Many people look at negotiations through the wrong lens. They see negotiation as a discussion that results with one person being the winner and the other person being the loser. They assume an agreement has only been reached because one person played hardball to get what they wanted, which in turn soured the working relationship […]

You have spent countless hours preparing for your negotiation and the time has come to meet with your counterpart. As the negotiation moves forward in the right direction, you get a sense that you are close to closing this deal. While it can be exciting to close a deal and you might feel eager to […]

Perhaps you are negotiating with someone with a difficult personality or you are dealing with an angry customer. It might even be that you are trying to calm down team members who are getting frustrated with other members of their team. How do leaders maintain morale and prevent situations from totally collapsing when faced with […]

There is no question that negotiation skills are an important asset in the business world. In today’s ultra-competitive workplace, the ability to negotiate effectively is highly valued and can be the catalyst for promotions and salary increases. While dedication and hard work are certainly key ingredients to getting ahead in the workplace, the ability to […]

In a perfect world, everyone at the office would work collaboratively toward a common goal. People would understand their roles and responsibilities, do them without asking, and work cohesively as a team. Unfortunately, no work environment is perfect and there are times when your colleagues might not be pulling their own weight. When this happens, […]

Any time you enter into a negotiation you seek the most desirable outcome, but the stakes are even higher when you are negotiating with a competitor. No matter what industry you work in, your competitors can turn into fierce rivals and the urge to beat a competitor can be so strong that it inspires unethical […]

Every negotiation comes down to one thing…the final agreement. Both parties want to be sure that they are getting what they want in the end. You can spend hours negotiating back and forth but if you can’t settle on a final agreement, all of your hard work has gotten you nowhere. Negotiation can be complicated, […]

When searching for a job you might find yourself focused on salary and benefits. Although these are certainly important aspects of any career, your work environment is equally important. A positive and creative work environment makes employees happy, motivated, and willing to stick around for the long haul. A healthy environment also contributes to productive […]

Every negotiation involves a little bit of give-and-take and that’s why concessions are often a necessary part of negotiations. That said, the process of making concessions is easier said than done. Concede too much too fast and you risk leaving money on the table but concede too little too slow and you risk losing the […]

Negotiation is a fine art and it can be very difficult to stay calm when the stakes are high, but it can be even more of a challenge to stay cool and collected when the conversation gets heated or intense. We have all encountered that time when we got caught in the crossroads between accepting […]