Day 241 - Discovery of 'Myself'

Finally! Finally, I think I have been able to zero in on a house that would suit both; my purse as well as my wife's expectations!  Hence the search for a buying a house in Mumbai is coming to an end.  Though we still have some way to go in terms of discussing and agreeing the nitty-gritties, light certainly can now be seen at the end of the tunnel.

While I was going through this process this week, I discovered an interesting fact about myself.  Maybe I should not say 'discovered'.  But I did think about it a lot.  The art of negotiation!  In the past, whenever I have been in a situation where I have needed to negotiate, in my personal or professional life, the first feeling has been, of a certain sense of wariness.  Wary of the expectation of a long and cumbersome process of negotiation.  It was no different this time. 

Negotiation is the process of communicating back and forth, for the purpose of reaching a joint agreement about differing needs or ideas. One would need a collection of skills and behaviors that involves communication, sales & marketing, psychology, sociology, assertiveness and conflict resolution.  Thinking about it, negotiation is all about getting to a situation where both sides win something for themselves. 

Inspite of the wariness, when I think back, most of the times, it would be safe to say that, I have come out of such situations with what I had expected to achieve.  Like yesterday!  So, what is it all about?  Can it be learnt or is it in the genetics?  Does experience make you better at it?  I think it is all of it.  My dad is someone who has probably spent a major part of his life at negotiations.  Maybe, I did pick up some stuff from him.  I remember, attending a Negotiation Skills training as well some years ago.  I also remember cursing myself for wasting time. However, I do believe that this is a skill which can be learnt.  Last but not the least, I think one has to depend a lot on past experiences and go by your instinct.

The key really is to be clear about your priorities about what you wish to achieve out of a negotiation and build enough flexibility around those objectives to be able to manoeuvre.

So much for my random thoughts about negotiation skills.  Out of my system now.  Right now, I am just glad that I was able to close the house deal yesterday.  A huge sense of relief.

By the way, I still hate negotiating!  Take care.