Last week, advantageSPRING’s Head of North America Devon Smiley was in New York City visiting clients, partners and collaborators to discuss all things negotiation. Today, she shares the insights and excitement sparked by her week in the city.
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Energy
There’s no doubt that NYC hums with energy. Whether I was zipping around in Midtown, or dashing through Downtown, there was an unmistakeable sense that people were on a mission, and nothing was going to get in their way. Channeling this passion and vigour into negotiations is a wonderful way to secure strong deals – persevering and looking for alternate solutions instead of walking away when you hear that first ‘no’. Maintaining the energy levels throughout a negotiation is important, but the frenetic pace of business (and life!) can mean that we’re often negotiating when we’re fatigued, so stay tuned to the advantageSPRING blog for our insight on how you can deal with that challenge effectively.
Engagement
The gender pay gap is front of mind right now, and the team at advantageSPRING loves bringing our ‘Negotiation: Is it a man’s game?‘ seminar to women’s leadership groups around the globe. We see sparks of recognition, courage and inspiration on the faces of attendees, and know that they’re all leaving the session armed with tips and techniques that will help them move forward in their roles as negotiators. Last week I met with an advantageSPRING partner to discuss how we’ll be able to help their organization cultivate this engagement within the workforce, and we hit on an important point: Negotiation is everyone’s game, and both men and women need to be engaged in that conversation – in every organization.
Expansion
One of the highlight’s of my week in New York (aside from what may have been the best ice cream I’ve ever had, courtesy of Morgenstern’s) was spending time with a potential pro bono client. It’s all too easy to focus on negotiation as being a skill that helps beef up the bottom line and secure brilliant commercial results. We can forget that at the heart of negotiation are connection and communication – and that means the impact of a well executed negotiation can extend far beyond the balance sheet. I’m excited to share more about this collaboration with you in the near future, but for now I’ll encourage you to consider how you can expand your definition of negotiation to include how you reach agreements with others, how you impact your community, and how you’re preparing yourself or your organization for the long game.
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Devon Smiley and advantageSPRING CEO Natalie Reynolds will be back in New York City June 21-24 to celebrate the North American launch of ‘We Have A Deal‘, Natalie’s bestselling guide to being a brilliant negotiator.
There are events taking place across the city, and if you’re interested in connecting with either Devon or Natalie, or bringing a negotiation skills training seminar to your team, please contact Hayley at [email protected] for details.
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