The ability to negotiate well is perhaps one of the most vital skills for success in one’s life yet for most people, it is hard to understand how to become a better negotiator. The ability to negotiate is not some inherent aptitude that one has or does not have. It is, in fact,like all other skills one that can be acquired and honed over time. Here are the key things to remember in order to become an accomplished negotiator:
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This is one of those articles you simply have to read. Arthur Rosenfeld, a Tai Chi Master, provides an amazing insight on how sometime it might be better not to rely on our instinctive and primitive emotions. Based on his article in the Huffington Post Blog
Just before Christmas of 2007, almost exactly a year ago, I steered into a Starbucks drive-thru line for a cup of tea on my way to teach a morning tai chi lesson. There were a few cars in line, and I got in behind them. When my turn came I gave my order at the billboard menu and moved up as far as I could while waiting patiently for the cars in front of me to get through the cashier line. While the South Florida weather would probably would have felt tropical to much of the rest of the country, I was a bit chilled and was looking forward to my hot drink.
My older son who is about to turn 18 loves driving my car. Some weeks ago, we had gone out for dinner and as I was paying the bill, he asked if he could bring the car over from the car park as that would save me a long walk. I hesitated a bit because we were in a very crowded place with a lot of traffic around but I knew he wanted to drive so I said yes. 15 minutes passed and just as I was getting worried, he walked over to me, looking very sheepish, and said he had banged someone else’s car and the car driver was wanting to see me. I started to feel irritated at this unnecessary complication and was getting ready to give my son a lecture. Just then, the car driver whose car had been damaged came over with a broad smile and a warm handshake. The first thing he said to me was “It’s OK – don’t be tough on your son. Anyway, it’s just a small scratch.” Now that was unexpected…
One of the facts about management that seems contrary to conventional wisdom is that most managers are really “nice” guys who do not like confronting their subordinates and holding them accountable. These managers consider this part of management to be a real hassle, something they would rather avoid. They believe this is an unnecessary evil and something they have to put up with as part of the heavy burden of management. Managers who think like this of course are never really going to be able to hold any one accountable. Then there is the mean-spirited manager who is completely task oriented, and who does not give a damn about people. Managers with some degree of balance between their concern for people and concern for holding the same people accountable for their performance are unfortunately a bit of a rarity.
So how does a manager strike a balance and make the process of confronting subordinates about their behavior or performance a bit easier and less stressful for both parties?..
Every one encounters difficult people. In fact, if you think objectively and hard enough, you were probably a difficult person yourself not too long ago! What happened? Were you really angry and hurt? Was it embarrassment or frustration? So when other people go through this difficult series of emotions and seem difficult, here are 7 things for you to remember:
If you are a manager, you will have to deal with all kinds of employees in your job, including handling difficult employees. It is an unfortunate reality that every organization has a number of these characters. It is also true that most managers don’t like handling a difficult employee; they will much rather ignore the issue or skirt around it because this is much easier to do. But remember, if you are a manager or a supervisor and you don’t know how to handle a difficult employee, then you become the difficult employee yourself…
How do most people react to change? Why do people resist change? Experience suggests that most people don’t like change and will resist it in different ways. Some will resist and react to change in subtle ways without showing their hand and others will openly challenge any form of change. Managers hoping to introduce any form of change that impacts others in the organization need to be aware of the 3 key reasons before implementing any substantial change in the workplace…
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