Negotiation is everything
CLIFF CHIDUKU
A story is told that the main actor of a series film The Gods Must Be Crazy, N!xau Toma, was paid peanuts, even though the film produced in 1980 made millions.
This was a lot of money at that time and even now.
Set in Southern Africa, the film stars Namibian San farmer Toma as Xi, a hunter-gatherer of the Kalahari Desert whose tribe stumbled upon a Coca-Cola bottle dropped from an airplane, which they believed was a gift from their gods. When Xi embarks on a journey to return the bottle to the gods, his journey becomes intertwined with a school teacher and a band of guerrilla terrorists.
The film is basically about the conflict between the new order and the old epoch: The Namibian tribal people in a remote African desert live a happy life, but it is all torn to pieces when a bottle falls from an aeroplane.
The confusion and myth surrounding the strange object disorganised the Bushmen as they made efforts to unravel the mystery object. Toma reportedly died a poor wretched Bushman despite making millions of dollars for other people.
Whether this story is true of false, but there is a lesson that can be learnt from it. Toma died a poor man because he was not only exploited, but he lacked the necessary skills to even realise that he was not getting value from his acting role.
Yes, he died poor after playing the lead role in a film that earned more than US$60m in revenue. The need for negotiation skills can never be overemphasised – they are an important part of doing business.
In today’s highly competitive market, mastering the art of negotiating is more important than ever. These negotiating skills usually extend far beyond the boardroom, signing contracts, and marketing. Negotiation holds the key to getting ahead in the workplace, resolving conflicts, and unlocking value in contracts.
In fact, negotiation is important because it is basically everything we do in life. In the business world, this bears more truth than we can all imagine.
And it does not apply to colossal business outcomes only. With most people in Zimbabwe being involved in buying and selling, they are involved in negotiations one way or the other. Even if you we are trying to get a slight salary increase for the company or slight rental adjustments – one is likely to have more success if one approaches the issues as a true diplomat.
Negotiation skills are crucial when discussing a salary raise, new hires as well as dealing with the inner workings of a team.
In order for a team to function properly and effectively, managers must possess the right skills to keep the business running smoothly.
We have heard stories of top government officials who would have signed bad deals with investors, haven’t we? It all boils down to negotiations.
One way or the other, we are often exposed to all kinds of negotiations either at personal or professional levels.
One of the types to consider include the positional negotiations, whereby either part of both identify their interests and pursue it. In this case, the negotiator does not budge from that position(s). It’s also not uncommon to come across an adversarial negotiation. Where one or both parties become focused on winning at all costs – the negotiation process becomes a battle of sorts. Often times, negotiators find themselves in what is usually referred to as the bargaining dance.
These are negotiations where a series of back and forth exists; bids and counter bids being thrown until a compromise is reached.
Roger Fisher and William Ury from Harvard University found the interest-based negotiation theory. Interest-based negotiation focuses on the underlying interests and goals of each party.
Rather than trying to understand what each party wants, with interest-based negotiation, the focus is why the other part wants it. By focusing on the underlying goals of each party, and their relationship, we can improve the likelihood and quality of the outcome. So, prior to engaging in negotiations, consider what is motivating you and the other party.
In all types of negotiations – interest-based, positional, adversarial, and bargaining – both parties usually reach a compromise. The outcome is usually not ideal for either of them. However, in some cases the outcome may be ideal to one party, but not to the other.
It is imperative that everyone, especially managers and those who aspire to take up leadership roles to learn and master the art of negotiation. Negotiation is everything.
Cliff Chiduku is a communications, public policy and governance expert. He writes in his personal capacity. Feedback: cchiduku@gmail.com or Call/App +263775716517.
