Monday, February 1, 2010

Just Listen: When do your 'Principles' Get in the Way?

There are many times in negotiation when we make the assumption that we can rationally reach a conclusion.  We might have been more effective if we get the ‘principles’ out of the way.

In the book ‘Just Listen’ (Goulston, M., 2010),

The author discussed occasions where fear, danger, etc. causes the brain to suspend rational thought and react instinctively (e.g. the fight or flight response)

Most business people don’t think about this in terms of negotiation – we tend to approach everything rationally (principle centered), and sometimes we add in intuition and feelings (what does you gut say?).

We are reminded that the context really matters, for, say, a hostage or terrorist negotiator.   The ‘fight or flight’ response doesn’t care about ‘principles’ or rational thought.

In reality, we need to pay much more attention to this in the business world.  How many times have you tried to initiate ‘principle centered negotiation’ with someone who feels ‘backed into a corner?’  It usually fails, right?

So, if you are enjoyed  ’Getting to Yes’, you might also want to pick up ‘Just Listen’ http://bit.ly/Just_Listen.

Goulston, M. (2010). Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone. New York, NY: AMACOM.

[Via http://booksandbrains.wordpress.com]

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