When you hear the word “negotiation,” what emotion does it elicit? When I’ve asked the question to groups large and small, one of the most popular answers (if not the top response) is fear. Negotiation is largely misunderstood, helping to foster an atmosphere of apprehension surrounding the word and the activity.
Negotiation is often thought of in terms of significant events like buying a house or car, signing a contract, or agreeing on a salary and fringe benefits. But, in reality, we negotiate every day. For example, we negotiate with our spouse over small things like doing the dishes or who will pick up the kids from school. We negotiate with our kids over when to come home from a date, how long they can play outside before doing their homework, and what time they must be in bed. We negotiate with our co-workers over who is doing what on a project. We negotiate with our boss about deadlines, the best way to do something and our work schedule. We even negotiate with ourselves by saying, “If I work out one more time at the gym this week, I’ll allow myself a dessert this weekend.”
Unfortunately, some people don’t understand negotiation clearly, how it works or how being proficient at it can help them excel and succeed. Negotiation skills within the veterinary profession are needed now more than ever. As people quit their jobs during the “great resignation,” employers were desperate to hire qualified replacements. Consequently, employers negotiated more often with job candidates and continue to do so today.
A Two-Way Street
The ability to negotiate is a leadership trait. Therefore, job candidates with superb negotiation skills have an advantage over candidates lacking the skills. In the long run, people with superior negotiation skills often advance faster and have more career success.
Unfortunately, some people view negotiation as a conflict, so they shy from it. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
I have a friend and executive in the animal health industry who told me about how negotiations between him and another man became heated. The talks got so intense that the other man suggested they take a walk. During the break, the other man told my friend something he remembers to this day. The man said:
“A successful negotiation is a win-win for the people involved. If it’s not a win-win, then the relationship won’t last. It must be mutually beneficial for both parties. If it’s not, then the relationship eventually falls apart.”
That’s excellent advice for everyone. Having a win-win mindset is the foundation of good negotiation skills.
Two Approaches
While multiple negotiation styles exist, the two main ones are competitive and cooperative. I define them this way:
- The competitive approach is aggressive and what some people assume all negotiations are like.
- The cooperative style is superior to a competitive one. First, because it’s more likely to result in an actual agreement. And second, because it’s more likely the deal will benefit both parties. You can see how a cooperative style supports the “win-win” approach during negotiations.
One hallmark of the cooperative negotiation method involves what the parties focus on. With the competitive approach, they focus on issues. But during the cooperative process, they concentrate on interests. That’s because interests typically drive the issues. It’s easy to become distracted by the issues and not take the time to dig into the underlying interests.
Let’s assume you’re a practice owner looking to hire a veterinarian. Your interests and the job candidate’s might overlap in some areas, perhaps more than you thought possible. When you identify each other’s interests and the overlap, you think creatively about how everyone can win. Each side can achieve victory if they help the other side win.
Something for Everybody
“Enlarging the pie” is the phrase associated with thinking creatively during negotiations to devise a win-win solution. It’s another way of saying that both sides gain more if they negotiate cooperatively rather than competitively.
For an example of how enlarging the pie works, I’ll borrow from “Ask for It,” a book about negotiation authored by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever. This particular case happens to involve a veterinarian. Here’s the story:
Lilly is approached by a national chain interested in buying her veterinary hospital. Lilly loves her work, but she could afford to retire if she received the right price for the hospital. However, Lilly has teenage children with whom she’d like to travel, and she’s tired of all the paperwork and working nights and weekends.
In exchange for selling the practice for a good price to the national chain, Lilly is rehired as the principal veterinarian. She can still do the work she loves and earn a fair salary, and the agreement stipulates that Lilly doesn’t have to work nights and weekends, she won’t be buried in paperwork anymore, and she can take frequent vacations. Not only did the chain get the hospital at a good price, but the company also has a veterinarian — experienced and with loyal clients — staying to run the business. Fortunately, the transition will be smooth.
In this example, the two sides identified where their interests overlapped and negotiated with them in mind. The chain and Lilly could have fought over the single issue of price, but they didn’t. Instead, cooperative negotiations led to an agreement that each side considered a “win.”
Openness Counts
According to “Ask for It,” cooperative bargaining features these three components absent in other negotiating styles:
- Offering to share information. This is done in the spirit of cooperation and is not the same as making a concession.
- Asking open-ended questions. This helps reveal the other party’s true interests.
- Listening closely. This means actively listening and not just waiting for the other person to stop talking. The information the other party shares could help close the deal.
When negotiating, do not automatically view the other party as an adversary or enemy. You don’t want to set the wrong tone for the proceedings. Instead, consider the other person as an ally who can help you accomplish your goals and simultaneously achieve theirs. Remember that negotiation is also a relationship. Even if you won’t see the other person again, assume you will, and approach the negotiation with that in mind.
While some people like to haggle more than others, everyone can become a better negotiator through hard work and practice. And regardless of whether someone likes to negotiate, just about all people can agree on this point: In the end, both sides want to feel as though the negotiation was fair and that they were skilled enough not to be taken advantage of.
That’s what the cooperative style accomplishes. It’s a win-win way to master the art of negotiation and advance your career at the same time.
OTHER BENEFITS
In their introduction to the book “Ask for It,” the authors tell readers: “Becoming a confident and adept negotiator can enhance your sense of self-worth, expand your freedom to take chances, encourage you to try new things, and strengthen your relationships at work and at home.”