The Negotiator and the Olympic Athlete
In my research for this Blog I came across an article that caught my eye. Jeffrey Gordon in his blog licensinghandbook.com posted an article entitled Becoming a better negotiator. Since part of my stated goal for this Blog is to discuss some of the nuances in the contract negotiation process, I felt Gordon’s article was a nice fit. His main advice to become a better negotiator is simply to go out and negotiate. Eventually one develops a style. Don’t be afraid of failure and learn from your mistakes. If I may be allowed to add a bit of fine tuning, I would also encourage one to learn from their colleagues and to ask as many questions of them as you need to become comfortable with the concepts and the eventual outcome of the negotiation. It is never wise, especially in a contract negotiation setting, to ‘fake it’. Ask as many questions as necessary of your opposing counsel during the process. Your opposing counsel should understand that your goal in the negotiation is to protect your client and limit their risk. If they don’t understand your purpose and take a more adversarial approach to your questioning, do not be intimidated. Such a posture could actually be a negotiation strategy on their part.
I chose to discuss Jeff Gordon’s article because he includes the results of a study by the US Olympic Committee entitled Reflections on Success. The Top 10 Success Factors for Olympic Athletes from this study are listed below. I found the results of this study particularly interesting, since the number one success factor is something which I wholeheartedly agree. Persistence is the key to success. If any of you have read my case studies which I have included in this Blog, you will see that persistence in the negotiation process is what I strongly urge for my readers. Although I could never be considered an Olympic Athlete by any stretch of the imagination, I do take some comfort in the US Olympic Committee’s validation on this one point.
Top 10 Success Factors
1. Dedication and Persistence: 58.1%
2. Support of Family and Friends: 52.0%
3. Excellent coaches: 49.4%
4. Love of sport: 27.1%
5. Excellent training programs and facilities: 22.3%
6. Natural talent: 21.9%
7. Competitiveness: 15%
8. Focus: 13%
9. Work ethic: 11.6%
10. Financial support: 11.5%
Hi Sam!
Thanks for the reference. You're absolutely correct that negotiators need to work with each other and seek peer assistance. Too often it's really easy to think that you're out there by yourself.
Thanks for making the point! :)
~Jeff