When you negotiate in life, do you have a team? Or do you fly solo?

Remember when we were kids and would pick sides for some game? I always wanted to be a captain so I could pick my team. Why? To make sure I didn’t get picked last. No one wants to be the last pick.

I never wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings either so my last pick was always the youngest kid. After all they were lucky we let him/her play with us big kids.

Well, in negotiating contracts ….FORGET about picking your own team. It just doesn’t happen. Oh sure, maybe occasionally you get to pick some members to assist you but your team? No, someone else makes that call.

But that’s OK. Really.

I’ve always believed only one person per side actually negotiates. One speaker, One representative. But that doesn’t mean you act all alone, no… you have a team – with you, supporting you, helping you.

In my negotiating life, I’ve had all sorts of personalities on my teams. Loud. Quiet. Hardworking to Hardly showing up for the sessions.

In all my career I never picked my team. Since I represented various employers – they determined who would be sent to assist me. After a few sessions it was always clear who would go the extra mile, stay late, be engaged in the process and who would not. My strong team members quickly separated themselves from the others.

Also, I never refused any management personnel from joining our team. I always felt if they or their employer had a stake in the outcome of the process, then they could join in. It was not uncommon that my side outnumbered the union’s team.

But couldn’t the large number of members prove unruly or at best difficult to lead? Not really. Because just like the rules for reaching resolutions we also have a set of rules for our team too!

What are they?
To Be Continued.

Who do you want on YOUR side?

Check out the video link below.