Here is Part Two of the negotiation lessons I gleaned from mega movie star and former California Governor and Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life” (and here is Part One if you missed it).
- “If there is one unavoidable truth in this world, it’s that there is no substitute for putting in the work. There is no shortcut or growth hack or magic pill that can get you around the hard work of doing your job well, of winning something you care about, or of making your dreams come true. . . . Work works. That’s the bottom line. No matter what you do. No matter who you are. My entire life has been shaped by that single idea. . . .[B]eyond simply reading the script and knowing my lines [for] Twins, it was dance and improv lessons. On The Terminator, it was becoming a machine: blindfolding myself until I could do every gun stunt with my eyes closed, and shooting so many rounds at the range that I no longer blinked when my gun fired. On Terminator 2, it was practicing the shotgun cocking flip so many times my knuckles bled – for what amounted to two seconds of screen time.”
The negotiation lesson? Comprehensively prepare and practice for your negotiations on the substantive issues and on the process based on the experts’ proven research. The homework and planning you do in advance of the actual negotiation works!
- “It’s not always obvious who you need to move toward a yes and who you need to move away from a no. Unless you pay attention to who is paying attention to you, it’s impossible to know for sure who your vision is attracting positively or who it might be impacting negatively.”
The negotiation lesson? Pay super close attention and tune in to your counterparts so you can accurately ascertain a) who and how to engage, and b) the signals they send and their reactions. These can make or break you negotiations.
- “People come up to me all the time and say, “Arnold, I didn’t hit the goal I set for myself, what should I do?” … Or, “I failed this week to get the promotion I wanted, what do I do now?” My answer to them is simple: Learn from your mistakes and then say, “I’ll be back.””
The negotiation lesson? Debrief at the end of your negotiation successes and failures. Identify what worked, what didn’t and how to improve next time. Lifelong learning!
Latz’s Lesson: Preparation and work works, pay super close attention to your counterparts, and learn from your successes and failures. Keep these front and center for your next negotiation.
* Marty Latz is the founder of Latz Negotiation, a national negotiation training and consulting company that helps individuals and organizations achieve better results with best practices based on the experts’ research. He can be reached at 480.951.3222 or Marty@LatzNegotiation.com.