In a world where I’m involved in frequent negotiation I was very interested to gather some great advice recently. And pleased to remember that one is never too old to learn! Some associates of mine were discussing the ins and outs of a potential business partnership and mentioned that they could not seem to finalise the contract with their new partners. Instead they were going backwards and forwards with draft after draft of their proposed contract.
At this point, another associate stopped them short, with advice that made us all stop short. “If a contract runs into more than three drafts, lose it.” We went on to discuss that not only did this sort of fierce negotiation point towards a difficult business partnership in the future, but it was flashing an early warning sign of a lack of alignment in thought process, vision and even business philosophy.
Dealing with difficult people is a constant challenge in business. People are difficult for all sorts of reasons. They can be insecure, aggressive, indecisive and a whole host of other personality traits which practically beg one to dislike them. The important thing is not to ever take their issues on board. Their issues are about them, not you. And it’s crucial to remember that you do not have to like them to get what you want from a business relationship. One needs to develop techniques to deal with different personalities. Never lose sight of why are you are engaging with that person in the first place and you will win the day!
