The Negotiator

Bob Weinstein is a journalist who covers technology, project management, the workplace and career development.

  Career Development  

Jim Camp is a negotiation coach, not a consultant. "A lot of people confuse the two," he proclaims. "They're very different animals."

"A coach teaches and then coaches and then takes responsibility for the failure; a consultant is usually a person who shares his thoughts but takes no responsibility," Camp explains, his face breaking into a smile. "A little like Robert McNamara with Johnson and the Vietnam War."

Get the point?

Camp--based in Vero Beach, Fla.--flew jets during that war, which taught him to be a cool, disciplined thinker, an essential attribute for a great coach. He doesn't fly jets any more, but he does bounce around the country teaching CEOs and bigwig managers the fine art of negotiation. And it's not tired win-win strategies.

So what's wrong with win-win negotiations? Aren't they the foundation of a healthy and democratic business environment? No sir! snaps Camp. That's a wishy-washy cop-out for not taking chances, expressing great ideas or pushing for what you want.

"Win-win strategies have reduced our effectiveness at business and political bargaining tables," says Camp. "Industry leaders take advantage of the weak win-win person everyday. Win-win is so lame; systems have been designed to take advantage of weak win-win negotiators. The haves negotiate well and the have-nots don't. Win-win has …

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