Steven Zolman

May. 12,2010

For Jordan, it was unabashed practice and, in fact, failure which helped him succeed. By his own admission, he “missed more than 9000 shots in [his] career… lost almost 300 games. 26 times, [he’s] been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed… failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” But he continued to devote as much time as possible to improving. Even his contract allowed him an exception from standard NBA terms and conditions which gave him the ability to play the game anytime and anywhere he wanted, now known as the “love-of-the-game clause.”

Just about every other winning athlete has this same mentality – that continued dedication to improvement allowed them to achieve greatness:

Wayne Gretzky (hockey): “I wasn’t naturally gifted in terms of size and speed; everything I did in hockey I worked for.”

Babe Ruth (baseball): “If I’d just tried for them dinky singles I could’ve batted around .600.”

Michael Phelps (swimming): “I want to test my maximum and see how much I can do.”

Michelle Kwan (skating): “Skating takes up 70 percent of my time, school about 25 percent. Having fun and talking to my friends, 5 percent. It’s hard.”

Bode Miller (skiing): “Once the season starts for me, there isn’t a change in my focus, just a change in my tactics and strategies.”

If professional athletes have figured out that it takes unrelenting practice, unwavering attention and undying commitment, why haven’t professional negotiators figured out the same thing?

Perhaps it’s a difference in motivation? Doubtful – as countless negotiators seem driven entirely by the prospect of beating the other guy. So, if not success, then maybe it’s a lack of venues – that negotiators don’t have a World Cup or other large trophy as evidence of such success? No, I don’t think that’s the problem either. Negotiators have thousands of opportunities to refine their skills – from purchasing software to purchasing a house or buying a car.

Personally, I think it’s a difference in the availability of good coaching. Negotiators simply don’t have enough good coaches to help them learn the latest and greatest techniques, skills and knowledge. Chester Karrass, who some consider to be the father of modern negotiation training, still teaches the same basic course he developed in 1968. The Program on Negotiation at Harvard University is widely known, but exceeds the budgetary constraints and time commitments of many working professionals. So between older methodologies and expensive training courses, where can professional negotiators go to obtain further practice in their craft?

NET(net) University is therefore pleased to announce a training program designed for business professionals looking to gain a competitive advantage at the bargaining table. Check our website for the 2010 Negotiation Program training dates. The training curriculum covers a variety of topics including leading practices in the areas of negotiation, sourcing and contract terms & conditions. The program was designed for organizations that want to gain a better understanding of the Information Technology (IT) marketplace and also want to improve their ability to negotiate with IT suppliers.

The two day Negotiation Programs will be taught by NET(net) staff who have negotiated and instrumented thousands of IT supplier agreements. They will apply their experiences from the field and provide first-hand knowledge of techniques and approaches that have proven successful in many IT negotiations including SaaS, software, hardware, IT services, data center hosting, telecommunications, managed services, and outsourcing agreements to teach you techniques on how to improve your performance. The 2010 Program will be offered twice this year and applications are available now for both classes. Visit www.netnetweb.com for more details.

NET(net)’s Website/Blogs/Articles and other content is subject to NET(net)’s legal terms offered for general information purposes only, and while NET(net) may offer views and opinions regarding the subject matter, such views and opinions are not intended to malign or disparage any other company or other individual or group.
Comments

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by wisntonterr on Fri, October 22, 2010 - 10:07pm