Negotiation Information



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The Art of Negotiation in 535 words


I want to get better at negotiation, but where to start?  UK Amazon currently has 2332 books on negotiation.  Google indexed nearly 4 million relevant (yeah right) pages.  All I need is a simple, straightforward model that I can put to use now. 

Phased by the glut of information, I went within and remembered the wise teachings from a senior manager in my early working life.  So, come closer, listen up, because he was very wise indeed?

He said "Do you know your LIMits?"

"My what? said I cautiously, wondering if he was asking about my drinking capacity, driving speed or something equally off the wall.

Being worldlier than I, he noticed my confusion and helped me out.

"Lyndsay, if you want to be successful in life, you need to know your LIMits.  Let me explain.  What would you Like to have?  What do you Intend to have?  What Must you have?  What are your LIMit's?"

Slowly it dawned on me that he was talking the strange management language of mnemonics.

He wrote down the word for me like this.

L
I
M
I
T
S

And next to the letters he wrote

L - like to have: your number 1, top of the pile, best outcome
I - intend to have: your realistic, shoot for the stars but reach the moon outcome
M - must have: your bottom line.  Deal is off if this is not met.

(The I,T and S are irrelevant, just convenient additions to prevent asking what your LIM are!)

Testing the Theory

And so ended his lesson.  Off I scampered like the eager young graduate I was, itching to put this into practice.  Thinking about a possible secondment opportunity I wrote the following:

Like - 10% bonus, new laptop, mentoring with new senior manager
Intend - 5% bonus, attendance at special course, return to new job after secondment
Must - same pay, relocation expenses paid, credit in my appraisal

The final deal I struck landed somewhere between Like and Intend, with a few perks I had not even considered, so I felt it was a success.

Why Negotiation Works

There are a couple of reasons why simple models are useful but often forgotten. 

The LIMits negotiation model encourages flexible thinking in that there are 3 potential good outcomes.  Compare this with the most common alternative - success or failure - and you can see there is only 1 measly good outcome.  You don't have to be a gambling pro to work out which approach is best!  The secret of the LIMits model is if you don't meet all the criteria for success, then the opposite is not failure, just a different outcome. 

The other benefit of using the LIMits negotiation model is it forces you to prepare, gaining you vital spare capacity when you are in the thick of the negotiation.  You will be clear about your position and better able to get that across. 
 
Information overload

As I demonstrated, simple models are forgotten because we seek out newer, shinier ideas in books, the internet or from other sources.  Reduce information overload by re-using what you already know or recycling an old idea into one that works today.  Old knowledge is not always redundant.

So, negotiate that new job, better deal or contract.  All you need is to know your LIMits.

 

Lyndsay Swinton is an experienced team leader, people manager and business coach. Her website is www.mftrou.com - 'Management for the rest of us'. Subscribe to her free no-nonsense Management Tips newsletter at mftrou.com today.


MORE RESOURCES:

New York Times (blog)

A Brief, but Failed, Pass at Bipartisanship
New York Times (blog)
In 1981, as Christopher J. Dodd reached the Senate, two members of the Harvard Negotiation Project published the best seller “Getting to Yes. ...

and more »


Let's try this again: District 6, teachers begin negotiating Thursday
Greeley Tribune
While declining to talk specifically about negotiation details, Wayne Eads, chief operations officer for the district, said he is taking a sanguine approach ...

and more »


Citizen

Trans-Pacific trade talks start in Australia
AFP
"This is a very significant potential trade negotiation," Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean told reporters in Canberra. "It has the basis for being the ...
Australia - Interview - Doorstop at Parliament HouseISRIA (registration)
Work starts on eight-nation 'new generation' free trade dealNew Zealand Herald
Unions call for fairer trade frameworkTVNZ
People's Daily Online -eTaiwan News
all 110 news articles »


ABC News

Israel's Snub of US, Mid-East Peace Heard Around the World
Fog City Journal
Clearly, the US is not going to use any leverage it may have to force Israel to the negotiation table. Why? Because the conventional wisdom in the White ...
US finally calls Mideast diplomacy by name - crisisHa'aretz
Prospect of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks loomingXinhua
Managing Abbas' expectationsNew York Post (blog)
IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters -FrumForum -Seven Sided Cube
all 4,122 news articles »


News.Az

Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh cannot join negotiation process, envoy
News.Az
The Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh cannot join the negotiation process over the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, considers special ...

and more »


Reuters

Hammering out the details behind closed doors
The Orange County Register (blog)
Maybe both, as in negotiation if the votes aren't there. The House is in an interesting position. Now that there are only 59 Democrats in the Senate, ...
Emanuel: Progress Being Made in NegotiationsRoll Call (subscription)
Late Night: March MadnessFiredoglake (blog)
Democrats in Washington need to learn from the RepublicansMinnPost.com
Bemidji Pioneer
all 2,773 news articles »


WSAU

VISTA: Teachers upset over layoffs, negotiations
North County Times
It's one of the last phases of the negotiation process before a strike. "Fact-finding is one more opportunity to come to an agreement," board President ...
Teacher contract negotiations startOsceola Sentinel Tribune
School Board takes 1st step to finalizing budgetClinton Herald
Newport News schools' budget shrinks $20 million, may get smallerDaily Press

all 355 news articles »


Ynetnews

Peres on J'lem: We will respect every holy site
Ynetnews
Battlefields filled with victims and negotiation tables full of achievements' Amid high tensions in Jerusalem's Old City on the backdrop of the rededication ...

and more »


HUSD: Negotiations with teachers union at an impasse
Hesperia Star
Negotiations between the Hesperia Unified School District and the teachers union have stalled, according to the district superintendent, and an outside ...

and more »


Google News

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