Playing the “Negotiation Game” with a win/win outlook

The storyteller was about to recite the last chapter.  This was the grand finale that everyone waiting for with bated breath. Did Sahil walk away with a good deal?

From the day we are born, we enter the “give and take” world. Negotiation starts with our very first cry, out of our mother’s womb. The baby understands this very well – “cry” to get what you want”. Hence, in our lives, we all have unconsciously played the “Negotiation” game.

Soon enough, as we grow older, we do realize that negotiation tactics cover a broad spectrum. If we are only driven by commercial and economic gain, we will paralyze our settlement strategy. The intangibles along with the tangibles give us the complete perspective in life. It is in our power to make this bargaining game holistic in nature thus dramatically changing the focus! How important is it to get the maximum pieces in the division of the pie? Did we miss essential components with our skewed outlook?

If we take a conscious approach, we see that it is not a win/lose script anymore. Our entire viewpoint can change if we want to create a win/win proposition for both parties involved. Now transport this mindset into your daily argument or disagreements with people at home and work. Conscious acts can dilute any volatile situation where stubborn ego and false sense of self take over. We all complicate our lives by focusing only on the other party’s faults and mistakes.

But now we can revamp the landscape with a fresh and broad frame of reference. Once we tone down our likes and dislikes, our strong sense of “should have” or “must have” changes. We negotiate with a sense of compassion for the “other” – understanding the opposing person’s struggles or frustrations.

In reality, we are really doing a favor to ourselves as our own resentment and pain is no longer in the spotlight. Creating a calm blissful setting every minute of our lives becomes top priority. Hence, the negotiation maneuver is governed by simple rules. What is the endgame or the final conclusion? Did we get lost in our emotions, prejudices and self opinionatedness; or did we probe our intelligence within to question our “priorities”?

On this morning … Sahil wakes up to negotiate in his mind.  Can he spend 20 minutes to meditate, instead of spending that time on social media? Does he want to play a competitive game with full involvement and in the spirit of the game; or get entangled in a negative meltdown, only focusing on the scoreboard?

In the same vein, would you want to invest your time in angry disputes just to feed your ego ? Or take responsibility to diffuse the conflict? Should we engage in gossip and controversies or use that time for a more positive or fruitful activity?

Hence, a comprehensive and integrated approach leads towards a holistic negotiation strategy. This is when we start questioning what is a “good deal”. Monetary gains may look insignificant, revolutionizing our selfish personalities to become more humanitarian, charitable, helpful and open minded. Our thinking becomes uncomplicated with this straightforward approach, which can be used at home, workplace or complex round table mediations.

Time to say goodbye to tantrum tactics or a deceitful approach. Go deep within yourself and allow your innate intelligence to design your “Negotiations”