REAL-WORLD INSIGHTS

Published: May 20 , 2019
Author: Brian Buck

My client was sharing with me a negotiation he was involved in that was, as he put it, “jump the shark” worthy. He was very enthusiastic about it. In fact, he was hopeful that it was going to lead to more opportunities for him. He said his client thought the negotiation was “jump the shark” worthy too. As I listened to his positivity and enthusiasm, I started to realize that his definition of “jump the shark” is very different from mine. Quoting Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride, I told him, “I don’t think that phrase means what you think it means.” A panicked expression came across his face as he realized what it meant for his negotiation, and he quickly transitioned into techniques for avoiding the sharks altogether.

Published: May 13 , 2019
Author: Brian Buck

This past week, I was working with a sourcing team. We were developing a variety of negotiation strategies to help them formulate better deals with their suppliers. We ran some mock negotiations to put these new strategies to the test. In one particular simulation, we did a multilateral negotiation among three parties: the sourcing team, a supplier, and an internal business partner. The sourcing team was attempting to negotiate a deal with the supplier on behalf of the business partner. We had all three parties meeting together to work out a deal — which they narrowly did. Exhausted from the intense exercise, one of the participants made an observation about the process that changed the way that I analyze negotiations.

Published: May 06 , 2019
Author: Brian Buck

When I was a teenager, the one thing I heard most (outside of my name) was, “The world does not revolve around you!” I hated that expression, and I thought it was unwarranted. That is, until I had teenagers of my own. Apparently, being egocentric is part of normal adolescent development. It helps them to separate from their families a bit and assists them in forming their own identities. Who knew? I certainly didn’t. Here’s something else I realized . . .