To Be a Better Negotiator, You Have to Learn About Yourself

To Be a Better Negotiator, You Have to Learn About Yourself

Sometimes we get in our own way blindly sabotaging the relationships. communications, and negotiations we have with others simply because we want to avoid the tough conversations we know we need to have. We may live in worlds of our own ambitions or dreams or be insensitive to the inputs and feelings of others. If we learn to "win from within" - to deal with our own internal competing thoughts - we can become better and happier people in the process.

We deal with negotiations of all kinds every day. Some negotiations are minor and personal - negotiations with our spouses, children, co-workers, clients suppliers, or business partners. Some negotiations are major - sales mergers acquisitions or job opportunities.

Learning to Understand Our Performance Gaps

Recently I've enjoyed reading a great book called Winning From Within: a Breakthrough Method for Leading Living and Lasting Change by Erica Ariel Fox. In this book, Fox helps readers navigate high stake interactions - from business deals client calls, and team meetings to family arguments landlord disputes, and parent/teacher conferences - while improving results.

Fox's premise with which I agree is that our conversations and negotiations with others are often blocked by our constant subconscious negotiations with our inner selves. These inner negotiations create "performance gaps" - disparities between what we know we should do and what we actually do. Understanding and resolving our own internal performance gaps allows us to become better communicators and negotiators which enables us to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

The Four Basic Forces

Fox says that inside each of us are four "internal negotiators" whose competing claims and beliefs lead to our internal performance gaps. Learning to understand and negotiate with these "big four" internal forces allows us to grow personally and professionally.

The "big four" internal negotiators are:

  1. The Dreamer - In business terms your dreamer is your inner CEO. The dreamer creates possibilities sets strategic visions and gives directions focusing its attention on what it wants and doesn't want. The dreamer draws power from your intuition and is skilled at innovation.
  2. The Thinker - The thinker is your inner CFO. It clarifies perspectives analyzes data and manages risks. It focuses on opinions and ideas and is driven by reason and analysis.
  3. The Lover - Your inner VP of human resources the lover cares about people feels emotions and manages relationships. The lover focuses on how people feel and their levels of trust. It is skilled at relationships.
  4. The Warrior - As your inner COO the warrior catalyzes performance takes action and reaches goals. It draws power from your will to achieve and it is skilled at accomplishments. The warrior speaks hard truths holds our ground and takes action.

The Three Internal Directors

We all have four basic negotiators at work in us but Fox also describes three "internal directors" who monitor and guide our basic negotiators much like the directors of any organization.

  1. The Lookout - This is the independent part of your subconscious that acts as your internal voice helping to balance the competing needs of your "big four".
  2. The Captain - This is your presence receiving and filtering messages from your lookout your senses and your environment. The captain helps you draw on your values wisdom character and experience.
  3. The Voyager - This is the part of you that seeks adventure and learns by gaining new life experiences.

In order to understand ourselves and our dominant inner negotiators, we need to take a good personal look at ourselves. While we may lean one way or another we must learn to utilize all the parts of our inner selves to be effective in our relationships with others.

The Benefits of Learning Who We Are

As we learn more about our inner negotiators and directors we'll become better communicators. We will become better listeners and see into not only our own needs but also the needs and wants of those close to us. Aligning those visions desires and directions will lead to more satisfying and happier results. If each of us can become better acquainted with our own inner "big four" as well as with the "big four" of those close to us we can create positive attitudes productivity and happiness which will enrich our lives and the lives of those with whom we interact daily.