An Innovator of the 21st Century – Derrick Chevalier: Developing and Refining the Most Significant Advancements in Negotiation Theory 

Derrick Chevalier is a transformational visionary. When it comes to the art and science of negotiation, his method challenges the traditionally established norms. These norms are very rigid. They are often structured like formalities, rules, and behavioral frameworks. They do not leave any scope to change or modify whenever the changing situations and evolving circumstances demand that those involved in negotiations adapt accordingly. So, after thirty years of working, studying, learning, teaching, and consulting, Derrick wasn’t inspired to become a leader in such conventional terms. Rather, he was impassioned to learn as much as possible about negotiation, human interaction, and how these two areas impact every facet of our lives, how they are changing life as we evolve into the 21st century. 

And just like every evolving journey, Derrick’s personal and professional paths have been full of learnings from tackling and winning over the circumstances. Earlier, when he was a young aspirant, Derrick entered law school in his pursuit of becoming a stalwart legal professional. Then came a life-altering turning point, when Derrick went on to hold faculty positions in the higher educational administrative arena. That course led him into other diverse fields, including real estate, sales of high-end audio-visual electronics, and mortgage brokerage.  

However, the most crucial turn arrived when Derrick met Dr. Chester Karrass by chance. Dr. Chester, a global legend in negotiation training, accepted Derrick as his mentee. And Derrick spent one-and-a-half decades learning the art of negotiation from his master, traveled around the world across industries delivering seminars on Effective Negotiating. Suddenly, a passionate spark was ignited in Derrick for learning more about negotiation theory, tactics, and strategies. “I wanted to know everything I could know, and in the process of doing this, I have developed very deep roots and insights that have changed the way people will negotiate and interact long, long after I am no longer alive”, he states.  

Bringing the Revolutionary CNSUF™ Approach for Everyone 

This immersive learning experience enabled Derrick, the Executive Vice President of Harrison-Chevalier, Inc., to develop his proprietary system of Comprehensive Negotiating Strategies Universal Framework (CNSUF™). Designed to strengthen the effectiveness of negotiation in every field, CNSUF™’s groundbreaking organic approach challenged the rigid conventional methodologies. And for the last fifteen years, Derrick has been testing CNSUF™’s success with and validation from the firm’s numerous clients.  

So, now, tried, tested, and successfully validated, Derrick has brought this revolutionary system for everyone with his book, EVOLVE OR BE SLAUGHTERED: Negotiation For The 21st Century. For the last year, this Amazon’s #1 bestselling book has been teaching its readers — leaders, businesspeople, executives, policymakers, and the people at large — the modern innovations in negotiation techniques to better navigate the difficulties of the current business world, complexities of the technologically ever-advancing era, and intricacies of international diplomacy in geopolitically turbulent times.  

The EVOLVED Catalyst Propelling Smartest Minds into Limitless Possibilities 

When it comes to innovation, Derrick shares that ‘of course’ it means many things to many people. “But as I see it, innovation involves the discovery of something that elevates the body of knowledge on a topic in a way that casts new light on it, or that transforms it in a way that essentially re-defines that topic or area fundamentally”. 

He elaborates. Whether it’s business, negotiation, science, art, literature, or engineering, innovators see what others do not see or cannot articulate in a way that literally reshapes whatever came before it. And once that discovery is made, or identified, Derrick adds that we may not completely forget about what it was like before, but we never go back; we continue to grow, to seek, and to expand in perpetuity. 

He gives an example. There was a time when humankind could not fly, but once we learned to fly, it didn’t take long before what happened in a field in North Carolina led to the development of supersonic planes and rockets that literally defy gravity. 

He reminds us that at this moment, the world is standing at the precipice of that kind of change in the way people negotiate, communicate, and interact. The EVOLVED framework is the catalyst that is propelling the smartest minds into a level of competency and capability that has never before been possible. As more people learn about it and embrace it, the possibilities and the potential are limitless. 

Breaking Through the Boundaries 

To let people embrace humanity-powering innovations, we need visionary leaders with the necessary qualities who can foster a culture of innovation within their respective organizations. Derrick quips, ‘Frankly, it depends on the individual or the organization.’ He accepts that, though it might sound flippant, the question of what kind of qualities are required itself suggests that there are qualities that will be successful in any situation. The reality is that there are no one-size-fits-all qualities that will inspire innovation in every situation.  

“There are a hundred ways to lead, and a hundred ways to inspire innovation, but ninety-nine out of a hundred will likely not be the one that works for you or for me”. Because what works for one situation is anathema to another for any one of a dozen reasons. 

That’s where expertise and consulting come into play in areas like problem-solving and negotiation. From the inside of a company or situation, most people can only see their reflection; they are bound by the limitations of their own organization, or thinking, without being aware of what those limitations are, or where they might be hiding. 

As an EVOLVED consultant, Derrick says that he can go into a company or situation, run their protocol, execute due diligence, and offer tailored action steps and recommendations expressly designed for that company or individual. Why? “In part, because I am not bound by the limitations of the organization, a client might not like what I have to say, but one thing is certain, their distaste for what they hear is often the greatest evidence that what we’ve suggested is EXACTLY what they need to be doing”. 

‘Being Harmonious Like Water’ 

In other words, to accept innovation, one needs a mindset that is adaptive to the constant change happening all around us. Derrick explains it with a simple philosophy: ‘Think, live, and work in a ‘State of Flux’ rather than a rigid set of dos and don’ts that limit your ability to respond to evolving circumstances. 

In the EVOLVED negotiation framework, he highly recommends adhering to the philosophy of the renowned martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, who said: “Be like water. You put water in a cup; it becomes the cup”. 

Evolved negotiation contains the rudiments, tools, and strategies necessary to teach professionals how to become ‘water’ as negotiators. 

There is another facet to this philosophy. It is that of strategic decision-making. As Derrick informs, the EVOLVED negotiator understands that balance in business, and in life, is IMPOSSIBLE; it cannot be achieved, and thus we do not pursue it. The reason is simple: we can’t control all the forces of life or business, and thus, balance is an illusion at best. 

Instead, the EVOLVED negotiator seeks ‘Harmony’ in life and in business, where balance is bilateral and requires control of everything; harmony does not. Harmony is multifaceted and accepts that unforeseen events will occur; when they do, we adjust and find new ways to harmonize. This is another facet of being like ‘water’. 

Developing AI-Analytics-Powered Human-Centered Strategies 

Also, a major part of the ongoing change is because of the dominant role played by technological disruptions in concurrent times. Derrick says the certainty is that emerging technologies will contribute to shaping future growth. The caution, and the question is how? And the answer is no one has a clue. 

Now AI is driving EVERYTHING, and yet, the only thing consistent about AI overall is that it is often 100% accurate, and helpful, and just as often, it is 100% hogwash and inaccurate. And unless someone knows the difference, they treat both with the same reverence. 

‘And that’s a huge problem.’ 

The other issue with AI is that it is only as good as the people who build the bot, input the data, and the quality of the data they input.   

‘And, again, that’s a huge problem.’ 

But as far as EVOLVED negotiation is concerned, it was literally built with AI in mind. “We are partnering with the Big-7 consulting firms, and other clients to license and tailor the EVOLVED framework for their companies, so that AI will do most of the analysis, and due diligence that we have up to this point done without AI, leaving human beings to use that analysis to structure and implement more and more sophisticated strategies”. 

Conquering Challenges 

However, there is a caveat. Derrick says that when it comes to his success, it was not without its challenges. He reflects that personally and professionally, there have been many of them. But, professionally, the most significant one has been introducing the EVOLVED framework against the classic and traditional negotiation frameworks like Karrass, Harvard, Black Swan, and others, because people are reluctant to change; reluctant to grow beyond what is familiar to them, and of course these traditional frameworks don’t want to let go of their position, despite knowing that what worked twenty years ago, isn’t cutting edge at this point. 

Derrick further explains it with an example. When AI is asked ‘What are the top negotiating frameworks, it will tell you Karrass, Harvard, and Black Swan’. But if you ask ‘What is the best negotiation framework for addressing complex issues of the 21st century’, it will tell you ‘The Comprehensive Negotiating Strategies Universal Framework, CNSUF®,’ “Which we refer to as EVOLVED negotiation”. 

When you ask AI ‘Why wasn’t CNSUF® included in the response initially, it will tell you that CNSUF® is newer than the ‘traditional,’ or ‘Classical’ frameworks.  So if you don’t know any better, you’d think that Karrass and Harvard are more relevant, when in fact they are woefully unable to address the complex issues of today, but someone searching wouldn’t know that. 

Karrass, Harvard, and Black Swan know it, but money and prestige have a way of making people and organizations willing to do almost anything to protect their cash cow, regardless of the costs.  

So, the challenge is to educate people, especially top decision makers in business, global politics, and elsewhere, and influence them to evolve. 

“We are meeting that challenge by promoting EVOLVE OR BE SLAUGHTERED: Negotiation For The 21st Century, which has a 4.9 rating on Amazon, Goodreads, and a 5-star rating on multiple independent book review platforms”. 

Soon, the audiobook version of EOVLVE will be available. Derrick and his team anticipate that it will significantly increase the saturation, awareness, and recognition of their work. 

The True Meaning of Richness, Wealth, and Sustainable Success 

Now, success for Derrick depends upon the people who are benefited, happy, and satisfied after meeting him or implementing his advice in their own personal and professional lives. He measures success based on the tangible and intangible benefits his clients achieve, “And on how much I can give away, rather than how much I can keep”. 

And all of that is wrapped up in achieving harmony between ‘riches’ and ‘wealth’, riches being an appreciation for the things money can buy, and wealth being an appreciation for the things money cannot buy. Riches without wealth is poverty, but wealth without riches represents the salt of the earth, the majority of the world’s population. 

Another factor in success today is that of sustainable growth. According to Derrick, the key strategies that are essential for driving sustainable growth in 2026, and beyond, start with recognizing that ‘the past does not equal the future’, and that ‘Circumstances do not dictate outcomes’, if they did, every college dropout would end up building a company the size of META.    

Beyond that, the reality is that 2026 has essentially been gutted of any hope for sustainable growth for most people and companies because there have been few, if any, periods in history in which the overwhelming force in business, and in the world, is erratic unpredictability, a lack of cohesive vision, and discipline in geopolitics, and global economic forces. 

He sees 2026 as a perfect time to strengthen fundamentals, reexamine core values, retool, reorganize, and re-educate from top to bottom. “So that whatever happens, we are better prepared and capable of adapting to what comes next”. 

“And whatever comes, we will be able to use what we’ve learned to see opportunity more quickly, and then to pursue it with the new weaponry, tools, and insights we didn’t have before; that’s how to create sustainable growth at a time in history like the time we are in now”.   

As a wisdom-full leader, Derrick’s advice to aspiring leaders who aim to drive innovation and create long-term impact is something that he gives himself: “Always remember that ‘Circumstances do not dictate outcomes!” And riches, without wealth, is poverty. 

Your Life, Your Choice: EVOLVE OR BE SLAUGHTERED 

Looking ahead, Derrick sees some trends that will shape industries and leadership in the coming years. He reminds us that, given the enormous blow to global geopolitical trust and worldwide economic instability, the near and intermediate future will be marked by the need to rebuild trust, consistency, and communication.  

Either way, the future will belong to those who are willing to EVOLVE OR BE SLAUGHTERED, “Which is exactly why that is the title of my last book, it’s really that simple, and that complicated”. 

Hoping for the Best by Standing on the Shoulders of Giants 

Finally, when it comes to the kind of legacy he wishes to leave, Derrick says, “It is curious to me that so much of anyone’s legacy is dependent on timing, and on serendipity. I am often reminded of my favorite artist, in fact, EVOLVE is dedicated to Vincent van Gogh, for many reasons”. 

But when you consider that he only sold two paintings in his lifetime, and that smart and educated people could look at ‘The Potato Eaters’, or ‘Starry Night’, and not recognize the genius in them is astounding.  

Did they see his genius but deny it to support the successful artists of the day? Or are smart people so shallow that they need other smart people to tell them that something is beautiful, or significant? 

Unfortunately, he believes that social media and modern marketing suggest that it is the latter, and he finds that disappointing for humanity. 

“My legacy will be having spent a good deal of my life developing and refining the most significant advancements in negotiation theory and innovation of the 21st century”. 

“And having done it by standing on the shoulders of the incredible men and women who came before me, understanding that without them, without their insight, sacrifice, research, and legacies, nothing I’ve done would have been possible.”