Negotiation Lessons from the 2010 Winter Olympics

By: Heather Meeker Green

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games have ended and we are back to our routines.  Before we return to old habits, we thought we would take advantage of the opportunity to look at these momentous events for some lessons as we consider best strategies for our upcoming negotiations.

First, preparation is critical.  No Olympic competitor has ever made it to the Games without massive preparation.  It takes extreme discipline, time, and energy to get as far as they do and without preparing ahead of time, they would not succeed as they do nor be able to compete on the World Stage.  For some like Lindsey Vonn, U.S. alpine skier since age two, they have been planning this outcome for most of their lives.

In addition to the physical practice and repetition preparation by the athletes, sports psychologists worked with the U.S. Olympic team to help them visualize success, envision challenges and how they would deal with them and deal with anxiety.

To reach negotiation success is no different. Preparation and thinking before stepping up to the table or making a sales call is tantamount. However, the amount of time and energy required is not as extreme as Olympic championships. Even with only 20-30 minutes before you walk into a negotiation, you can get yourself mentally prepared for the conversation. We suggest you focus on your needs as well as consider the other party’s interests so you can make the best agreement. In fact, think about as many solutions as possible to the problem you are trying to solve so you have more possibilities of a “yes” and more options to choose from when deciding. In addition, consider what would make the agreement feel fair.  And while it may feel counter-productive, it is important to consider what you will do if you cannot come to agreement.  It actually gives you more leverage, and therefore confidence, when you are discussing solutions with this party.

Second, scope out the competition.  Most Olympic medal contenders watch their competitors closely at world competitions leading up to the Olympic Games. They especially know about those from their own country and they learn as much as they can about everyone else at international competitions. The Canadian Men’s Hockey Team almost lost their golden opportunity by not heeding this suggestion.  They had not paid attention to the U.S. Men’s team and had underestimated their abilities and lost to them in a preliminary game. Once they experienced how the U.S. team played, the Canadians were able to anticipate more of their opponent’s strategies and tactics and triumph in overtime.

With your own review and analysis of the potential competition in any deal or situation, you will feel better able to distinguish yourself and what you offer. And if you consider some different scenarios or possible questions or comments from the other side, you can figure out your best responses before actually being at the meeting.

Third, consider how you are unique to stand out from the competition.  After winning gold in 2006, Shaun White, the U.S. half pipe snowboarding champion, purchased a private mountain slope, built his own half-pipe and practiced new moves that no one else was doing so he could showcase them in his runs at the 2010 Games and stand out above the crowd. His perfection of the Double Cork to be performed not just once but three times in his routine and the creation of the Double McTwist 1260 enabled Shaun to offer something that no one else could to his fans and the judges.

Likewise, in negotiation, consider how your product, service, ideas, personality, whatever it is you are presenting to your counterpart, makes you the best choice for satisfying their interests.  How are you unique? How will you share that with your counterpart?  We suggest doing so by focusing on how their needs are fulfilled by what you bring.

Finally, persist and get right back up again after mistakes. Imagine you are in the middle of your shining moment, and you fall flat on your face.  Are you going to lie there moaning and groaning or are you going to get up and try again? Olympic U.S. figure skater Evan Lysacek experienced that at the 2010 Nationals in January, but like all great skaters, he got right back up and kept going and proceeded to win the silver medal. When we make mistakes whether big or small we have a choice of how we are going to react.  The best negotiators learn from their mistakes and correct them in the midst of the current negotiation or remember them and prevent them from repeating in the next negotiation.

As the winter season winds down, we wish you persistence, uniqueness, competitive advantage, and thorough preparation for your upcoming negotiations.