In a negotiation or selling situation, the person who is indifferent to the outcome has the strongest bargaining position. That person doesn’t appear to care about the opinions of others.
If possible, you always want to be in the position of strength, where you can afford to lose. “Whether you decide to go ahead or not, I’ll eat steak tonight.”
Indifference should be based on a thorough understanding of a situation and a deep conviction that you are right. It should be based on rational thought, not a whim.
Indifference conveys strength and is a magnetic quality. People see those who don’t care about the opinions of others as leaders, possibly because they don’t have the courage to be indifferent themselves. They want to be led by someone with that quality.
Being indifferent can also be a failing. A person who doesn’t care about the opinions of others can make reckless decisions, leading to disaster, like a sea captain who refuses to listen to his first mate, who is warning that the ship is headed for a rocky shore.
A leader might surround himself or herself with “yes-persons” who only confirm his or her own understanding of a situation, and are afraid to tell the truth. They are afraid the leader will “shoot the messenger.” Like in Hans Christian Anderson’s story, The Emperor’s New Clothes, no one has the courage to say, “The Emperor has no clothes!” This is a recipe for disaster.
The classic “tragic flaw” in Greek tragedies is the hero suffers from hubris, an arrogant, excessive pride or self-confidence leading to disaster. The tragedies portrayed heroes as aspiring to be gods, resulting in their being humbled by the gods to realize their human frailty.
Confident indifference should be tempered with humble wisdom.