“Fair prices and minimal drama”: these were the words that caught my attention when I read The Age’s recent article on how a Harvard-based negotiation strategy helped the Geelong and Adelaide Football Clubs negotiate a complex player exchange. Senior executives from both clubs had recently completed short programs on negotiation at Harvard University and were sufficiently inspired that they put the theory into […]
Do you find yourself regularly dealing with minor day to day frustrations? Or perhaps you have people bringing you endless small problems to solve. These things certainly seem to crop up a lot for me. And although I no longer work regularly on major negotiations, I certainly still get a lot of negotiation practice. As I […]
For many, the opportunity to study at Harvard University is a dream come true – like seeing the Northern Lights or swimming with a whale shark. (Or not.) In June, I had the good fortune to spend two weeks at the Harvard Negotiation Institute, attending intensive negotiation workshops led by acclaimed experts Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen and Douglas Stone. My […]
When was the last time you drove on the wrong side of the road? Not literally, of course. I’m talking about turning off ‘autopilot’ and venturing into unfamiliar territory – in the pursuit of growth and learning. Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck refers to this as having a ‘growth mindset’, which has been shown to improve motivation and productivity in […]
When the authors of the classic negotiation text Getting to Yes* penned the advice ‘focus on interests, not positions’, they couldn’t have chosen a simpler way to describe what in practice can often prove challenging. The guideline ‘focus on interests, not positions’ serves as a powerful remedy to the tendency for negotiators to focus on […]
Is there a place for emotions in negotiation? People often say, “I’m a professional, feelings don’t matter.” “Good decision-making is objective. Emotions just get in the way.” Or my favorite, as tribute to the Godfather, “It’s not personal. It’s business.” But bets are that you’ve sat in a meeting, fuming on the inside not sure what […]
I am in the process of organising my wedding, and recently had an interesting negotiation over the final contract with our preferred photographer. Part of the package that they put forward included 100 thank-you cards. We had already organised to get our thank-you cards printed with our invitations, so had no need for this.
Negotiation skills training needn’t stop in the workplace. Tyla Locke offers some advice on how to manage conflict at home – read on! Q. I’ve been having trouble resolving an issue with the builder who built my house. The house has structural issues which have resulted in a leaking roof and damage to the walls […]
CMA Associate Rebecca Stowe offers this advice on how to manage the dreaded “no” within a negotiation. Read what she has to say here… Q. Sometimes, despite my best efforts to understand a customer’s needs and to come up with creative options, my counterpart rejects even my best offer and decides to go with our biggest […]