I was having breakfast with an English friend this morning and the conversation found its natural way towards Brexit. Each of us shared a similar opinion so there was no altercation but he, living in England as he does, has a greater exposure to English media versus that of Europe. Of surprise to him was my opinion that the English cared more about Brexit than anyone in Europe.
I live in mainland Europe and subscribe to a number of English news sources as well as a number of European and, quite obviously, I am surrounded by a European news perspective in my daily media exposures as I go about my business. So I have s different perspective in what is being covered on his view.
This breakfast exchange has made me think more about the perspectives we bring into our negotiations: if you only read English news, for example, you will believe Brexit is also front page news in the rest of the world. If you only get a certain perspective from your Facebook news feed, you will think everyone shares the same worldview as you. When you take those only perspectives into a negotiation, failing to consider that others have had their opinions shaped differently, be it the argument with your partner, the request for a pay increase, the rationale for bigotry, or the biggest discussion your nation has had about its trading future in half a century, you are likely missing half of the negotiation points that matter.
As a procurement professional, I see too little formal negotiation planning amongst my fellow practitioners. We tend, time-pressured as we are, to hope it will turn out alright. We walk in with our workdview and pray for meeting of minds on common objectives. Small wonder, then, that these things can take so long and go so unexpectedly wrong.
Put yourself in their boots, read a little on negotiation prep, do it. And only then should one start talking. Britain’s back-pedaling on many of the elements on which they declared themselves immutable is evidence of what the British military might refer to as failing the six Ps of preparation.