SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 210,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter.
How well do you negotiate?
- Very well — I always have negotiating success: 12%
- Well — I come out ahead in most negotiations: 65%
- Not well — I come up short in most negotiations: 20%
- Not at all — I almost always fare poorly in negotiations: 3%
Are you doing as well as you can? When 77% of people say they come out ahead in negotiations, that math doesn’t add up. Are you really getting everything you can? Or is it that your negotiating partner is getting the best of you but doing a good job of maintaining your relationship? Learning techniques like anchoring and approaches to managing the relationship after the deal are key determinants of your negotiating success. Always challenge yourself on the notion of whether you’re doing as well as you could – you could be leaving value on the table.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, author of “Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results” and “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”