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Date
If you’re new to project management, mastering negotiation skills is going to provide you with an invaluable asset to cope with real-life situations that drive project managers crazy sometimes.
If you’re a seasoned project manager, you’ll probably wish you’d read this post before!
In fact, negotiation skills offer many benefits to project managers. Most important, they:
- Equip you with tools and techniques to resolve differences and to mend hard feelings, instead of avoiding them
- Help you to build relationships with stakeholders
- Provide you with strategies to clarify expectations
- Improve your chances of getting support while also keeping conflict to manageable levels
- Facilitate a deeper understanding of stakeholders' needs, expectations and agendas
The term “negotiation” derives from Latin roots. Its original meaning likely won’t surprise you:
- “neg” means “not”
- “otium” means “leisure”
Negotiating isn’t easy. That’s why most people try to avoid or withdraw from negotiations. But doing this makes you worse off, increasing the chances of being exploited and bullied.
Stop for a moment and ask yourself: Did any stakeholder take advantage of you in a recent negotiation? Maybe your boss shouted at you, “Why are you still planning—when are you going to start doing some work?” Or perhaps a client asked, “It is just a small change to the requirements. Can’t you get it done by next week?”
Here are the Ten Commandments of negotiating with project bullies:
1. Prepare before starting to negotiate
2. Don’t be emotional. Don't take it personally
3. Always be honest
4. Put yourself in “their shoes”
5. Know your BATNA—the best alternative to a negotiated agreement
6. Identify the zone of potential agreement
7. Learn how to say no
8. Think long-term
9. Understand that every problem is an opportunity
10. Whenever possible, improve relationships and build trust
Have you ever taken a negotiation course? Or did you read a great book on negotiation that helped you as a project manager? Please share your thoughts, suggestions and experiences below.
Posted
by
Mario Trentim
on: August 06, 2015 11:04 AM |
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