Theme for the week 11/22 - 11/28: Creativity, inspired by the benefits of creativity in negotiations (theme for week ending 11/14).

"In negotiation, creativity – the ability to generate new ideas – enables parties to generate solutions that expand the pie of value."
- Program on Negotiation Daily Blog, Harvard Law School
http://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/business-negotiations/the-creative-negotiator/

Coming up with a creative solution is much better than begging......

From the song 'Please Don't Leave Me' by Pink:

I don't know if I can yell any louder,
How many times have I kicked you out of here
Or said something insulting?

I can be so mean when I wanna be,
I am capable of really anything,
I can cut you into pieces,
When my heart is broken.

Please, don't leave me.
I always say how I don't need you,
But it's always gonna come right back to this,
Please, don't leave me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eocCPDxKq1o

However, creative people may not be the best at negotiating because of other issues......

"Essentially, the same qualities that make creative people great at coming up with new ideas turn them into lousy negotiators."
- Jane Porter, Why Creativity Is Your Best Negotiation Tactic
http://www.fastcompany.com/3032349/the-future-of-work/why-creativity-is-your-best-negotiation-tactic

"In negotiation, creativity – the ability to generate new ideas – enables parties to generate solutions that expand the pie of value."
- Program on Negotiation Daily Blog, Harvard Law School
http://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/business-negotiations/the-creative-negotiator/

"In a negotiation, we must find a solution that pleases everyone, because no one accepts that they must lose and that the other must win... Both must win!"
― Nabil N. Jamal

"'The outcome' of creativity is 'a new way of perceiving things, a new possibility, or a new path or direction to explore'.  Isn’t this exactly what we should look for when negotiations have come to an impasse?"
- Anke Meier, Using Creativity When Negotiating Commercial Disputes – A Challenge For Lawyers?
http://www.mediate.com/articles/meiera1.cfm

#MainMessageForToday
Negotiating parties are more likely to reach an agreement if more options or alternatives are considered. Creative people tend to come up with more options.

Song 'All I Have To Give' by Backstreet Boys: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj6FCKm8dhM

Tips for negotiations:
Go first in the negotiation, Build rationale that focuses on the other side, Go first with multiple offers or options.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUkTbgsLeBI

Ten Tips for Negotiating in 2014
by Ed Brodow

1. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want.
2. Shut up and listen.
3. Do your homework.
4. Always be willing to walk away.
5. Don't be in a hurry.
6. AIM HIGH and expect the best outcome.
7. Focus on the other side's pressure, not yours.
8. Show the other person how their needs will be met.
9. Don't give anything away without getting something in return.
10. Don't take the issues or the other person's behavior personally.
(Emphasis Added)

Read more at: http://www.brodow.com/Articles/NegotiatingTips.html

"The worst thing you can say is ‘I want $X for this job,’ leaving no opening for negotiation by the other side. Better language is ‘I hope to earn between $X and $X.’ That gives the other party more flexibility."
- Bill Coleman

#MainMessageForToday
Always leave room for negotiation. When negotiating, it is best to start with a request for more than your minimum.

Song 'Something's Gotta Give' by LeAnn Rimes....
https://youtu.be/ORnk91mt1lA

"Compromise, while at times morally necessary or at least justifiable, is more often only the first permission for a person (or society) to begin a long downhill descent."
― Dennis Prager, Think a Second Time 

"All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take."
- Mohandas K. Gandhi

"'I wish,' he said, 'I had known at eighteen what I know now - that there are some things on which one does not compromise.'"
― Mary Balogh, Simply Perfect

"Once you consent to some concession, you can never cancel it and put things back the way they are."
— Howard Hughes

"Compromise means to go just a little bit below what you know is right. It's just a little bit, but it's the little foxes that spoil the vine."
― Joyce Meyer

"And no relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain something greater."
- Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby 

#MainMessageForToday
Compromise could cause problems because it may involve giving in to some undesirable thing or giving up something valuable.