Insights

One of the secrets of successful negotiators is that once you identify a tactic the other party is using, it helps remove the power that tactic might have over you.

Whether we like it or not, the reality of being able to get something accomplished may well rely on negotiating a strategic alliance with the ‘other side’.

“I’m the boss, I’ll take the lead!” Could this be a big mistake? The person who holds the most senior position in the organization, group or team may not be the best person for the situation. The title ‘boss’ does not necessarily make them a good negotiator.

Women can't negotiate. Oh really? On the contrary we are always negotiating. We just don’t give ourselves credit for it – in fact do we actually realize that we are doing it? Think of those conversations with your manager, your client, your team, your partner, your children – anyone with whom you have an ongoing relationship - where you needed an outcome. What did you do? How did you get there?

A surprising number of our decisions are based on emotion rather than logic. This may not necessarily be a bad thing, as it can lead to faster, more efficient decisions. However, it is something very important that we need to be aware of.

Influencing is everywhere. Yet many of us are oblivious. While enhanced influencing is a trainable skill, few even think of it. To skilled influencers it is second nature, like breathing. They deeply understand the influencing process and how to manage the impact.

A number of articles and books have examined Henry Kissinger (one-time USA National Security Advisor and Secretary of State) and commented on his negotiation performance.

Quelle sera sa stratégie de négociation et d’influence pour rassembler les perdants, les opposants et les déçus?

Recently, the major article on our local news sites reported a large corporation was undergoing a major financial restructure when they faced substantially reducing revenues. It was a struggle to meet payments on its billions of dollars of debt and they had no choice but to go into voluntary administration. You may have read similar stories, or this may be happening to you!

Now that World Cup soccer fever is on the rise again (congratulations to the Socceroos on qualifying for the World Cup 2018) we can reflect on all those 'negotiations' players have with referees. Almost all of which will fail. This is despite the sometimes extended on-field dialogue and dramatic nonverbal pleading. The yellow or red card decision remained in place.

A major difficulty acknowledged in negotiation and conflict resolution research is that parties tend to exaggerate the degree to which the other party’s interests oppose their own. This egocentric view is commonly held as a true belief – or it may be used as a negotiation tactic to enhance power and control.