Negotiate Your Best Self. Below is part of the work needed to create equality in the pipelines.
I believe in empowering women to negotiate their best selves confidently. There is so much value in empowering women to get comfortable with negotiations that create opportunities for increased workforce talent, productivity, and overall career satisfaction.
Imagine how amazing our world would be if we all had this tool in our toolbox!
Negotiation is often seen as a negative trait. Thanks to Hollywood, it has a bad reputation and has internalized fear in some people. There is a misconception that negotiation has to look aggressive, intimidating, and dramatic.
As a mediator, I have learned that what matters most in any negotiation is that the energy we bring into it sets the stage for success. In short, negotiation is a well-prepared conversation characterized by emotional intelligence balanced through the lens of obtaining a win-win situation.
Because I want to empower you, I'm sharing some success tips I have picked up over the years that have made negotiation an approachable, successful process.
First off, don't let the word "negotiation" intimidate you. Believe it or not, you have been persistently making negotiations your entire life; after all, persuading someone to do something you want them to do is an essential part of communication.
Things To Consider:
1: Prepare in advance: Thorough preparation is critical to success; winging a negotiation is not advisable. Start with some bottom lines. What is your best possible outcome? Why are you asking for this? It would be best to be clear about the intentions behind your bottom line.
2: Anticipate what the other side wants so that you can have a "win-win." Be realistic and think about what the other side wants. Make a list with all the "whys" and be creative. There are many creative outcomes; for example, by brainstorming, you will learn beyond the bottom lines and your interests, think outside the box, and optimize your results.
3:Consider both sides: how can you explore different options and solutions so that you can understand your underlying interests?
4: Listen carefully to what is being said and not said. My rule here is that you should listen more than you talk. Ask questions like, "Help me understand?"
Best practices also include setting time aside for the negotiations. Both sides need time to prepare. For example, if you want to talk to your boss about a salary raise, set up a meeting to discuss it. That gives your boss time to check in with HR to see if a salary increase is in the budget. Second, do your market research and have examples ready; if you have been working over and above your role description, it's time to discuss that much-deserved promotion.
