“In order to negotiate better, you must enhance your ability to focus on the known and even more so on the unknown.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert
“Trump-Comey To Negotiate Better Focus On The Mind”
President Trump should have considered how former FBI Director Comey thinks before engaging in the latest round of negotiations (You’re always negotiating!). To negotiate better, always consider the mindset of the other negotiator. Doing so will allow you to focus better on the appropriate negotiation strategy.
Who is he? What does he focus on when negotiating? Those are just a few questions that you should ask yourself every time you enter into negotiation. Such questions help you to hone in on the mind of the other negotiator. It causes you to focus on how he thinks, which will give you insight into what he might do during the negotiation.
I wonder if the president was aware of posing such questions to himself when thinking about how he’d deal (negotiate) with former FBI Director Comey.
Questions like, who is he, what mindset does he possess, and what is that mindset based on, may appear to be so benign to one’s thought process that such questions don’t get the well-deserved recognition that should be afforded them. Had the president pondered such questions in more depth, he might have adopted a different posture in dealing with Comey.
Here’s another point to consider when thinking about the way the other negotiator thinks. When you’re negotiating with someone or a group of people, you’re not just negotiating with them, you’re also negotiating with those not at the negotiation table. Pause! Depending on your negotiation skill level, you may have just thought or said to yourself, I know that. Here’s the point and it’s also the intent of this article, think deeper! If you thought my statement about considering how the other negotiator thinks, related to who is not at the negotiation table that has a stake in the negotiation, you’re right, half right.
The ‘think deeper’ aspect means to think about the people your negotiation counterpart has negotiated with in the past. Those encounters have helped shape his opinions, his sense of perception, his tolerance for risk, in essence, they will have helped shape his mind and his thought process. All of that will impact and determine how he negotiates with you.
When President Trump took on former FBI Director Comey, it appears the president did not consider the long-standing practices and processes that the former director engaged in throughout his career. Such processes like documenting what occurred in meetings (which left paper trails), and having practiced with many bureaucrats throughout his career should have given the president cause to think deeper about his attempts to sway Comey’s opinions one way or the other. Instead, some say, the president attempted to use bullying tactics cloaked in veil threats (e.g. he (Comey) better hope there are not tapes), in an attempt to get his way. Based on the tactics the president has used in the past, it’s assumed he thought they’d work again.
When negotiating, always consider the totality of the other negotiator’s mind. You may not know everything that went into the makeup of the mindset he possesses but the more you do know, the better your chances will be at crafting a winning negotiation strategy … and everything will be right with the world.
What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them. You can reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com
Remember, you’re always negotiating!