers) The Lowe gift card would be perfect to help me complete my summer projects. Next on my list to build a bee hive. Thank for the opportunity!
Busy being an overtime student. For fun, I take little breaks and hang out with the kids, doing what they’d like to do.
I receive the Creative Ideas e-letter {still waiting for my 1st hard copy to arrive – sigh} and love all the great inspiration! This summer I started transforming our home to a coastal style decor which means lots of fun DIY projects and I’m spending at least 3 days a week lounging & swimming in the pool for 45 minutes as my “moment of zen” to relax & clear my mind :~)
sorry for the duplicate comment, something’s acting up. anyway, how we’re having fun this summer is by taking it easy and staying inside! whew, it’s flipping hot out there!
Spending a lot of this summer indoors – it’s just too hot to be outside for very long. But we improvising by trying some summer activities indoors – like an evening picnic on our picnic blanket & watching movies while we are eating.
I am already subscribed! (love it!) We just got back from Florida and are trying to stay cool at the pool and indoors with friends! It’s been SO hot!!!
Our office is needing some more storage ideas and maybe one long desk rather than our two shorter ones that are falling apart!
I already get the Lowe’s Magazine and I love it! This summer, the hubby and I have been spending our weekends finishing the inside of our new shed. We’re planning to use it as an office so we’ve installed drywall and flooring. The Lowe’s gift card would come in so handy to make our new shed/office comfy cozy!
I’m having fun this summer creating new projects now that I have free time. I’ll be back to teaching in a couple of weeks. Wish we had a longer summer break. 🙂
My parents always give me their Lowe’s creative mag since they know I’m crafty…but I just signed up to receive it myself. 🙂
If I were to win the $100, I would give it to my mom since she has a lot she is doing around this house.
We went camping by the beach for a few days and then mostly I have been working. Summer is just about over for me. I start teaching again on the 8-6.
Having fun this summer spending a lot of time with my Step Daughter. She is keeping me busy! So much fun!
I subscribed to the magazine and newsletter. I would LOVE to get started painting our house. (outside) OR we would like to plant a really nice tree in our front yard.
I am reading a lot this summer, just trying to relax before home school starts up again in September. Also planning a camping trip to the coast in a few weeks. Can’t wait!
Your fountain is so cute! I signed up for the Lowe’s Creative Idea’s Magazine. So far we’ve spent our summer house hunting and trying to stay cool! Thanks for the great tutorial and giveaway!
I subscribed to the Lowe’s magazine. We took a vacation to Savannah, Georgia then Florida to visit children and grandchildren. We also have had children and grandchildren visit us here. Took a day trip to Helen Georgia with them and went to a water park. It has been a very busy but enjoyable summer!
Love your fountain, our backyard needs help! I already receive the newsletter. This summer we’ve just been doing fun stuff locally (water parks, aquarium – stuff we don’t normally do)
I love your fountain! I am mostly just enjoying the warm weather with no worries about driving in the ice/snow.
We are having fun this summer by swimming, going to Sea World (yay for passes), going to the library and going camping! Sadly summer is almost over!
We are having fun doing everything we can as a family, most are staycations but we are going to NH for vacation next month. We’re also going to camps and having fun with our cousins as much as possible.
Good to know about washing the pea gravel first, I wouldn’t have thought of that either. Your fountain is beautiful and something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. You’ve inspired me! I already get the Lowes magazine and love it.
My summer fun has been having parties in my Outdoor Kitchen. My husband is always inviting people over to cook for them and hang out at the bar. We’ve had lots of great times out there!
I went over to Lowes and subscribed. We don’t have lots planned this summer other than an epic garage sale to give us a few extra bucks to add some more garden beds…we love gardening!
Your fountain looks really great! I love the little pebbles combined with the bright blue. Really neat.
Just signed up for the Lowe’s subscription. A gift card would be awesome. I would make a fountain like yours with one. I am having fun by going to the pool and playing with my son in the water.
I would use a Lowe’s card to purchase paint to repaint our master bedroom. We’ve lived in our house 7 years and I have been feeling the urge to change the colors in our bedroom lately. I’d also update the light fixture. It’s time for something new…..