Stephen Covey wrote some years back about the virtue of striving for a win win in negotiation. He talked about working towards a balance between consideration and courage to get to an outcome which suits everyone. I’m still dubious. If negotiation is needed at all there is no win win without compromise, and in a lot of business and personal negotiations, that compromise is usually surrendered by the person with the least positional power. How do we overcome the positional verses personal power dilemma? How different it would be if we could flip a switch and look at ourselves and our negotiations from a position of personal power and not need to com-promise, but to all work towards the “promise of comm-unity"?
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Jill M
4/22/2013 03:24:34 pm
I agree with you Merryn, but in many cases, these negotiations are entered into with an inflated wish list, ready for compromise. It is an unpleasant tactic but a widespread one. This is just as poisonous as positional power. Also, win- win is always better that I win - you lose, the ultimate loss of personal power.
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Merryn
4/23/2013 09:57:03 am
Thanks Jill - agree whole heartedly. Its the position of believing that we enter into negotiations without an inflated wish list and that win win really ends up a win loose to the one with the positional power that troubles me.
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Merryn
10/2/2013 11:19:13 am
Hi - this was written 29 March 2013.
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