As a project manager, you are often the ultimate middle man in that you don’t actually have true authority, total decision making power, or even direct management of the team. The power and influence that we are able to build and provide is a direct byproduct of our success or failure as a negotiator. As project manager/negotiator, you have to get creative to find that middle ground that will be acceptable to all parties.
There are many PMs who are passively playing the negotiating game because they are either not comfortable or dislike active negotiating. I have never seen a successful PM not call a spade a spade and take an active role in negotiating on behalf of their projects. They may not have liked it and they have aspired to be better, but they did not put their head in the sand.
Why we need to negotiate
Projects are a mix of different resources from different parts of an organization. Although there should be a single organizational vision, culture, and political landscape, that is usually not the case. In many instances, each part of the organization has its own objectives, politics, culture that a project manager must be aware of and be able to deal with. In addition to the organizational disconnects, you have project team members, their management structure, stakeholders, project sponsor, extended team members, and then the client (who can be internal or external) that all have their own opinions and interests.
So there you are as the PM with limited power over any of these folks, yet you need to get them all on the same page. In order for you and your project to be successful, you need to actively engage each person or group that is not on the same page with you.
I want in the game!
Now that you have embraced the need to be proactive, you are ready to begin. I believe that there are five key techniques that you must learn to successfully enhance your ability to make a difference as an official negotiator. They are:
Know your audience.
Know your situation.
Positive mindset/positive outcome.
Generate more ideas.
Know your style.
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