Negotiation is an endurance sport
The second post influenced by Monocle magazine.
In a recent article, Monocle interviewed some of the top negotiators in the world who are dealing with such things as peace in the Middle East, Pirates in Somalia and Hostage situations in Mexico.
They concluded from these interviews that 10 skill sets were essential to good negotiation.
Given that most of us at some stage or another are in a negotiation of sorts, I thought this list might be helpful.
What I particularly like is the sense of athleticism that comes through the list. The active nature of negotiation while keeping a cool head is the main message for me from this list.
1. Stamina: Negotiation is an endurance sport. The ability to stick at it through hours, weeks, months, sometimes decades of painstaking talks, is a must.
2. Humor: A gifted negotiator can crack a well-timed joke without offense.
3. Creativity: A skilled negotiator has fresh ideas - the ability to think around an impasse is critical.
4. Fox-like wiles: A good negotiator must have a plan - and an agile, strategical one at that.
5. Lion-like leadership: Gravitas and stature inspire - without these a negotiator can find well argued points fall by the wayside. (Courage to make a concession without appearing weak is crucial to a resolution.)
6. Empathy: A first-class negotiator can see the other side's interests while never losing sight of his own.
7. Unflappability: There will always be "wreckers". A good negotiator can brush off the opposition's histrionics and bullying bravado and focus on the process.
8. Eloquence: A top-rate negotiator must have an articulate argument (steeped in research) and a firm grasp of international etiquette - a bow in Japan or a bear hug in Russia can make or break a rapport.
9. Stubborn resolve: There's a time and a place for the "broken record" approach. A good negotiator knows when bullish determinations wins.
10. Vision: A truly skilled negotiator must have belief in a big-picture end-goal, no matter the odds.
Reflecting on this list, it feels to me like all these skills should be present in a good account lead and a good client CMO.
I also enjoyed in the article the challenge of understanding in negotiation, especially when it comes to language and meaning. For example, in Farsi, Turkish and Arabic, there's no direct translation for the English word "compromise". The notion of a 'spirit of compromise' is an Anglo-Saxon concept. "The very idea of 'a concession' in Middle Eastern languages is often synonymous with surrender" according to the linguistic historian Raymond Cohen.
Language and meaning is often a challenge in our business even when we speak the same language. Like when a client asks for something radical - something that makes them feel uncomfortable - and the agency reads this as a complete departure from their current brand communications. What the client usually means is a maximum of a 5 degree shift. Like negotiation, it's often about understanding the meaning behind a statement and respecting the different cultures - business Vs agency - that results in a successful outcome.
