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Negotiation in a crisis – is it different?

Negotiation in a crisis – is it different?

How many negotiations are taking place as you read this article?  I would suggest hundreds, if not thousands.  They will involve, policy, law, money, goods & services and all of the other variables that one would expect in any negotiation.  What sets apart negotiation in June 2020 from other times is the fact that many of these negotiations will (literally) involve life and death decisions.  Conversations taking place right now in board rooms and presidents’ offices about social distancing, remote working and when to re-open schools and shops will all have an effect on the way this pandemic plays out.

change, coronavirus, leadership, negotiation, resilience

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The $300 Million Slam Dunk

You may not have heard of Ozzie and Daniel Silna, brothers who made their fortune in the textile industry in New York in the 1960s and 70s, but this story of negotiation is a great one, and there are plenty of lessons to take from it.

By 2014 the Silna brothers had earned over $300,000,000 from the NBA despite never having played a game or indeed never having owned an NBA franchise. How they did it is a tale of planning, foresight and resilience to rival the very best commercial negotiations ever.

foresight, negotiation, planning, resilience, sport

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Conformity – are you a snowflake or a sheep?

We’re all individuals; we have unique fingerprints, dna and personalities. even the most identical of twins are not identical. we’re not ants running around unquestioningly, but non-conforming, intelligent humans whose every action is an expression of our own particular interpretation of the world surrounding us. we each have within us the ability to question and challenge the status quo.

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Hostage Negotation

they’re irrational, unpredictable, and like to make threats. no, i’m not talking about your customers or suppliers – but hostage takers.

so what can commercial negotiators learn from hostage negotiators? on the face of it, the two sets of circumstances are radically different:

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