Career Negotiation, Negotiating in Life, Negotiation Research May 7, 2010

Old School vs New School

The previous Negotiation Space post was about hardening positions and how that generally makes negotiations more difficult or even impossible. Hardening your position during a negotiation may be considered “old school” while finding room for compromise is the “new school.”

Inc. Magazine published an article entitled “7 Tips for Masterful Negotiating.” To introduce the seven tips author Christine Lagorio writes the following:

“Think confidence, machismo, and stamina are the keys to winning a negotiation? Then your bargaining skills need a reboot. Over the past decade, a growing field of literature on the subject has come to the conclusion that checking your ego at the boardroom door is a must. Compromise and kindness are the new rules of negotiation.”

Machismo, and its feelings of superiority and infallibility, is “old school.” The “new school” is being kind and understanding and seeking compromise or common ground. In a sense, the old school is to think win-lose: one party wins and the other party must lose. The new school is to think win-win: both parties stand to gain from the negotiation.

To create a win-win scenario or to be new school, follow the seven tips listed in Inc. Magazine (most of which we have discussed here on Negotiation Space). These tips are:

1. Listen before you speak
2. Embrace your fear
3. Be credible and stick to the facts
4. Be prepared
5. Think compromise not fight
6. Find areas of agreement
7. Don’t underestimate your experience

Read the entire article here.

Are you old school or are you new school?