In the workshop I give on negotiations, one of the topics I teach about is the power of understanding the other person’s (or other business’s) interests versus their position. What interest is driving them to take the position that they are taking?
Many times their interest is driven by a basic human need. Next time you struggle to understand: “Why won’t they agree or even consider my perspective?” One of these needs may be at play: security, economic well being, sense of belonging, recognition, or control. These are strong underlying needs that they may not even fully understand. But, if you can uncover them, then you have a better chance of collaborating for a solution that will meet their need and move you forward to thrive.
A good example from my prior corporate role was when I was trying to execute a cost savings project to centralize the janitorial services across multiple manufacturing sites. Logically, it would save the company a lot of money so it made no sense to me that one of the site General Managers was resisting it so much. Through multiple conversations, it finally became clear that he had an underlying fear that the new supplier would cause problems that ultimately could lead to impacts on his performance. The basic needs of economic security and recognition were both factors. We were able to compromise with an “experiment” of using the new supplier for a specific period of time and if all went well then the project would move forward. This worked for both of us to thrive.
How can you thrive more by understanding others’ interests behind their positions?