Managers spend a significant proportion of their time negotiating with stakeholders. They thus need to know how to negotiate successfully. Basic negotiation skills include planning, knowing your opponent, and exploring options. Persuasion skills are a prerequisite for negotiation. Support your case by relying on precedent, quoting an authoritative source, or claiming it has been conceded to others in similar situations.
A good manager knows the difference between passive, aggressive and assertive behaviour. Passive people are submissive and taken for granted. Aggressive people get angry at the least provocation. Assertive people assert their rights while respecting the rights of others. They seek win-win solutions to conflict. Knowing when to be assertive is a vital skill for survival in management.
About the author
Samuel A Malone is a self-employed training consultant, lecturer and author. He has published numerous journal articles in the fields of learning, study skills, personal development, motivation and management. He is the author of 28 books published in Ireland, the UK and abroad on learning, personal development, study skills and business management. Some of his books have gone into foreign translations including Russian, Spanish, Danish and Norwegian, and second editions. Some of his books have been published in India. He has an M.Ed. with distinction (in training and development) from the University of Sheffield and is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and a Chartered Secretary (ACIS) and a Member of the Irish Institute of Industrial Engineers (MIIE). He is a fellow of the Irish Institute of Training and Development (FIITD).