H uman factors: Even when being at your most objective and professional – negotiation is still usually between two (or more) people. Your interpersonal skills count for a great deal: – how well you can assess others; what they want and are doing; your skills in gaining rapport and getting them to talk; good listening – and questioning. Also, handling tough situations and managing dynamics of meetings is key.

I ntegrity: Do not get caught up in game playing. Good negotiations will normally be taking place in context of (or at start of) an on-going business relationship and partnership. It does not matter what others may do – operate with integrity and be true to yourself and your values. You will get more good quality deals in long run.

G et before you give: Trade well – ask for what you want BEFORE you give!

H appy endings! Aim for win/win – and if you cannot get that leave door open for another time!

If you follow this process you will be well-equipped to negotiate effectively. You will be more confident and successful if you make time to work at developing package you are offering and, at same time think about what you want from other party. Think about things you can build into your package that you can use to “trade” with. (Called variables or currency or other terms to suit!) What might be things other party has which they would be happy to “trade” or move on? The key to this, is to choose things which are of low cost to you, but valuable to other party – and vice versa. Remember, in a negotiation, everything has a value, no matter how insignificant it might seem at time!

As part of this, plan your “best deal”, ie ideal solution for you, and your “worst deal”, ie lowest position you will take. It is important that you are clear about this – and know when to walk away! Within your best deal, include as many variables as possible so that you have things to trade with other than price. Think about what you will be willing to give, and more importantly, what you want to get in return!

The actual approach to meeting can be improved if you follow principles of “Triangle Talk” from Kare Anderson’s book “Getting What You Want”. Be clear about what you want, what they want and then keep your proposal tuned towards what they can accept.

When you are through “proposing” stage and in what many think is actual negotiation or bargaining stage, it is important to remember a simple phrase and it is all about “get” then “give”. “If you……..then I will……..”. Think about impact of opposite order, “If I……then will you…….?” What will an experienced negotiator do in response to that?

To help yourself with negotiations, practise! Look for opportunities in low-key situations and test out ways of getting a deal. Before going to meet that important client or major supplier, as part of your preparation make some time to go over your plan, your package and options, and then how other party might act. Practice using “get-give” trading phrase – and anticipate potential problems. You will be pleasantly surprised by results you get.

Graham Yemm a founding partner of Solutions 4 Training Ltd. He has worked with many different organisations around the world conducting both training and consultancy assignments. He is a Master Practitioner of NLP and an accredited trainer for the LAB profile programme – “Words that Change Minds”. Contact,

Sustainment Plan- Plan to keep it alive.

This describes how to keep accountabilities up-to-date and focused on business results as circumstances change. As things change, agreements must be adapted, renewed and revitalized.

Positive Consequences

A job is a business bargain between an individual and an organization. To get beyond parent/child or master/servant relationship, effective individuals bargain for what they want, and can realistically expect, through a fair and reasonable exchange.

Step 2: Alignment- Align like a laser

When all members of a workgroup have completed their individual Accountability Agreements as described above, hold an alignment meeting. This process makes difficult issues discussable. Gaps and overlaps in individual accountabilities and goals are resolved and interdependencies and mutual support is agreed upon. At end of an alignment meeting you can revise Accountability Agreements and realign on a regular basis as circumstances change or memories of agreements fade.

Gaining traction for your strategic plan ideally begins with your senior management team. Once you've identified who's accountable, made commitments and aligned this senior group, you can then cascade it down a level at a time. The process of cascading continues until all employees understand what results they are expected to produce and how they are aligned interdependently with rest of company.

Step 3: Achievement Individuals usually experience immediate value from clarity of their business bargain provided by this process. The Alignment of individuals who know what is expected of them and who know what they want in return creates a powerful force for corporate success.

About Accountability/Alignment Process:

The process we've outlined above has been consistently successful with our clients. We've made this process available to public through our books Accountability: getting a grip on results, and Aligned like a laser, and have recently made our online tool (AlignOnline) available to organizations and consultants who wish to use it in their consulting practice. Visit us at www.AlignOnline.com for more articles on Strategic Planning, Accountability, and Alignment and information on our books and online Accountability tool.

Shaun Murphy, Ph.D. and Bruce Klatt, M.A. are senior partners in Murphy Klatt Consulting and authors of Aligned Like a Laser (2004) and Accountability: Getting a Grip on Results (1997). For more information please go to http://www.murphyklatt.com or try their online Accountability Alignment tool at http://www.alignonline.com