REAL-WORLD INSIGHTS

Published: Jul 26 , 2018
Author: Ben Byth

The Australian Banking Royal Commission has been quite embarrassing with cover-ups, poor conduct and unethical treatment of customers. But it does bring to light key lessons for negotiators. These lessons are particularly true for those who are perceived to hold the balance of power. In other words, if you are negotiating with someone who is seen to have very little power - there is a high chance your actions will come under public scrutiny at some point. It is highly unlikely the banking industry will be the only one to come under scrutiny. All you need to do to come to this conclusion is read the paper to see similar accusations in industries like retail/grocery buying, leasing, franchising, etc.

Published: Jun 28 , 2018
Author: Elizabeth Lewis

Earlier this year I took up orienteering in the pursuit of increasing my fitness whilst getting out and about in the fresh air. For those of you unfamiliar with the sport, it is basically an extension of trail running whereby participants navigate to a set of controls with the aid of a map and compass. Competing against other runners, and with the goal of getting to the finish line in the quickest time, runners must contend with various challenges including time pressure, interpreting the map, strategising the best route between controls and navigating obstacles which include rocks, thick vegetation and steep contours.

Published: May 17 , 2018
Author: Ben Byth

It is not often that people recognise that questions such as ‘how much will this cost me’ are in fact an opportunity to negotiate. To my delight however, a client called me yesterday to tell me they did just that.