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Sometimes, despite your best efforts, a negotiation doesn’t go your way. Perhaps a customer pushed for a steeper discount than you wanted to give, or a potential client went with a competitor’s approach to a project. In the face of a disappointment — one where you might appear to be the “loser” — how do you save face? How do you make sure your reputation isn’t damaged and the relationship with your counterpart is intact? What the Experts Say
Don’t worry too much about your negotiating prowess just because you lost this round. “A reputation comes from consistent behavior,” says Jeff Weiss, founding partner at Vantage Partners, a Boston-based consultancy specializing in corporate negotiations, and author of the HBR Guide to Negotiating. If you learn from the experience, there’s value to be had. A good way to start is by abandoning the adversarial mindset. “If all you’re thinking about is saving face, you’ve already made the negotiation and its aftermath into a battle,” says Margaret Neale, the Adams Distinguished Professor of Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business and coauthor of Getting (More of) What You Want. Think instead in terms of solutions so that your approach “becomes about problem solving rather than someone trying to win.” That’s where real win-win scenarios begin to emerge. Here’s how to bounce back when a negotiation doesn’t go your way.
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The older you get the faster time seems to pass. So instead of reaching the end of your fleeting life and wishing you had done things differently, take some simple steps right now to be intentional about your thoughts and actions.
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It's all too common. Agendas conflict, personalities clash. People get hired for their great skills who turn out to have major issues. Whatever the source, when a colleague (or subordinate or boss) is driving you up the wall, it's up to you to figure out how to cope. Exiling them to a desert island probably isn't an option, but here are six strategies that can help:
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It only takes seven minutes to change how you approach your day. Using the routine described below when you get to work will make a world of difference in your productivity, your attitude, your success, and your health. It's like the approach you make to the tee on a golf course. You plan out how you will hit the shot, which is more important than the actual swing. Before you start your day, this routine will provide the right mindset. Will you follow it? Note: I'm going to call this routine "The Seven," as in, "Did you do your Seven this morning?" Feel free to borrow that term or send me ideas on a better name.
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Everyone must negotiate at some point. A new hire must negotiate her starting salary. A sales professional must negotiate the best price with a customer. A business owner must negotiate the best buyout cost. At some point, you're going to enter into negotiations, and you should know the best tips for winning. It used to be that successful negotiations were left up for grabs to whoever could be angrier or louder. Today, scientists have discovered surprising psychological insights regarding negotiation. Here are three that you can use the next time you enter into a negotiation of any kind.
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While supposedly every cloud has a silver lining, when you're truly up against it, silver linings can be really hard to find. So take a moment and look at your challenges, your roadblocks, your barriers, your--well, everything you face on a daily basis--and see them for what they really are: blessings. While some people are successful because they're given special opportunities, usually the difference in long-term success and failure lies in what we do when we're faced with adversity, misfortune, and seemingly insurmountable challenges. Everyone faces the following difficulties; successful people find ways to stay positive, keep working, and eventually overcome what to others seems insurmountable. And you can too. Today, start changing your perspective.
Via The Learning Factor, Mark E. Deschaine, PhD
Successful leaders, entrepreneurs, and business professionals lead very busy lives. They often end up wearing many hats as they grow their businesses and take their companies to new heights. So how do successful people stay productive? They stay organized. But no one is born organized. It happens by building good and effective habits.Try these 12 simple starting points to organize your life.
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Networking can feel like the professional equivalent of speed dating. And, like speed dating, you don't just want to make a good impression — you want to make a lasting one. So, how can you present yourself well and make meaningful connections when it feels like you're making small talk with people who are only half-listening? The first step is to reframe your concept of networking. At your next event, remind yourself that it's less about empty chit-chat and more about making connections. How do you make those? By forgetting everything you thought you knew about networking small talk and, instead, tapping into the science of good conversation! Here are six strategies for being the most popular person to talk to at your next networking event.
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It's hard to think differently and be able to dream new dreams. We'd all like to be visionary thinkers like Bezos, Buffett, and Branson (the Three B's of Bold Thinking) and achieve great things. But most of us aren't bold visionaries. (I'm definitely not.) And that's OK, because while you and I might never come up with the next big thing, we can decide to think differently from other people--and in the process, achieve differently from other people.
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"Power is a subject that makes many people extremely uncomfortable," Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer argues, but just because we don't like to think about power doesn't mean it's not the lifeblood of business. "Power is in fact all around...like air and water and gravity," he insists. Ignoring power, therefore, won't make it disappear any more than wishing away gravity will help you fly. Instead of sticking your head in the sand, Pfeffer suggests you get real and start thinking constructively about accumulating power. How can you do that? In the video he offers a handful of actionable (if not necessarily universally palatable) tips. .
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Perfectionists are often reminded that "done is better than perfect." But it turns out there’s another reason we should all try to create more "done" moments in our workdays. Saying the word done can help you get more accomplished on your to-do list. "Telling ourselves that we’re done creates not only an emotional reaction but a physiological response as well," says Leslie Sherlin, a psychologist, neuroperformance specialist, and the cofounder of the brain-training company SenseLabs.
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We’ve all heard of (or seen firsthand) people doing some pretty crazy things at work. Truth is, you don’t have to throw a chair through a window or quit in the middle of a presentation to cause irreparable damage to your career. No matter how talented you are or what you’ve accomplished, there are certain behaviors that instantly change the way people see you (and forever cast you in a negative light). The following list contains nine of the most notorious behaviors that you should avoid at all costs.
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Have you ever lost out on an opportunity because you just couldn't make a decision in time? In business and in life, we're often required to think on our feet and make quick decisions.
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It's finally December, and you've worked hard all year long. You wrote enough emails to fill a novel. You spent an average of seven hours a day on your computer. And, if you were working full-time, you probably spent 42 hours of your life battling traffic during your daily commute. Whoa. If anyone deserves a chance to kick back and relax, it's you! But as tempting as it may be to spend the rest of December curled up with a big mug of cocoa, a snuggly blanket, and a never-ending Netflix queue, you probably want to avoid hibernating all month long. Regardless of whether your job status is employed or unemployed, you shouldn't underestimate the importance of getting a jump-start on your career in the year ahead in the final days of the month. Use the next few weeks wisely so that you can finish 2015 feeling clear, focused, and organized when the year comes to an inevitable close. (If you're job hunting, this is an especially good time to get your ducks in a row because January is one of the best times to apply for a new job.) Here are 20 career-boosting action steps to complete before the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve.
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Recently I helped a client get ready for an intense conversation with his team. There'd been some big stuff happening in their division, not all of it great. He had a "state of the union" to deliver as well as some requests. His concern was that if he didn't handle it well, he'd create a mess, not have any clean next steps, waste time, and ultimately demoralize the team. He was nervous. My good friend was having a challenge with her son. There'd been tension for a while and she sensed he'd been dishonest with her. They needed a heart to heart. Her concern was that if she didn't handle it well, she'd create a mess, alienate him, and create even more resistance between them moving forward. In another land, my colleague's team was rockin' it and he wanted to do something awesome for them. His concern was he wouldn't honor them well enough. I today am wrapping up a move, throwing my daughter a birthday party, working with clients, and writing to you. I want to make sure that I'm productive AND that everyone feels honored and seen. Four scenarios -- I'll bet you can plug yourself into at least 3 of them, if not all. So what to do? It's so simple. Happy Monday.
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Taking lots of breaks might not sound like the route to incredible productivity, but according to tons of research, giving yourself regular breathers is a sure-fire way to get more done. One study showed 20 minutes of yoga could significantly improve brain functioning, another that a quick nap would seriously boost memory, while a third suggested that just shy of an hour of work followed by around a 15-minute pause was the ideal work pattern. But what if you don't have 40 minutes to nap or even 15 minutes to kick back and reset? If that sounds like you, don't worry. Science has an alternative that even the most maniacally busy entrepreneur can take advantage of. According to a recent study out of Australia, even 40 seconds is enough to refresh your brain, as long as you do the right thing with those seconds.
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You can be an analytical, data-driven, steely-eyed businessperson all you like, but business is ultimately about people. That means business is also about emotions: yours and those of the people you interact with every day. Incredibly successful people make a huge difference not just in their own lives but also in the lives of the people they care about, both professionally and personally. Here's how:
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The business of business isn't really all that complicated. While there is, of course, specific knowledge required for specific industries, this post encapsulates everything that you'll need to know to survive and thrive in the business world.
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There are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead inspire us. Whether they're individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves. - Simon Sinek The idea of being a leader always appealed to me. I held my first management position at 22, leading a small production team in a bookbindery. I loved being in charge--making decisions and trying to motivate my team. But one day, I heard a comment I've never forgotten. After chastising a line worker for a mistake, he snapped back: You know, you're the type of manager the rest of us hate.
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One of the biggest challenges that we all face is the steadily increasing number of things that we have to do on a daily basis. There is nothing new about this but many people struggle with a sense of daily frustration simply because they can't get everything done and in all likelihood they never will. At the end of the day, when you look at your to do list, and start the afternoon "I'm not good enough" session, beating yourself up because you didn't get everything done, try making a new list.
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Throughout my 18-year corporate life, I would find myself staying late in the office more often than not. If I’m brutally honest with myself, I did it for two reasons – to try to stay caught up with what I felt was a massive workload, but also, to show management that I was a very hard worker. One day, a senior vice president who noticed my habitual late hours said, “If you’re staying late so often, Kathy, you’re just not prioritizing and managing your work effectively.” And boy did that make me mad. At that time, I didn’t see myself as the problem – it was my boss and the never-ending chaos on my plate each day that was the culprit. Today, in my coaching work with emerging women leaders, one of the chief complaints I hear is, “I simply cannot balance my other life priorities with the number of hours I have to work.” It’s truly an epidemic.
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One of the most popular Dilbert comic strips in the cartoon’s history begins with Dilbert’s boss relaying senior leadership’s explanation for the company’s low profits. In response to his boss, Dilbert asks incredulously, “So they’re saying that profits went up because of great leadership and down because of a weak economy?” To which Dilbert’s boss replies, “These meetings will go faster if you stop putting things in context.” Great leadership is indeed a difficult thing to pin down and understand. You know a great leader when you’re working for one, but even they can have a hard time explaining the specifics of what they do that makes their leadership so effective. Great leadership is dynamic; it melds a variety of unique skills into an integrated whole.
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How many goals have you set in your life? A hundred? Ten thousand? Even more? How many of these goals have you actually achieved? If you're like most people, this second number is going to be a fraction of the first. A big reason is that as soon as you set a goal, three things emerge to stop you. But most of us don't even realize what they are, and as a result, we are just left with our unaccomplished goal and an unshakable feeling of failure. What if you could not only identify these obstacles but also learn to welcome them? Well, the good new is that you can....
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When it comes to many of the people who we think are hardworking, we're really just misinformed. For instance, it is a common thought that people who work late are hardworking. Why? Because the assumption is that they have so much work to do that they must burn the midnight oil to get it done. Another example is when we see people who always seem like they are busy all the time. Again, they have taken on so much work that they must work all the time. In truth, most of these "hard workers" are just inefficient. Look closely and you'll see they use these methods to produce the same results as everybody else. And while it can be argued that these people are disciplined because of their work ethic, more of a focus should be put on productivity. And to produce more results, you don't have to work longer, just smarter.
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It's human nature to resist change--particularly when it comes in the form of adversity or challenges. But change is inevitable, and developing the trait of resilience helps us not only survive change, but also learn, grow, and thrive in it. Resilience is the capacity to cope with stress and adversity. It comes from believing in yourself and, at the same time, in something bigger than yourself. Resilience is not a trait that people are born with; it involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that can be learned and developed in anyone.
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Don’t dwell on your frustration.