Washington Redskins Football Negotiation

One football team’s quest for a head coach: a negotiation story

The Washington Redskins finished off a dismal football season with a 20-23 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. Surprising no one, Redskins head coach Jim Zorn was fired early Monday morning. At the same time, former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan was flying from Denver, landing not long after the Zorn announcement was made. Clearly, Redskins management knew what they wanted to do even before the Redskins lost their last game.

Washington DC sportscasters stood vigil for two days to find out if Shanahan was replacing Zorn as head coach. During those two days, Shanahan was deep in negotiations with Redskins owner Dan Snyder. Some of the issues being negotiated were: length of contract, the role Shanahan would play in choosing players and, of course, money.

Finally, a deal was reached. However, no decision was announced until both parties were satisfied, in spite of intense media pressure to make an announcement. In fact, the official announcement will be made Wednesday afternoon.

Sports negotiations are like any business negotiations except they are under intense scrutiny from fans and the media, which adds a tremendous amount of pressure and lots of speculation.

Several negotiating lessons can be learned from this sports negotiation episode:

* Do not cave in to pressure

* Negotiate until both parties are happy with the outcome

* Do your homework thoroughly (Shanahan held extended conversations with former Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs)

* Make a final decision and announcement when you are ready (or do not make premature announcements)

Redskins’ fans will have to wait until next season to see if this negotiation was favorable to their team.

THE PROGRAM WAS GREAT! MY SEMINAR LEADER AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE KEPT ME CONSTANTLY STIMULATED. I NOW AM BETTER PREPARED TO GO INTO AN IMPORTANT NEGOTIATION MEETING AND STAY IN CONTROL, WHILE FINISHING THE MEETING SATISFIED.

Deanna D.

CASE MANAGER at THE JACKSON LABORATORY

IF YOU HAVE THE TRAINING BUDGET AND TWO DAYS TO SPARE, YOU'LL STRUGGLE TO FIND A PROGRAM MORE FAR-REACHING, ON-POINT, AND INSTANTLY IMPLEMENTABLE.

Jeff G.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER at THE M.K. MORSE COMPANY

EXCELLENT COURSE, BRINGS MORE CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITY TO NEGOTIATE. I THINK THIS COURSE IS A MUST FOR ALL EMPLOYEES WHO DEAL WITH CUSTOMERS.

John S.

CHIEF ENGINEERING MANAGER at EXXONMOBIL

THIS WAS VERY EFFECTIVE WITH A STRONG FOCUS ON BOTH-WIN NEGOTIATING.

Kathleen L.

SENIOR ANALYST at BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD OF MICHIGAN

THE KARRASS CLASS WAS THE SINGLE BEST TRAINING CLASS/SEMINAR I HAVE EVER ATTENDED. EVERY TIME WE DID AN EXERCISE IT TAUGHT YOU WHAT TO DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME. THANKS.

Kim C.

PROCUREMENT at AMERICAN EXPRESS

THIS PROGRAM HAS GREATLY INCREASED MY CONFIDENCE AND ABILITY TO NEGOTIATE FOR MYSELF AS WELL AS MY COMPANY.

LaDonna E.

SENIOR STRATEGIC BUYER at HALLMARK

THE NEGOTIATING CLASS WAS VERY INFORMATIVE. THE INSTRUCTOR PROVIDED AN INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO EVERYDAY LIFE.

Mary S.

INTERNATIONAL SOURCING at FMC TECHNOLOGIES

WE NEGOTIATE EVERY DAY OF OUR LIVES, BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY. THIS COURSE DEFINES THE PROCESS AND PROVIDES TECHNIQUES TO ACHIEVE SUCCESSFUL RESULTS.

Phillip H.

VICE PRESIDENT at GE

PRIOR TO THIS CLASS I FELT AS THOUGH I WAS GETTING EATEN ALIVE BY INTERNAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH SALES REPS. NOW I FEEL PREPARED TO CHALLENGE WHAT THEY ARE SAYING AND BET TO THEIR REAL NEEDS.

Steve Q.

PLANNER at HONEYWELL

MANY PEOPLE FAIL TO ACHIEVE THEIR POTENTIAL BECAUSE THEY DON’T SEE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO NEGOTIATE A WIN/WIN AGREEMENT WITH THEIR COLLEAGUES. THIS CLASS IS AN EYE OPENER TO THIS DYNAMIC..

Stuart B.

CONTRACTS MANAGER at HEWLETT-PACKARD

Negotiation Case Studies January 6, 2010Washington Redskins Football Negotiation

Negotiation Case Studies January 6, 2010
Washington Redskins Football Negotiation