I get calls every day from people seeking advice for dealing with a partnership dispute. Sometimes, honestly speaking, it can be a little tough to find my footing because the situation is so bad. When you think of a partnership dispute, you probably picture a couple people arguing over money. Maybe you think of a situation where somebody isn’t pulling their weight in the business. That would be a pleasure for me to resolve!
This post is about negotiation skill and technique. So far, Trump hasn’t demonstrated any talent for negotiation. Furthermore, his style may be more dangerous than productive.
There are strategic moves in negotiating your best deal. Those moves include promises and, possibly, threats. Promises and threats aren’t the best bargaining chips so we don’t start with them.
As people wear down, they see inequalities with their partner. I often hear things like, “I work more hours than she does” and “I bring all the new ideas to the business”. These are huge danger signs.
I work with lots of partnership problems. The hardest part of my job is dealing with “loose lips”. There was an expression during the time of WW2 that “Loose lips sink ships”.
I have seen some incredibly stupid moves in negotiations recently. People have walked away from being within a few dollars of a huge win to face the prospect of getting nothing or potentially having to pay a huge sum. Crazy.