The One-Minute Trick to Negotiating Like a Boss

80-heidi-grant-halvorson-1By Heidi Grant Halvorson

Life is full of negotiations, big and small. We negotiate for raises, we negotiate with clients and providers over prices, and we negotiate for more staff, the best projects, and flex time. (Then we go home and negotiate with our kids about how old you have to be to get your own smartphone.)

To be successful, you really need to know how to negotiate well. But the truth is, this particular skill doesn’t come naturally to many people. This is because a negotiation is an experience that is rife with conflicting motivations. When you haggle with another party over price, you need to somehow reconcile your desire to pay (or be paid) your target amount with your fear that if you push too hard, the negotiation may break down. You might end up empty-handed, humiliated, or out of a job. Negotiations are always gambles, and there is always risk. Continue reading

5 Things You Must Do to Keep Your Best People

 

by Peter Economy

Your top performers are the lifeblood of your company. Recent surveys suggest many of them are looking for new jobs. To hang on to them follow this essential action plan.

No matter how carefully you hire, inevitably your employees will differ in important ways. Some will be good-humored, intelligent, have a strong work ethic, and always be eager for new challenges. Others will be less so, or worse. You want to do everything you can to keep the first group, because they are critically important to the company’s success. Here are five things you should do to retain your top performers. Continue reading

Three Questions to Advance Your Career

80-john-beeson by John Beeson

 

 

 

In most organizations, professionals who want to move up get lots of feedback. Did you hit your numbers? Make your budget? How did you perform in managing a major project? Many companies provide you with so-called 360-degree feedback based on anonymous surveys from your boss, peers, and direct reports. And there is also, of course, your annual performance review. In reality, for managers seeking promotion, such feedback is of only marginal benefit because its frame of reference is how you’re doing in your current job, at your current level. To maximize your career progress, you need answers to three questions that focus on upward mobility — the answers to which are elusive in the vast majority of organizations. Continue reading

10 Secrets to Influencing Absolutely Anyone

How to get people to do what you want–no arm twisting, blackmail, or other slimy trick required.

Ever wish you were better at getting people to do what you want? You can be. All it takes is practice and desire.

I know this from experience. When I first got involved in the American Society of Journalists and Authors, I quickly learned a few things about freelance writers. They’re (mostly) brilliant. They’re creative and articulate, accustomed to living literally by their wits. But for the most part, they are not joiners. They’re self-motivated, self-directed, and not inclined to go with the flow (or else they’d be working in an office somewhere). They’re individualistic and can be cantankerous. And here I was, trying to get them to follow my lead. Continue reading

Malcolm Gladwell Explains How ‘Strategic Disadvantages’ Can Make You A Great Leader

Do some disadvantages come with a hidden upside?

Malcolm Gladwell, popular author of books like “Outliers” and the recent “David and Goliath,” thinks the answer is a resounding yes. In a conversation at the World Business Forum he discusses how “strategic disadvantages” such as a learning disability can be instrumental to your future success because they force you to adjust your learning strategies and work around obstacles from an early age. Continue reading