“No matter how many people are involved in a negotiation, important decisions are typically made when no more than two people are in the room” say Fisher and Ury in the basic book on negotiation ‘Getting to Yes‘.
Preparation with a wide team is important, even essential in complicated subjects so as to make sure that the key decision points are properly identified and their real consequences properly assessed and understood by each party.
Still, when difficult, the final decision is always most efficiently determined in an eye-to-eye meeting between the two leaders.
It is important to recognize this mechanism and invest in the personal relationship beforehand at leader level so as to make this final moment of the negotiation easier. It also helps when it is part of a series of negotiations where both parties could appreciate if the other party was interested in building a long term relationship.
If you are the leader, don’t be afraid once the issues have been exposed and all the easy points agreed, to close yourself up with the leader of the other party to take the final decisions. It might take some guts to support whatever final position you will take together, but it is the only way to be effective and reach a decision.
Two people face to face. It is how all successful tough negotiations end up. Don’t be scared. Go for it!
