Improve Your Negotiation Skills
This summer, I have visited Aldi numerous times with my two, three, and five-year-old nephews. Our trips often revolve around negotiating which snacks they can choose, especially when they choose different ones. On a good day, we all agree on a snack to enjoy.
Many times, we reach an agreement because of the intentional effort that happens before we even walk into the grocery store. Much of my trust is built with my nephews when I play with them (I know that because they call me "their best friend"). Before we head to the store, I discuss my expectations and set some ground rules with them for proactive communication and slightly because I'm also afraid of them winning. Ultimately, I am confident that I can make the final decision when it becomes chaos with the three different opinions.
This type of negotiation is present in our everyday lives, both personal and professional. It is beyond boardrooms or high-stakes contracts; rather, it's a proactive approach used to strengthen and build collaborative relationships.
How can we, as leaders, better improve our negotiation skills with our teams? Below are three areas to focus on.
Build Rapport and Trust
The foundation of effective negotiation is the ability to build rapport and trust among colleagues and external partners. In practice, this involves regular, scheduled check-ins with your team members and being approachable and responsive. People can rely on you and know that you care about their well-being and success. We aim to be leaders our colleagues or teams turn to for help rather than avoid when they experience struggles. Prioritizing rapport and trust lays the groundwork to address urgent issues or deadlines and adapt as necessary since mutual respect and understanding are already established.
Proactive Communication
Along with building rapport and trust, proactiveness becomes central to effective communication. When leading a team project, sometimes it is possible to predict challenges and hiccups. Make that clear to your team, identify your expectations, or address possible misalignments that can happen early on. We prepare our teams for what's to come. This approach helps to 'name it to frame it' for them.
Confidence
Effective negotiation also requires articulating our needs clearly and confidently, balancing empathy with assertiveness. When it's time to be assertive in a meeting or with a colleague, using "I" statements to express our views shows what we feel without blaming the person in front of us.
Whether deciding on snacks or leading a team project, the principles of effective negotiation remain the same. We can become better leaders and collaborators by augmenting our negotiation skills through building trust, communicating proactively, and expressing ourselves confidently.
