Getting to Yes

A great series of tools and suggestions on how to negotiate a successful outcome to an impasse can be found in the book Getting to Yes by Fischer and Ury.  In their third edition, the authors offer a simplistic and thoughtful way to have both sides feel like they have their thoughts and needs discussed in the process.  As the authors note, this is pretty simple thinking, yet in the “heat” of the moment, we allow our “power hungry” side often to take the lead.  The five principles espoused in the book are: 1.) “separate the people from the problem"; 2.) "focus on interests, not positions"; 3.) "invent options for mutual gain"; 4.) "insist on using objective criteria"; and 5.) "know your BATNA (Best Alternative To Negotiated Agreement)."  The most important point is that one needs to speak from their interest and not their position. So often we are just about “winning” and not really listening to what the other is truly interested in, which may not always be monetary in nature.  I felt that this is a very helpful read that can be used in your daily job for having two employees work better together, or when you are selling a house, purchasing a product, or discussing a problem with a neighbor.  In the end it all goes back to one thing, be intentional, thoughtful and be prepared to give in some as we are often clouded by our own position and our belief that we are right without thinking about the other.  As in Stephen Covey’s highly touted Seven Habits, seek to understand then to be understood.  Anyone dealing with others would benefit from doing at least a skim of the tenets as it is pretty redundant once you get the concept.  The examples are helpful in putting into practice the concepts.  A quick read!