Capitulation, Not Negotiation | Career Angles
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
As I watch the news about the negotiations about extending benefits for unemployed workers, I’m given the idea by the participants that one side seems to be pushing for capitulation, rather than negotiation. I don’t know that that’s true but there are little cues that I’m picking up on that suggests that.
Entering negotiations requires that you be clear about what success looks like and what failure looks like.
I remember from my time in recruiting which is very much a sales job that I felt a lot of pressure by the two participants that I was working with, the job applicant who had received the offer and the employer who had extended it, to get the other one to give in.
Most of the time, what I was trying to do was to get each of them to move an inch or two closer to one another rather than digging in their heels. Sometimes I was able to do it in subtle ways that made each party believe that they hadn’t given in to the other.
For employers, they want to feel as though they were all-powerful; for the potential hire, they didn’t want to feel taken advantage of.
I remember one very painful negotiation, painful for the employer and painful for me where a potential hire asked for and received concessions from an employer only then to pile on even more concessions many of which were completely unreasonable given the role, its responsibilities and what they told him where their expectations should he join. He had attempted to change the terms of the job after receiving the offer, rather than having that discussion during interviews.
He went for capitulation and receive nothing for his efforts. Had he just negotiated a little bit more he would’ve picked up something advantageous and not offended his new boss.
When you go for capitulation, rather than negotiation, a lot of people can be hurt. We know in politics, they don’t care about that. It’s all about power and perception, rather than who is hurt along the way.
In your world, in real life, delaying a commitment may be your best tactic. After all, each of you has moved closer to one another but not so close as to be ready
to agree.
Going into the negotiation, you need to be clear as to what success looks like and what failure would look like and be prepared to walk away should you be unable to achieve success. You can mount pressure on your opponent indirectly and not directly confront them. Politicians understand that when they get in front of the cameras and rail about the intransigent behavior of their opponent.
For you, it’s important to recognize not just what is being said but what isn’t being said that can signal an opportunity for re-engagement. Because as the Kenny Rogers song says,
“Every gambler knows
That the secret to survivin’
Is knowin’ what to throw away
And knowin’ what to keep.”
That isn’t just about reading faces. It’s about knowing when to walk away and when to run.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2020, 2022
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ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 2300 episodes. He also hosts Job Search TV on YouTube, and Amazon, as well as on BingeNetworks.tv for Apple TV and 90+ smart sets.
I do a livestream on LinkedIn, YouTube (on the JobSearchTV.com account) and on Facebook (on the Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter page) Tuesdays and Fridays at 1 PM Eastern. You can send your questions about job search, hiring better, management, leadership or to get advice about a workplace issue to me through LinkedIn’s messaging .You can also message me through chat during the approximately 30 minute show.
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