One of the most interesting parts of a negotiation is discovering the personality of your counterparts, and figuring out how to best work with them. But this is also one of the most stressful and challenging parts of a negotiation.
In this series, we’ll look at some of the personalities you may find sitting across the table from you during a negotiation, and discuss how to identify them, how to best work with them – and what to do if this is…you.
Negotiation & Personality: The Type A
How To Spot Them
The Type A in your negotiation will be the one who brings along a spreadsheet. Something they just ‘threw together quickly’ – but that features legends, colour coding, and more data than you can imagine. They’ll probably have their papers in a neat stack, a specific selection of notebooks and pens, and be taking meticulous notes as they lead the direction of the discussions.
How To Work With Them
If you’ve found yourself with a Type A counterpart, it can be tempting to let them retain the role of driver during the negotiations. After all, they’re able to organize the discussions, are capturing a lot of the data, and things are probably moving along at a nice pace. But be careful not to give too much rein to the Type A, or your organization could find itself at a disadvantage. Make sure to keep taking your own notes, and if the conversation veers into an area you’re not prepared, or don’t want to discuss, speak up, take back the wheel and refocus on your objectives.
To have a Type A on your team can be a great benefit for large, complex, unruly negotiations. It’s unlikely that things will slip through the cracks, and if your Type A colleague has as good of a strategic mind as they do an organizational one, it could be smooth sailing to your success. But be careful not to let the balance of the team become complacent, or to let the Type A run away with the show.
What If This Is You?
As a Type A, you’re bringing a great skill set to the negotiations. But it will be important to know how to use your powers for good. Be aware that not everything requires clarity, or a plan, or a spreadsheet. Some of the best negotiation solutions happen when people break out of strict process and schedule and get their creative juices flowing. Know when to step away from the Excel spreadsheet!
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Are you a spreadsheet specialist? Or a back-of-the-napkin negotiator? Is there such thing as too much colour coding?
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Devon Smiley is a Negotiation Consultant, who guides teams through the preparation and execution of negotiations with a distinct Corporate + Creative approach.
Explore Negotiation Consulting here, or get in touch at devon@informedstyle.com to learn more.
Filed under: Making It Work Tagged: Corporate, Negotiation & Personality, Negotiation Consulting
