On Negotiation

On Negotiation

( “or bargaining”  situations )

In the absence of brute force, only commerce can help to satisfy our needs.
Free commerce then means an ability to negotiate and obtain what you want 
by giving something the other party wants. Sometimes this is applicable 
to many non-commercial situations also.
 (Even inside the family)

            The main three points to remember in any negotiation are the
variables of 
Time, Information and Power.

Time:- If you are in a hurry to satisfy your need and the other party is aware of it, 
then you are in a weak position. 
If you are ready to wait, you are stronger .Like you are in a tyre puncture 
situation while driving at midnight, in the midst of nowhere and there is only one Shop 
open who can do it.
You will pay anything he asks

Information:- If you have additional information with you, then you
 are stronger. 
For example: about regulatory changes which will increase the value of land in 
a particular place. 
You can buy land there in advance and make a good margin while selling

Power: - Power is the ability to influence the other party, as perceived by 
the other party. 
For example: in a union’s negotiation with management, the power of the union 
lies in its ability to mobilize workers and unitedly to organize strikes, sit-ins etc.
 The management has to meet its delivery dates, customer commitments etc, 
so the union is slightly stronger 

Also there is something called BATNA. 

That is the Better Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. 
If you already have a better alternative which you can operate if the 
negotiation fails,then you are stronger. The ability and readiness to  
walk away from the table also has some power.

In any negotiation, the first offer made, is not accepted at all. It is treated as a
 bargaining position.

Remember these points when you are in a negotiation type of situation.

NOTE: remember that the best solution is a win-win solution for both sides. 
Never go out to destroy the other side brutally. It hurts you in the long run

Autonomous Adult

Autonomous Adult

           The formal educational system and family upbringing prepare a person to become an autonomous adult , capable of discharging one’s own responsibilities and to seek happiness without injuring/ harming others

Look around us. Is it happening?

People are autonomous adults for namesake only. Many are not ready to carry out any clear thinking. Always they are in a clouded state.

There is no end to which a person nowadays will go for hurting others to achieve one’s goal. The idea that one day” I may be at the receiving end” is not there in mind.

When they are young and have physical power, they think that it is going to continue in the same way always. Times change, eyesight dims, steps falter.

We also spend a lot of time on jealousy about others and also trying to maintain a facade of a false pride and appearances of grandness.

Let us see the main characteristics of an autonomous adult.

1.       Learning attitude.

2.     Humility

3.     Helping nature

4.     Having consideration for others & not hurting

5.     Taking responsibility in tough situations and not despairing about it

6.     Being happy in seeing others grow.

7.     Directing one self and others to worthwhile purposes/ activity.

8.     Clear thinking.

9.     Not wasting resources.

10.  Being balanced in enjoyment and fulfilling ones desires.

Whether these will come from outside the person or inside, I don’t know. But these are required, and to be developed.

Let us try ourselves first, to be autonomous adults.         

Necessity for a guide- all walks of life

Human Intelligence can absorb and make use of any amount of knowledge. There is no doubt.

                   This is evident from the vast strides we have made through applied science. These create a feeling that since applied knowledge is flawlessly serving millions of people, an individual is worthless as regards his/her knowledge. (Internet, mobile phone etc).Nothing could be more far from truth.

                   Really, in order to achieve advancement of society and to also obtain individual well being and happiness, we need other individuals to help us guide us achieve what we want.

                   Our birth circumstances and the formal education we acquire, never aid us to prepare ourselves to meet life and also our job requirement.

                   We understand things from our own experience. Be it spiritual or professional.

                   Hence we all require people, who in the light of their own personal experience can guide us to find our own truth.

                   This, then needs a receptive attitude, the right ambience and also a person who is willing to guide you, and already possesses personal experience in the line of activity we aspire to take-up.

                   Good theory requires good practice and vice-versa.

                   In the end, we replicate the expertise in ourselves. It is unimaginable that any person can claim an automatic right to knowledge/(as applied) at the stage of birth.

Nothing can substitute personal experience.

                   Hence we can acquire a lifetime of applied knowledge by approaching the wise. Thus the cliché of a “GURU”, the guide who has already crossed your current stage and has the ability ,knowledge and generosity to help you cross the chasm of ignorance.

                   The same guide cannot always guide you. You may need different guides for different subjects. We have to be grateful to them. We should also become guides later.

                   However as Mark McCormack says” gratitude is the least felt of all human emotions”. I learnt this first from his book “What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School”. Later I validated it from my own personal experience of observing people being ungrateful.

                   Let us all remember that life goes on only because there are many”Generous Giver” Guides. Let us salute them. Let us try to be worthy of them.

ignorance or ego

wherever I go there are many living examples seen about barriers to learning .

which is the most difficult barrier?

Ignorance of the value of knolwedge and its application or ego?

In our country we have many thongs in abundant supply

these are 

1. ignorance(അജ്ഞത )
2. ego(അഹങ്കാരം )
3. selfishness(സ്വാര്‍ത്ഥത )
4. avarice(അത്യാഗ്രഹം )
5. sloth (അലസത )

  which is the biggest barrier?

and we are all comfortable that we know everything

happy life

01/2012 Better Management Newsletter

For A Happy Life

1. Accept the man with his defects. You will get the best out of him.
2. Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
3. Physical strength is measured by what we can carry. Spiritual strength, by what we can bear.
4. Don’t hesitate to say

• a. I don’t know.
• b. I made a mistake.
• c. I need help.
• d. I am sorry.

5. Never compromise on your integrity.
6. Never underestimate the power of love and forgiveness.
7. Hear both sides before judging.
8. Be your spouse’s best friend.
9. Wear out, do not rust out.
10. Compliment at least 3 people daily.
11. Give people a second chance and never a third.
12. Stop blaming others.
13. Live beneath your means.
14. Gratitude is an important attitude.

Excerpt from ‘Happy Life’ Sankara Publications.Chennai