Something to Think About

“Is that the best you can do?”

Whether you are a buyer or seller, you always want the “best” price, right? But who defines “best?” Which side of the table gets the “best?" What are the rules for doing that when conflict is certainly at play? It’s a competition, and the name of this game is negotiations. Winners and losers could happen in this game too as both sides compete to define “best” to their satisfaction. It doesn’t matter which side you are on, your responsibility is to be a good negotiator. And in this game of sport, if you are really, really good, everybody wins.  I know you want some rules to get to win/win land, but instead of rules, here are the qualities of a good negotiator:

• DISCIPLINE – the internal focus that gives us the drive, desire and dedication we need to be at the top of our game. Discipline is what will give us a winning attitude.
• ENDURANCE – or stamina, the ability to keep going when others have quit.
• RESPECT – the two faces of respect: (1) for the other party to respect you, you must earn it; (2) for you to respect the other party, you must do your homework and find out as much as possible so that they in turn have your respect. Honesty and reputation are key…it promotes respect. The goal of winning must always be there but unlike seeing the NY Yankees be the only winner year after year (well, almost but 27 out of 40 is not bad), negotiations can produce results where everyone wins...remember win/win!
• PATIENCE – the ability to tolerate adversity and to overcome frustration. You may need to overcome many obstacles to reach your goals and one more thing, never give up.
• EMPATHY – the ability to view the other person's feelings and putting their feelings or concerns before yours. Observing the behavior of others and being genuine is the key.
• HUMOR – A smile can light up a room! When we lighten up a little, so do the people around us. Even in a hard fought negotiation, win/win only happens when everyone is smiling.