Preparing for a Win-Win Outcome in Negotiation

🎖️𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐖𝐢𝐧-𝐖𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧⁣⁣⁣🏆😎🚀 ⁣ As the founder of Raya Advisory, an executive and leadership recruiting firm, I’ve helped negotiate dozens of executive & leadership job offers! Over the past few weeks alone, we’ve placed multiple top executives and leaders into high-profile AI companies, including public ones. 🔥🔥 As an executive recruiting firm, we sit at the intersection of candidates and companies. I coach talents through offers and act as a trusted partner to our clients (AI, SaaS Enterprise, health tech companies), helping them structure offers that work for both sides. In my view, the most fundamental criterion for a successful negotiation is to “𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀 𝐖𝐢𝐧-𝐖𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧”! Here are 5 key factors to apply for a successful negotiation: 🔹 𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬. See the world from the other party’s lens, understand their abilities & limitations, and know what to negotiate to close the deal. Creating a win-win situation is key in any negotiation so everyone walks away satisfied and excited about what’s ahead. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦. Every negotiation is a chance to build trust and alignment; it’s an opportunity to make a long-lasting relationship and unlock future possibilities, not just extract value. This is particularly true about job offer negotiation. You want to start your new job on the right foot. 🔹 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞. Stock, bonuses, benefits, and growth trajectory can significantly shift the equation. Understand the full picture before deciding. Also, think about upside potential with the company’s stock options or RSUs. Stock appreciation for public companies and IPO or M&A exist are what form the biggest part of the compensation of those who have a big earn-out. 🔹 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞—𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞. Benchmarking matters. But also consider what you specifically bring to this role—your track record, strategic edge, and timing. That’s what justifies a premium. 🔹 𝐁𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬. If equity, scope, title, flexibility, or location matter more to you than base -- say it. Negotiate multiple factors if you are more open to different types of compensation packages. The best offers come from clear, honest priorities. To all the execs and rising leaders out there: if you’re navigating offers right now, I’m happy to share more insights or talk through scenarios. Let’s get you the right role, the right way.🍀 #ExecutiveSearch #NegotiationTips #AILeadership #HiringExecutives #JobSearchAdvice #LeadershipHiring #CompensationStrategy

Your negotiation metrics are outdated and costing you dearly. Forget spreadsheets; success goes beyond numbers. Here you’ll have seven powerful metrics, recommended by 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗱’𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗣𝗢𝗡), to redefine success in your negotiations. This will boost your profits, partnerships, and strategic impact. After advising executives from global companies like ABB and transforming negotiation strategies for over 30 years, I’ve seen how outdated metrics silently erode value. Most companies measure negotiation outcomes with overly simplistic financial indicators: • Higher rates • Bigger contracts • Short-term gains But here’s the costly truth:  ↳ This narrow focus risks long-term profitability, reputational damage, and missed strategic opportunities. Harvard’s Program on Negotiation (PON) recommends evaluating negotiations with these seven powerful metrics: 1️⃣ Relationship (separate people from the problem): ↳ Does your negotiation build relationships by clearly separating interpersonal issues from substantive problems? 2️⃣ Communication (Listen actively and empathize): ↳ Are discussions focused on understanding the other side’s perspective, actively listening, and demonstrating empathy to solve issues constructively? 3️⃣ Interests (Identify shared and divergent interests): ↳ Does the negotiated outcome effectively address your core interests, your counterpart’s key interests, and relevant stakeholders’ interests? 4️⃣ Options (Create value through joint gains): ↳ Have you jointly brainstormed multiple creative solutions aimed at maximizing mutual gains and expanding the negotiation pie? 5️⃣ Legitimacy (Use objective criteria): ↳ Is the agreed solution backed by objective criteria, standards, or precedents, ensuring fairness and acceptability for all parties involved? 6️⃣ BATNA (Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement): ↳ Is your negotiated agreement demonstrably superior to your best alternative if the negotiation fails? 7️⃣ Commitment (Clear and realistic implementation): ↳ Are the negotiated commitments detailed, clear, realistic, and actionable, ensuring both parties understand their roles and responsibilities? Companies embracing these comprehensive metrics don’t just close deals; they build enduring competitive advantages. Redefine your negotiation success metrics now. Use these seven dimensions to evaluate your next negotiation. Your future bottom line will thank you. What’s your favorite metric for measuring negotiation success? Share in the comments. ♻️ Found value here? Please repost. Let’s raise negotiation standards together. 

I stocked up on business books when Borders closed in 2011. One bargain paid off this week. I was negotiating an agreement with a prospective partner. We had built rapport and were aligned on the goals of the collaboration. But when it was time to agree on the terms, we were further apart than I had imagined. Before reading this book more than 10 years ago, I would have thought that a successful negotiation has a winner and a loser. (Present-day rhetoric in the media often portrays that perception.) But that couldn’t be further from the truth. In their 2007 book, Negotiation Genius, authors Malhotra and Bazerman of Havard Business School describe a central idea that’s stuck with me: The goal of negotiating is to maximize the value for all involved parties. If a single party wins, every party loses. Back to the situation. I wasn’t 100% satisfied with where we landed and asked for a second meeting. Instead of playing hardball, I shared my perspective and sought to listen and understand my partner’s perspective. And guess what? Their arguments made sense. I didn’t get the exact terms I had hoped for, and that’s okay. We agreed on terms that support both our businesses. A strong partnership that grows the pie for both is more valuable in the long run than a rigid focus on one-time revenue (and losing the partnership). Negotiating to increase the value means putting your ego aside and staying flexible to see different vantage points, and crafting a win-win outcome. The more invested you are, the harder it gets. And it takes practice to adjust your mindset. So, the next time you’re preparing for a negotiation, consider potential options and alternatives as well as your non-negotiables, so you can adapt in the moment and maximize value for all. Have you negotiated to make the overall value bigger? #ArtificialIntelligence #Leadership #IntelligenceBriefing