Some Things Are Not Up For Negotiation
0It’s news to no one that negotiation can be a stressful activity, to the point that it’s easy to forget that some things are not up for negotiation.
There’s there big ones worth listing out specifically:
- Your interests (your true needs), not your positions (your wants) … which typically include
- Your bottom line
- Facts from legitimate sources
- Laws, regulations, legislation
- Real deadlines
There’s also a broader list of non-negotiables that pertain more to personal and professional attributes. There are not only not up for discussion, you should not be interested in their opinions nor need their value judgments.
What’s Not Up For Negotiation
Your …
- Age
- Background
- Beliefs
- Credibility
- Education
- Emotions
- Ethics
- Experiences, both professional and personal
- Gender
- History
- Morals
- Past agreements
- Principles
- Privacy
- Professional behaviour
- Quality
- Race
- Religion
- Reputation (yours, the organisation’s)
- Safety
- Sexuality
- Successes
- Values (yours, the organisation’s)
It’s also worth noting another non-negotiable: people no longer employed at your organisation. It’s an interesting strategy, but it also suggests to the other party that your organisation won’t take responsibility for its past actions. A better strategy might be to offer an apology for the actions, not the person themselves. Remember too that oftentimes an apology is the most valuable but cheapest thing you can give away.
For anyone managing negotiation, I highly recommend this book: Getting to Yes, by Roger Fisher and William Ury. The link goes to the Amazon Australia website, but you should be re-directed to the proper website for your country.
Any other issues or topics which you believe not up for negotiation? Please comment below.