Practical Solutions to Business Puzzles

Expanding negotiation styles improves negotiator effectiveness
Monday, October 31st, 2005

The five basic negotiation styles are compete, avoidance, compromise, accommodate, and problem solve.

Description of the styles

When one is competing, one seeks to control the negotiation. In a competing style, threats, ultimatums, walking out, and “shooting the moon” are common tactics.

When one is using avoidance, one tries not to negotiate. Delaying, giving in, and procrastinating are three common tactics associated with this style.

With compromise, one seeks to reach a resolution between what the parties want. Splitting the difference, meeting in the middle, and starting from an extreme position are three tactics associated with the style.

When using the accommodation style, one negotiated by giving the other party what it wants. Friendship, asking for reciprocity, and focusing on the relationship are three tactics associated with this style.

In a problem-solving style, negotiations are viewed as a problem to be solved. Brainstorming, understanding and solving the underlying problem, and working together to create a mutually acceptable solution are three tactics associated with this style.

Learn to use multiple styles

Negotiators should expand their comfort with using each style since doing so maximizes their effectiveness and efficiency.

Identify the styles used by the other negotiators

If one identifies the styles used by the other negotiators, one can develop a better response to the style.

Different negotiations call for different styles

One should tailor the approach to fit the negotiation.

Mount Vernon, Virginia 2002

Posted in Negotiations | 2 Comments »

What led Steve Case to resign from the Board of Time Warner
Monday, October 31st, 2005

This morning, Steve Case decided to resign from the Time Warner Board. Click here for Yahoo’s coverage of the story. The reason cited was to spend more time on other business activities.

Yet, because the reason cited is used so often and is often a corporate euphemism, one is left feeling that there is more to the story.

Do you see this as a case of a leader leaving, rather than disrupting the team, as was discussed in this blog?

Posted in Business Tips, Business Trends, Current Events | No Comments »

A holistic approach provides better customer service
Monday, October 31st, 2005

The other day, a friend and I were talking about business. My friend wants me to help him with some marketing issues that he is currently facing. As I told my friend, marketing isn’t my background. Seeing the world from a customer’s perspective is.

Whether one owns his or her own company, or is at a major corporation working in marketing, sourcing, finance, human resources, information technology, sales, or some other functional area, at the end of the day, there is only one thing that matters…

How well are you meeting your customers’ needs?

Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii 2003

Posted in Leadership, New Ideas | No Comments »

Role models make the path easier
Monday, October 31st, 2005

In my series of blogs about Achieving the American Dream, I wrote about the importance of having role models. (Click here to visit that series.)

A role model can be anyone who has done something that we admire. In the business context, they are all around us. If one wants to create the next Wal-Mart, one can look at what Sam Walton did. If one wants to be the next Microsoft, one can look at what Bill Gates did. Books and articles give us insight into what they did, why they did it, and how they did it.

The people that we pattern ourselves after may be unaware that we see them as role models. A while back, I was talking to a friend and she said that I was her role model. Until Lisa said that, I didn’t know that she saw me as someone to look up to.

When we tell people that they are our role models, they may reach out to us as well. It is a compliment to hear that someone looks up to you.

Who are your role models?

Posted in Achieving Goals, Business Tips, Leadership | No Comments »

Implementing Practical Solutions - Part 4
Monday, October 31st, 2005

Once the vision is defined, as further described here, one must decide how to make the change.

In deciding how to make the change, one should ask:

What precise items need to change?
How can we make the change?
Which strategy for implementing each change would minimize disruption to the business?
Which strategy for implementing each change would be most likely to result in attaining our goals?
What is the worst thing that can happen from selection of the strategy to make the change?
How can we mitigate the negative impact from this strategy?

Step 4 of implementing practical solutions is to select and develop the strategy.

Mount Vernon, Virginia 2002

Posted in Business Tips, Planning Tips, Solving Problems | 1 Comment »

Good corporate citizens care about employees’ struggles
Sunday, October 30th, 2005

Good corporate citizens recognize that employees become members of a business family. Rather than expecting employees to separate life and work, these firms recognize that employees are human and they let employees care about each other.

When employees have deaths in their families, coworkers send cards, collect donations, take food to the employee’s family, and offer assistance.

These actions yield great return on investment for the firm and build stronger business teams. This is the one instance where the firms don’t care about return on investment… They do this simply because it is the right thing to do.

Posted in Business Trends, Corporate Citizenship | No Comments »

Implementing Practical Solutions - Part 3
Sunday, October 30th, 2005

Click here to see part 2 of this series which dealt with deciding what to change.

After one decides what to change, one must decide what to change the item to. In making this decision, one should consider the following items:

Why is the change needed?

What does success “look like”?

What conditions will exist if the change is successful?

What is the worst thing that could happen if the change is made?

On what metrics will we measure our success?

These questions are reflections of step 3 in our process to implement a practical solutions which is to define the vision.

National Archives, Washington DC, 2002