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June 28, 2007
What happened to the Immigration Reform Bill?
No one can win every negotiation. Many suggest making each negotiation a “Win/Win” situation. The reality is that there is always a winner and a loser. It seems to be a better strategy to seek a solution that allows both parties to come away with terms that provide each enough incentive, positive or negative, to support and live up to any agreement that is reached. This mutual incentive is the basis of every relationship whether it is in a marriage, friendship, or business setting.
Of concern, though, is that such an equitable approach to some negotiations may result in too much compromising yielding too little progress toward the original negotiation objective.
This is where I think the Immigration Reform Bill ran aground.
The People of America wanted border security. For that, many were inclined to consider some form of expansive legislation addressing the current illegal immigrant problem. However, those in control, behind closed doors, became so focused on compromises pertaining to the current immigrant situation that they lost sight of the true goal of blocking illegal entry of future immigrants.
Add to that a latent distrust that the Government will really follow through on promises, and you have a broad-based constituency that rose up and cried "foul". They felt that the solution was worse than the original problem because they did not believe the border enforcement aspects of the bill would ever be fully implemented; only the prompt legalization of the existing illegal immigrants.
So the negotiators lost the faith of their principals, on both sides. They were so embroiled in the process that they lost sight of the forest for the trees.
What is troubling is that those behind the bill are the leaders of this country and in theory have been elected to their posts based on their ethics, competence, intellect and the commitment to represent those who voted them into office.
Negotiators must retain a sharp focus on the primary goal and not dilute that objective simply to solve the problem. Anyone can compromise to the point that a deal can be made. Negotiators must strategically use compromises to make progress towards their primary objective.
Posted by Bill at 4:40 PM | Comments (0)
June 17, 2007
Choose to Improve
We approach many of our daily negotiations as mere nuisances to be mindlessly dispatched or avoided. Ironically this cavalier negotiating attitude is extended to those we love; our spouses, children, friends, family, and close associates. We tend to pay more attention to our interactions with those we don't know, retail clerks, teachers, students, clergy, bankers, police, dentists, doctors and the like, rather than those most important in our lives.
There is no reason not to try to ease the stress of the conflict in our personal lives as much as we do with perfect strangers.
It takes very little effort to improve how we deal with people; how we handle our every day negotiations. We do this by listening better. Honing our awareness of the interests and needs of others enables us to forge resolutions that are healing by design. Merging some of the needs of others into your solutions to daily problems will definitely reduce the negativism of unhealthy conflict.
It is your choice; your life. You are free to choose to be proactive and improve things. You can also simply contribute to the unhealthy conflict in your life and live with the consequences.
You are not helpless. You have choices.
Posted by Bill at 9:30 AM | Comments (0)
June 9, 2007
Surviving Daily Challenges
Survival is a strong word. When discussing the everyday interactions we all have with one another it really doesn't seem like survival. But it is.
The decisions we make, the compromises we agree to, and the arguments we win determine our quality of life each day. They also help to forge our future. Survival is defined as staying alive or living through something. We endure daily challenges. We just don't give our actions and interaction with others the importance that they deserve.
To illustrate how well survival describes what we do day in and day out consider our daily commute. Typically we are on the freeway, traveling between 60 and 70 miles per hour in a 3,000 pound steel projectile. In Los Angeles if you are on the 405 or the 10 you are much more likely to be traveling between 5 and 10 mph but you get my point. Our challenge and that of our fellow commuters is to avoid contact with each other.
Each commuter has similar tools with which to work. Each has a steering wheel, gas and brake peddles, and rear view mirrors. We also have dissimilar tools in that each car is unique with different engines, transmissions, suspensions and maintenance issues. Each driver has different driving skills, experience and habits. While we are all going in the same direction, we have different goals and objectives.
But we also have a common goal. To survive the commute without incident, AKA contact!
We, to survive, should deploy our best defensive driving habits to stay in our lane, watch out for those who can not do the same, and maintain a prudent distance from the car ahead that is safe. How many drivers on the road do this? A slim majority is my guess. Many tempt faith when behind the wheel. This reality places each of as at risk on a daily basis. Our skill at avoiding other drivers is a matter of survival.
For the most part we climb behind the wheel armed with a mind clutter with thoughts not related to driving, turn on the radio to distract ourselves and settle in to make the commute and as many cell calls as possible. Paying close attention to driving is not high on our list of priorities.
This is one example of how we unconsciously handle the abundance of everyday social, family and business interactions. We are on cruise control. Yet each of these is an example of basic human negotiations that impact how our day is going to be or how our future is going to turn out.
Posted by Bill at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)
June 3, 2007
Why negotiate?
Why do we negotiate?
Everyone does it, but why? Wouldn't life be easier without conflict? Wouldn't the world be better off if nation-states didn't compete for resources and land? Is religious intolerance really good for the peoples of the world?
We negotiate to satisfy or protect a need or want. The currency of a negotiation may be wealth, recognition, sex, a diaper change or simply peace from a crying child or whining peer. Negotiation is also the process for seeking world dominance, gaining a competitive advantage, or overpowering an aggressive predator.
Negotiation can take the form of civil discussions, formal debates, open and hostile fighting, marketing campaigns, political caucuses, or simply a baby crying to resolve its discomfort. It is simply the broad-spectrum of human interaction.
Anything we want or need becomes the commodity or currency of a negotiation. We try to improve or avoid some aspect of our lives through forcing a change. Typically such change involves other people though we often negotiate with ourselves when making the decision to do something we don't want to do. Conflict enters the equation when someone else has or wants what we want or we resist the need to do something out of fear, complacency or dread!
The differences between negotiations are the commodities at stake. Babies need to be changed or to be nourished. Captains of industry want more land or power. Men want sex and women need security. Wants and needs vary, personalities vary, settings vary, currencies vary, tactics vary, but the process does not. To satisfy our daily needs and wants we must interact with others; we must negotiate.
We negotiate because we live in a society of people with varying interests. We negotiate to make things better for ourselves, our family, our company and our country. Avarice and greed are only examples of possible root causes for negotiation. Patriotism, pride, ego, and concern for those we love and care for also are drivers of negotiations. It is not negotiation or conflict that is good or bad; it is the behavior of the participants.
Knowing that you have no choice but to negotiate why not embrace the process as a natural aspect of life? If conflict is a natural state it should not be feared. It should be considered like riding a bike or driving a car. To get where you want to go you need to climb on board the negotiating train and buy an E-ticket.
Posted by Bill at 9:56 AM | Comments (0)