In January 2008, Harvard Business Review’s editors Thomas A. Stewart and Gardiner Morse sat down with investment banker / businessman Bruce Wasserstein, who recently received Harvard Law School’s 2007 Great Negotiator Award.

The interview basically talked about how Bruce Wasserstein works as a deal maker. They discuss about his strategy as well as his perspectives in deal making and how he puts emphasis on creating value in his dealings and counseling duties for chief executive officers (CEOs).

The HBR interview is a useful tool not only for people who want to explore the mind of a successful businessman and deal maker, but also for those who want to learn a thing or two while trying to follow in Bruce Wasserstein’s footsteps. For instance, Bruce Wasserstein reveals that his approach to the art of deal making is similar to what he does when problem solving. He examines each deal and weighs whether it is sensible enough to warrant attention or interest before proceeding to consider his next step.

Bruce Wasserstein’s success, as indicated in the interview, is clearly a result of absolute brainpower and ingenuity coupled with his distinctive ideas and persistence. Clearly, these values are the main reasons why Bruce Wasserstein has been a major mover in the field of negotiations, mergers and acquisitions for more than 30 years.

Read the HBR interview with Bruce Wasserstein.