Negotiation Made Simple: A Practical Guide for Solving Problems, Building Relationships, and Delivering the Deal (Made Simple Series)
John Lowry
HarperCollins Leadership/An Imprint of HarperCollins (October 2023)
Great negotiation on the other side of complexity
Long ago, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. observed, “I wouldn’t give a fig for simplicity on this side of complexity but I would give my life for simplicity on the other side of complexity.” I was again reminded of that observation as I worked my way through this book.
I agree with John Lowry: Great negotiators “are willing to be bold. They see opportunities that others do not see. They are irrationally confident that a deal can happen or a problem can get solved. They are ambitious. But they bring parties together. They are also empathetic: they see the deeper desire behind the initial ask. And they find ways to being parties together.”
Lowry focuses on five fundamentals that are defining characteristics of great negotiators:
1. They know how to manage themselves.
2. They know when to cooperate and when to compete.
3. They know that the first move is the most important move.
4. They know how to solve problems using empathy and creativity.
5. They know how to satisfy all the parties.
As I worked my way through this material in the Introduction, I was again reminded of two other sources. Years ago during a reception for the new British ambassador to the United States, I engaged in conversation with his chief of staff and asked him, “What is the essence of great diplomacy?” He replied, “Letting the other chap have it your way.”
More recently, in his lyrics for a song made famous by Kenny Rogers, Don Schlitz offers this advice to gamblers:
“You’ve got to know when to hold ’emKnow when to fold ’emKnow when to walk awayAnd know when to runYou never count your moneyWhen you’re sittin’ at the tableThere’ll be time enough for countin’When the dealin’s done.”
Drawing upon his wide and deep experience with both success and (especially) failure in all manner of formal and informal negotiations, John Lowry shares the most important dos and don’ts he has learned. For example:
o Four questions for managing yourself (Pages 20-22)
o Six “foundational things” you need to know about choosing to compete or cooperate (29-a4)
o The “Front Door Negotiation” in five scenarios (37-40
o Robert Axelrod’s “Four Steps” of negotiation (41-44)
o Eight characteristics of competitive negotiation (55-57)
o Six blunders with the opening offer (i.e. first move) and how to avoid them (64-72)
o Nail the opening offer by answering three strategic questions (72-73)
o Seven tools that the best negotiators use to manage concessions (80-88)
o “Saving Mr. Banks: A Case Study (109-120)
o “The Roadmap to Resolution” (114-120)
o Four core strategies of the lead-with-need model” (124-125)
o Four Practical Suggestions for Prompting More Empathy in Negotiation (126-131)
o The Negotiator’s Preparation Checklist (140-145)
o Six actions that Captain Chesley (“Sully”) Sullenberger “got right” when landing US Airways flight 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009 (156-161)
o The Thee Ways to Create Satisfaction in Any Negotiation (180-182)
Amazon now offers more than 10,000 titles in the “Business Negotiation” category. What makes this book unique among the best of them is that much (if not most) of the material can also be applied to negotiations only indirectly associated with workplace issues. In fact, almost everyone is involved in dozens of negotiations every today. Buying or selling a product or service, obviously, but also other forms of persuasion that have no monetary significance.
I commend John Lowry on the abundance of valuable material that he provides in this book. He enables his reader to understand and then conduct effective negotiation on the other side of complexity. Bravo!
Amazon now offers a hardcover edition for only $24.99. That’s not a bargain. It’s a steal…and probably non-negotiable.
Here are two concluding suggestions to keep in mind while reading Negotiation Made Simple: Highlight key passages, and, record your comments, questions, action steps (preferably with deadlines), and page references as well as your responses to questions posed and to lessons you have learned. Pay special attention to two end-of-chapter sections, “Build Your Framework” and “Think It Through.” Also, be sure to complete all exercises, and do so with care and candor. These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent reviews of key material later.