“What should you do if you find yourself in a debate of opinions during a negotiation?”
then no amount of persuasion will prompt commitment. If those signs are missed, then persuasion can lead to a perilous spiral known as the endless circular argument. In this situation, both parties debate points that neither is willing to accept or concede. It’s a slippery slope that can easily ensnare even the most skilled persuaders. When persuasion has been exhausted (or is not possible), a bargaining mindset must take hold: What can be traded in order to build a binding commitment between the parties? What gets traded is not always tangible. For instance, in the debate over who gets the vaccine first, policymakers may trade an action for an outcome: “By vaccinating the most at-risk, we should see a percentage drop in hospitalizations. But if we do not, then we will take new action, such as vaccinating superspreaders.” Instead of debating in absolutes, the bargainer looks for ways to make trades that take everyone’s positions into consideration. This instance requires placing consequences or limits on certain courses of action so that, if one course doesn’t work, everyone can pivot to another course of action. This goes to the heart of what a skilled negotiator does whenever there’s a difference of opinion and persuasion has run its course.
To do this effectively, the negotiator (i.e., former persuader) must understand what’s important to all parties involved and then find ways to trade the issues of lesser importance for issues of greater importance. In the case of the vaccine, the issues might involve patient access, hospital capacity, or distribution readiness. In a commercial deal, your issues might be product availability, pricing, or payment terms. Once a negotiator understands the issues and their importance, crafting a deal becomes a matter of packaging. As I look forward to this holiday season with a sense of optimism, it’s not lost on me that there are difficult decisions being made by many well-intentioned people. I believe that they will get more decisions right than wrong. I hope that we can keep the spirit of the season at heart when things don’t go quite as planned, because — let’s face it — it won’t go perfectly. But perfection shouldn’t be the enemy of good. If we can keep that perspective, then I believe we can all avoid getting coal in our stockings this year.
“Perfection shouldn’t be the enemy of good.”
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