Everyone has worked for a boss that lacks in one area or another. While “good” at what they do, they fail to motivate, encourage, and support – all necessary qualities of a “GREAT” boss. If you work in a position of authority, regardless of the company size or industry, you owe it to yourself, your staff, and your employer to be the best manager possible.

Along with the three above-mentioned primary qualifications of a great boss, there are many others.

The people who work under your leadership truly want to excel at what they do. However, if they don’t understand your clear vision and goal, you’ll likely find that there’s a lot of wasted time and effort across the board.

Your team needs to see the results of what they do; otherwise, their daily tasks have no meaning. As an example, one woman worked for a salt company dispatching workers to repair different types of equipment inside of mines. However, having never been inside a salt mine, there was no connection between her actions and the repair work involved.

Instead of allowing her to feel inadequate and unmotivated in her job, her employer had her go down inside one of the mines. Visually seeing the equipment first-hand and meeting some of the technicians made all the difference in her performance.

A lack of performance expectations is one of the leading causes of stress in the workplace. It’s essential for you to lay out not only the department’s goal, but also individual goals for each employee. As a result, you’ll find your team becomes more invested in achieving the set objectives.

Knowing what you expect from each member of your team gives them something to strive toward which, in turn, helps reduce stress. A great boss also communicates any modifications to expectations whenever there’s a change in priority.

You’ve heard the term “constructive criticism,” which is imperative as a great boss. However, it’s just as crucial to give kudos when warranted as it is to point out areas that require improvement. For you to advance from a good to great boss, provide your staff with consistent feedback and mentoring.

As a manager, it’s your job to address both positive and negative things that happen in the workplace. If an employee doesn’t handle a customer service call correctly, instead of berating that individual, provide guidance or schedule online training. On the other hand, if a worker goes above and beyond to assist a customer, make sure you acknowledge it.

Although sometimes tricky, you want to make every effort to build a personal relationship with each person on your team. That doesn’t mean spending time together outside of work, but you should try to learn about each individual’s personal life to some degree. For staff members with children, ask about them; for someone who has some kind of hobby, show interest.

A simple comment like “Is your daughter feeling better today” after learning an employee has a sick child or “How was the miniature train exhibition” when you know someone planned to attend one creates trusted relationships and motivates employees.

At the same time, you need to be somewhat transparent in your personal life. After all, it wouldn’t be fair to know things about your employees without them having some insight into your life. The key is to use experiences as learning tools. For instance, if someone stole a parking space while out shopping, you could share the story but explain how it wasn’t worth becoming upset over.

In a Reader’s Digest article, Jerry Acuff, a sales and marketing agent, was quoted as saying, “Employees want us to care about them. They want us to help them succeed. The best way to do that is by providing competent job instruction, combined with providing your workers independence in doing their job.”

Acuff went on to say, “Fall in love with your people. You have been entrusted with one of the most important responsibilities in life – helping someone else succeed.

Those are powerful words with in-depth meaning. As a manager, you have the opportunity to help mold someone into becoming successful in his or her career. By opening up to some degree, you humanize the relationship with your employees, yet also tell stories that serve to mentor.

There’s nothing worse than going to work each day to a strictly regimented job where no one has fun. Yes, there’s work to do – but make it exciting. Small gestures go a long way. You might make it a tradition to pay for lunch each Friday for your team or to bring in freshly baked donuts and pastries every Monday. You can also organize contests whereby the person who reaches the goal first receives a $25 gift card.

A “good” boss smiles and makes the work environment comfortable: A “great” boss incorporates fun activities for the employees. Anything from a dress-down day to an off-site team-building event gives your employees something to look forward to, which makes the job fun.

Regardless of the size of your department, you want to foster a team mentality. Especially when overseeing a significant number of people, there are a lot of different personalities and opinions. Remember, each of those serves an important purpose when corralled as a team. While sometimes challenging, push for unity. In addition to achieving more, each employee will feel like a viable member of the team.

You should not only listen to employee feedback: You should also solicit it. Although you should have excellent knowledge of each worker’s role, there’s often an opportunity to learn how to do something better by listening to your individuals team members. By asking for feedback, you help unleash your employees’ creativity and give them more freedom to think proactively.

Sure, giving verbal support to your team is critical, but as a great boss, you need to do more. Make sure your staff has the resources and tools necessary to perform at the level you expect. That could be anything from securing a new computer to registering them for online training. Instead of getting in the way of your team’s performance, ask them what they need and then follow through by providing it.

Many managers believe they do an excellent job when, in fact, they’re far from great. Part of your responsibility involves taking a hard look at yourself and how you manage your team. Although you might discover some things that make you feel uncomfortable, if you genuinely care about the company and your employees, you’ll do whatever it takes to transform from a good to great boss.

In one instance, a manager for a pharmaceutical validation company was more than difficult. He berated his employees in front of others and often threw temper tantrums. One of his computer experts spent an entire day creating a detailed blueprint; however, it required one minor change. Instead of giving that individual guidance, this manager placed the CAD drawing on the floor and poured his hot cup of coffee on it. True story.

To become a great boss, you need to identify any areas of weakness and be willing to make changes in how you manage your team. In exchange, you’ll see a remarkable difference in attitude, morale, and performance – and you’ll enjoy your role far more.

Multiple studies show that when morale declines, employees automatically disengage. When that happens, people become stressed, which wreaks havoc on performance and production. In no time, you have a dysfunctional and chaotic team. Even worse, you could end up with a hostile work environment, which puts people at risk. The cause of this falls back on you. The good news is that you can change, which in turn improves your employees’ mindset and actions.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a unit of the U.S. Department of Labor, the average American worker spends 44 hours a week at work. When you consider how much you and your staff are together, why not make the time as enjoyable as possible? A great boss takes advantage of online training to learn how to create a positive environment that allows workers to achieve excellent results.

You’ve probably heard the proverb, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy,” something Jack Nicholson typed over and over in the movie “The Shining.” While somewhat creepy, it’s an accurate depiction of what can happen when you’re all business, all the time at work. There’s nothing wrong with being career-minded, but if you take it too far, you’ll end up with a miserable team that dreads coming to work each day.

You also need to remain mindful of the relationships you have with your employees. As mentioned earlier, it’s fine to know some things about peoples’ personal lives, but be wary of becoming “buddies.” For one thing, this gives the other members of your team the impression that you show favoritism.

Also, if have to reprimand or perhaps terminate your “friend,” you would find yourself in an uncomfortable position. In that situation, the person you hang out with could take advantage of the friendship, putting your job on the line. Even if you and one of your workers have a lot in common and enjoy each other’s company, as a great boss, there’s a line you shouldn’t ever cross.

Whether due to insecurities or just an oversight, pay attention to how and when you share company information. In a leadership role, you’ll need to keep some things private, but anything of public knowledge, you should share with your staff. If your employees hear news from an outside source, they could resent and distrust you.

Another true story involves an employee who fell on hard times. A manager working in HR knew this individual would receive a $2,500 bonus and, feeling bad for her, shared the news. While the manager thought she did something good, unbeknownst to her, the employee went directly to the head of HR to tattle. Although the company didn’t fire the manager, it lost trust in her as she shared private information that wasn’t hers to share.

A great manager has a clear understanding of his or her responsibilities to the company. In your position, you need to know your employer’s expectations and abide by its wishes. Even if tempted, understand what and when to share company news.

Do you loathe going through annual employee reviews? While other managers might share your sentiment, this is something your staff expects. Especially if reviews crop up at the busiest time of the year for your company, as a great boss, you need to make time to ensure that every person on your team gets the review and discussion time they deserve. As discussed later on, you can always delegate responsibility, freeing up your time to make the reviews happen.

Dealing with conflict within a department is a problem area for a lot of managers. However, in your role, you don’t have the luxury of pretending everything is fine when an issue arises. If necessary, you can engage your HR director and/or risk management director.

Ultimately, you want to step in immediately after you become aware a conflict exists. By Allowing things between employees to fester could negatively impact morale, production, and potentially put everyone in the company at risk for workplace violence.

If you’ve been in management for a long time, there’s an excellent chance you’ve become set in your ways. Without even realizing it, you could be holding your team back rather than tapping into its creativity. Instead of stifling your forward-thinking employees, embrace their ideas and implement change when appropriate.

Look, your employees are humans just like you, which means they’re going to make mistakes from time to time. While having everyone achieve perfection would be nice, it’s unrealistic. If you typically come down hard on your employees when they make mistakes, remind yourself to provide guidance and mentoring instead. Remember the saying, “Treat others like you would like to be treated.”

For a worker struggling in a specific area of his or her job, rather than lose hope, consider providing that person with online training. For instance, if you have a member of your team responsible for handling customer service calls who doesn’t always provide the correct information, find courses that will help with focus and communication.

For you to become a great boss, you should never procrastinate. Whether you delay the follow-up on an employee’s question, put off annual reviews, or fail to schedule a promised team-building day, there’s no room for being lax with your employees.

As a great boss, avoid putting things off. Even if a problem arises, rather than deal with it the following day or later, jump on it right away. By doing so, you set the tone that, while you’re a fun boss, you’re also aware of things happening within your department. Avoiding procrastination builds trust between you and your team.

Micromanaging is one of the worst offenses in the eyes of your employees. What this teaches them is you don’t trust they can do their jobs. For whatever reason, you feel the need to check, double check, and triple check everything your staff does. If you want employees with low morale and no sense of self-worth, all you need to do is micromanage.

As you review the provided information and take advantage of online training courses, you’ll learn how to stop being a serial micromanager and, instead, entrust even important tasks to your team. Again, there’s nothing wrong with having high expectations; however, there’s a high price to pay for looking over your employees’ shoulders all day.

Motivate – Motivation is subjective, meaning the way people respond depends on several factors. As a great boss, the goal is to identify what motivates each employee and the team as a whole. Set high standards for professionalism, communication, and productivity. If someone fails to meet those standards, instead of blaming, use the type of motivation required to turn the situation around.

Communicate – Always keep the line of communication open with your staff. Even when everything runs smoothly, take time to congratulate your team and express thanks for their hard work.

Develop careers - There’s no joy or gratification in seeing someone fail. Even if you have to put in a little extra effort, you can make a difference in your department, for the company, and in an individual’s business and personal life. A great boss helps employees reach their full potential, emphasizes their strengths, and motivates them in areas of weakness.

Delegate – You have a team because you can’t possibly accomplish all the company’s objectives yourself. Instead of seeing your staff as nothing more than “workers,” give them the credit, opportunities and respect they deserve. Engaging your employees is an excellent way to motivate and support their career goals.

Build trust – The more trust you have in your employees, the more trust they’ll have in you and the company itself. A strong foundation based on trust leads to a positive work environment – one where people feel appreciated and secure.

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From good boss to great boss: do you have what it takes?

At Go1 we're passionate about bringing the learning community together so that we can, collectively, address workplace learning challenges and share transformative learning experiences to help each other grow. Our meetups are for learning and development professionals who want to discuss best practices, strategies, and innovation in learning design, delivery and instructional technology.

We're very excited to announce our first Melbourne Learning and Technology Meetup and our second Brisbane Meetup!

To end the year on a high we're bringing you Australia's best in learning and technology to speak about Content Curation vs Content Creation and which is the better option. We'll be holding the meetup in Melbourne on the 5 December and again in Brisbane on the 11 December. Both meetings will run between 6pm and 8:30pm, and we will have food and drinks for all attendees.

Please RSVP to reserve your free ticket here:

How social and workforce trends influence whether trainers choose to create vs curate training

Simple ways curation can be used to enhance training

What the future of content curation will look like (AI/ machine learning)

Scott Cooper, VP of Marketing at Go1 and author of A Guide to Better eLearning
and
Jason Wong, Learning and Development Consultant at Pentana Solutions

Scott Cooper is VP of Marketing at Go1.com, an online training platform for businesses to train staff, the author of A Guide to Better eLearning and founder of learning newsletter OnlineLearningWeekly.com. The Brisbane start-up, Go1.com, has offices in the US, South Africa, Vietnam, the UK and Malaysia.

As a Learning and Development Business Partner for Pentana Solutions, Jason Wong has extensive experience working for larger organisations, in a regulated industry. He believes that the correct approach to designing any induction or introductory learning solution should begin with the learner’s need at front-of-mind and believes a Learning Management System is a necessity, not an option, assisting in the facilitation of learning and compliance to achieve the right outcomes.

Vu Tran, Co founder and CGO of Go1
and
Heidi Mayhew-Sanders, Director, Human Resources at Bentleys (QLD) Pty Ltd 

Vu Tran is the co-founder and head of growth at Go1.com, the world’s largest onboarding, compliance and professional development platform. Vu has a passion for improving the world through helping companies grow talent and provide better staff training using the best technology.

With over 20 years’ experience in Human Resources both in Australia and internationally, predominantly in the Financial and Professional Services space, Heidi has led the HR division at Bentleys QLD to successfully deliver tangible results for the firm. Over the past few years, Heidi and the team have focused on building a robust and sustainable learning and development program. Heidi is particularly passionate about promoting a culture of knowledge sharing in the firm, and is constantly looking for innovative ways to capture the firm’s knowledge capital.

Our speakers will be holding an interactive conversation that will allow you to be involved in the conversation and walk away from this meetup with some solutions that you can start applying in your workplace straight away!

We're looking forward to seeing you all there!

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

Content: Curation vs creation - Which is better? - Go1

Learning and Technology Meetup: Content Curation vs Content Creation - Which is Better?

 We’re excited to announce the final Go1 Product webinar of 2018 will be taking place on December 7th at 8:30am AEDT (December 6th 2:30pm PST).  

If you are not available but would still like the recording, register your interest in the link above and you will be sent the recording after the webinar.

In the final Go1 Product webinar of 2018, Go1 Senior Project Manager Liz Hardie will be on hand to discuss the latest product updates and give you a sneak peek into what 2019 will bring.

Liz will walk you through the newest Go1 Premium providers, so you have a better idea of what content to add to your Go1 learning program for the 2019 New Year! Also, in early 2019,  Go1 will be making improvements to how you navigate the Premium library (and content Marketplace), Liz will talk you through these changes so you can find and search for content more easily.

New monthly Admin emails to support your need for data on user activity. 

Changes to how Go1 will be able to support you.

Training Assist: showing you how you can pair your Go1 online learning, with face to face training.

Webinar: GO1 Platform December Updates

Webinar: Go1 Platform end of 2018 updates

In collaboration with Blue Ocean Academy™, Go1 is proud to announce that we will be facilitating the first official Blue Ocean Explorer™ Workshop within Australia which is set to be held from January 16 – 18, 2019 in Sydney, Australia.

Learn the underlying blue ocean concepts through a pre-workshop online Blue Ocean 101™ course, at your own convenience, anytime and anywhere.

Learn to apply these blue ocean concepts and methodologies during the three-day workshop, which will be led by world-class blue ocean practitioners, who have more than 15 years of global experience. Follow a step-by-step and collaborative process to create your own blue ocean move through the online creative workspace - Blue Ocean Studio™.

At the end of the workshop, you and your team will have an executable blue print and will have achieved a collective buy-in for this blue ocean move.

You will be awarded a Certificate of Completion for successfully completing your pre-workshop self-directed online Blue Ocean 101™ course, as well as a Certificate of Achievement for successfully creating your first blue ocean move during the three-day workshop.

Upon completing Blue Ocean Explorer™, you will be invited to become a member of our Blue Ocean Community™, a global network of blue ocean practitioners.

The Blue Ocean Explorer™ also includes pre-workshop preparation consisting of a self-paced online course Blue Ocean 101™, which is part of the Blue Ocean Studio™, and which will take you through the underlying concepts and principles behind the blue ocean tools and frameworks.

The Blue Ocean Explorer™ is conducted via onsite and online guidance through the use of the Blue Ocean Studio™ and is facilitated by expert blue ocean practitioners. The workshop will comprise of a maximum of 25 participants divided into groups of 5 on average.

Blue Ocean Studio™ is an online, interactive and collaborative workspace where you will gain practical experience in applying the concepts of Blue Ocean Shift™.  Through a step-by-step guided process, using all the blue ocean tools and frameworks you can create and collaborate with your team, anytime and anywhere. Blue Ocean Studio™ offers you a transformative way to collaborate with your team and win collective buying for implementation as you formulate your blue ocean ideas.

A full record of your project work will be available for download from your interactive Studio and you may also continue to use your Blue Ocean Studio™ after the workshop for as long as your subscription is valid.

The workshop will be led and facilitated by one of the leading global blue ocean practitioners, who on average have 15 years of industry experience.

How much is the participation fee for the Blue Ocean Explorer™?

The workshop participation fee is USD 2,850 per participant which includes a three-month subscription for the Blue Ocean Studio™ and Blue Ocean 101™ course. Details of Blue Ocean Studio™ and Blue Ocean 101™ course are available under their respective product pages.

For corporate packages, please support@go1.com for more information.

How can Blue Ocean Explorer™ meet my company’s specific needs?

If you and your company have specific needs, Blue Ocean Explorer™ can be customized to meet your requirements,and can also be delivered in-house at your preferred designated venue upon request. Email us at support@go1.com find out more.

Chart your market-creating blue ocean move with Blue Ocean Explorer™. This event is by invitation only.

Blue Ocean Shift™ is a roadmap that will move you, your team, and your organization to new heights of confidence, market creation and growth.

Whether you are a cash-strapped start-up or large, established company, non-profit or national government, you can SHIFT from cutthroat markets – red oceans – to wide-open new markets – or blue oceans of uncontested market space – by following a simple five-step process that brings your people along so they own and drive the process.

Blue Ocean Shift is the indispensable and much-anticipated follow up to Blue Ocean Strategy, the classic and global bestseller by world-renowned professors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. Blue Ocean Shift is the New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller.

Exclusive Blue Ocean Explorer™ Workshop in collaboration with Go1 (by invitation only)

We pride ourselves at Go1 for providing the very best learning content from across the world, and we’re excited to announce more great content providers have joined Go1 as content partners.

This means that you will be able to access training from our new partners above as part of your Go1 Premium subscription for no additional costs or purchase their courses individually through the Go1 Course Marketplace.

Learn more about each of our new Content Partners below!

Enspark is a provider of 50 soft-skills and personal development courses, all available in Go1 Premium, including two anti-harassment courses for US customers. Enspark is based in the US, however, all of their content is globally relevant. They offer a great range of training from communication, leadership and teamwork through to customer service and sales.

Leadership HQ’s primary offering, the Leadership Attitude Toolkit, is now available in Go1 Premium. It is a four-part (module) series of training that helps individuals who may not currently be leaders in their workplace, transition into a leadership position by teaching them essential tangible and non-tangible skills to help them stand out. The training consists of videos, PDF resources, theory and quizzes - together they are an effective toolkit for turning anyone into a leader.

See the Leadership Attitude Toolkit from Leadership HQ here

Mind Channel is a provider of 60 soft skills and professional development microlearning videos. Their videos are all available in Premium, and come in either English or Portuguese language. Mind Channel offers a wide range of topics developed by world-renowned experts in the areas employees need the most, including, leadership, personal development, time management, mindfulness, communication, project management, customer services and sales.

See all 60 courses available from Mind Channel here

Skillshub has 350 microlearning ‘sessions’ each focusing on a different skill, ranging from management and leadership, project management to finance for non-finance professionals. Each session contains a video, workbooks and other resources which help learners keep track of what they have learned after their microlearning video has ended.  Skillshub are a well-recognised provider in the UK/Europe, and Skillshub courses are all CPD certified for UK learners. You can find all of their courses in GO1 Premium.

See all 350 courses available from Skillshub here

Vertical Horizonz are an established in-person trainer of blue collar professionals in New Zealand, and now have an excellent library of practical, high quality, health and workplace safety online courses intended for blue collar workers. There are seven compliance courses available, all in GO1 Premium.

See all 7 courses available from Vertical Horizons here

With over 20 years experience teaching software to industry leaders, Learn IT Anytime now has 199 courses available in GO1 Premium. Specialising in Microsoft, productivity, web and graphics training, all courses are instructor-driven, meaning subject matter experts speak directly to students through video.

See all 199 courses available from Learn IT Anytime here

Go1 partners with great new global content providers - Go1

Go1 partners with the best in compliance, soft skills & IT training around the world

Turn your One-on-ones around by asking the right questions.

One On One meetings with staff are one of those under appreciated management arts. Do One on Ones done right they will put you on the path to management Nirvana because you can take care of almost all your management duties in one go.

One of the management skills is asking the right questions in your One on One meetings with employees. By getting your employees to do the talking, you can get better results than by doing all the talking yourself. This is an active listening skill that is totally underrated.

What do you want from your One-on-One Meetings?

You won’t be left wondering what your employee has been doing

You’ll know where your employee is struggling, this will tell you:

 	If there is anything that might blow up that you need to attend to or
 	What performance areas to work on improving with your employee



You’ll know what your employee is planning to do in the future which gives you an opportunity to re-align priorities and

You will have motivated your employee to take ownership for their own work and solve their own problems

If there is anything that might blow up that you need to attend to or

What performance areas to work on improving with your employee

Questions to ask during One on One meetings: The employees agenda

Instead of doing all the hard work yourself - put the ball in their court and let them do the talking. This encourages your employees to take ownership for their work. And once you’ve started, keep the ball in their court. Here are some really helpful questions:

Is there anything that you’re struggling with?

Are there any problems or issues that I should know about?

What do you think you can do to fix that problem?

Questions to ask during One on One meetings: Future Deliverables

What are your priorities for the week ahead?

Questions to ask during One on One meetings: Growth

What areas of your job do you find difficult that getting better skills at would help?

What skills do you have that you think are underutilized?

What capabilities linked to career growth do you want to develop?

Don’t feel like you have to have all the right answers

Super User Tip: If you found this helpful, 3 Steps 2 Easy 1 on 1’s is a short, online training program that will show you more tips and best practice for having effective one on one meetings with staff. Or download your free a one on one meeting agenda.

Keith Tatley is a Chartered Accountant with a Yoga Teachers Training. He loves business strategy and helping people to find success in their jobs. He founded Manager Foundation to show people the real world skills they need to manage employees.

Questions to ask your employees in one on one meetings

Are you wanting to learn how to use Xero but don't know where to start? 

Xero is the leader in Cloud Accounting, and has simplified bookkeeping for thousands of small businesses.  If you want to gain an understanding of Xero, so you can quickly streamline the implementation and management of the software in your business  - enroll in the Xero Certificate Course today!

 The Xero Certificate Course, available in Go1 Premium, is the course of the week!

Great for: Accountants, especially junior

 Designed for new users of Xero, learn how to use the various functions of Xero. You will learn how to manage your contacts, as well as how to create and customise invoices, enter bills, complete bank reconciliations, undertake reporting o help evaluate how your business is doing and so much more. The course has a special feature on Xero-adds, Xero integrates with many business tools and products to make your use of the system more efficient. The detailed Xero course, is structured in a practical way, with the modules built with clear learning outcomes in mind, with quizzes at the end to check comprehension of the content. 

The Xero Certificate Course is only available to our Global Premium customers. Get Go1 Premium today, and access over 5000+ Premium courses authored by leading content providers. 

The Career Academy specialise in training for Accounting Software, such as Xero and Myob, and their Certificate in Xero is available in Go1 Premium. The Career Academy are one of the most reputable Xero training providers in the market, consistently updating their training to reflect changes to software, new features and best practice.

On the Go1 Marketplace customer, you will also find paid courses that cover Xero training, these courses are authored by providers including: Udemy and 360 Training. 

Have you ever met people who seem to have a gift for getting what they want? Do you wish you have that same skill? You can by learning some powerful negotiating tips. The good thing about knowing how and when to negotiate is that you can apply various tactics to produce positive results.

Just imagine, the next time you visit a dealership to purchase a car, you get to drive away spending far less than the sticker price, or you’re able to close a big deal on behalf of your company that everyone thought was impossible. These tips will teach you the right way to negotiate, so you come out on the winning end every time.

Instead of dreading the negotiation process, learn how to use it to your advantage. Especially in the business world, making something happen is an excellent way to prove your value, which could result in a raise, bonus, or promotion. Interestingly, people negotiate on a daily basis, often without even realizing it.

Legitimacy – Virtually everyone wants a good deal, which is one thing that drives the decision whether to negotiate or not. You need to know when to keep negotiating and when to walk away. In other words, only consider legitimate negotiations.

Interests – Your basic wants and needs are another driving factor. When interested in something, people tend to negotiate, sometimes without recognizing it.

Plan B – When negotiating, you need to have a plan B just in case the deal goes south.

Relationship Management – For you to succeed with negotiations, it’s essential you manage the relationship with the other party. Regardless if the individual is a longtime coworker or someone you recently met, the connection you have plays a role in the outcome.

Commitment – There’s also a commitment factor involved, whether an offer, demand, promise, or agreement made by you or the other party. When negotiating, you need to commit fully.

Options – As for negotiations, options include trades, conditions, and contingencies. The goal is to capitalize on your similarities and differences with the other party.

Communication – Regardless of the medium used to negotiate: text message, phone call, email, or an in-person meeting, you need to become an excellent communicator. When negotiating, it’s not about coming across as forceful or threatening, but instead getting answers to questions that give you an advantage over the other party.

In business, preparation is vital. When hosting a meeting, you need to research the topic, create handouts, request a whiteboard or projector, make an invitee list, and so on. The same applies to negotiations.

For this, you need to understand the facts of the situation, making it possible for you to stand your ground when presenting your position. Negotiating blindly will never result in what you want. Preparation not only places you in a stronger position but it also allows you to avoid potential conflict.

In this stage of negotiation, you and the other party state your respective sides of the case. Keep in mind that it is imperative you ask the right questions, listen as much as you speak, and clarify anything you don’t understand.

If you know there isn’t going to be a resolution that benefits your organization and you’ll need to readdress the situation at another time, take notes or even record the discussion. That way, you can refer back to this meeting in preparation for another engagement at a later date.

Both you and the other party have specific interests, opinions, and goals. Make sure you understand everything, followed by placing them in order of priority. The reason clarification is so crucial is that you might learn something new that gives you an advantage.

The purpose of negotiating is to reach an optimum outcome. While you don’t necessarily want the other party to walk away empty-handed, you want the negotiations to come out in your favor. Depending on the situation, you might find it hard to keep an open mind. However, if you want your negotiations to succeed, you may need to compromise to some degree.

Especially if you’re not a natural born negotiator, the following tips will help you succeed.

There’s a level of discipline that goes hand-in-hand with negotiations. Even if you feel strongly about your position, it’s essential you maintain the right attitude. Remind yourself that negotiating is a method used to settle differences. Ultimately, you want to reach an agreement or at a minimum, compromise while avoiding a dispute or argument.

The outcome of your negotiations depends in part on your attitude about the process, the topic, and the other party. Although you feel passionate about your position, negotiating isn’t a platform for a personal agenda. Keep things professional, respect the other party’s viewpoint, and avoid conflict.

The University of California describes the value of maintaining an excellent attitude as part of the negotiating process, broken down into distinct actions and attitude.

“Negotiation skills include being well-prepared, showing patience, maintaining integrity, avoiding the presumption of evil, controlling our emotions, understanding the role of time pressures, breaking down bigger issues into smaller ones, avoiding threats and manipulative tactics, focusing first on the problem rather than on the solution, seeking for interest-based decisions, and rejecting weak solutions.

The more knowledge you possess on the topic of negotiation the better. With knowledge comes power. During the preparation stage, spend adequate time learning everything you can about the situation and the other party’s position. Developing a strong knowledge base will help you identify opportunities within the discussion, thereby creating an advantage for you.

Before you even talk to the other party, consider taking online courses to improve your interpersonal skills. As a result, you’ll become more effective during the negotiating process.

Beyond excellent verbal communication skills, the right training will teach you how to build rapport with the other party, reduce or eliminate misunderstandings, solve any issues that arise, make better decisions, and assert yourself.

Don’t Automatically Accept the First Offer

While you might feel tempted, be cautious about accepting the first offer thrown on the table. An easy yet powerful way to let the other party know you’re not impressed is by reacting verbally or physically. By coming across as surprised that you would even consider it sends a clear message. If the initial offer surpasses your expectations, that’s a clear indicator that you can accomplish more.

While it takes time to learn how to become an excellent negotiator, an excellent tip is to use your words carefully. Regardless of what you’re negotiating, you want your viewpoint to always come across as positive.

As an example, if you sell residential properties and a potential buyer wants the seller to leave behind the Jacuzzi, rather than say they can include it in the price for $2,000, break the cost down into a monthly figure. A better approach is to let the buyers know they can have the Jacuzzi paid off in two years for only $83 a month.

If you let the other party know you need to finalize the negotiation within a specific timeframe, then you’re giving them the upper hand. Instead, use a little more assertiveness and point out the pros of closing the deal with what you want. Without the other party having any clue that you have a tight schedule, you succeed in your quest.

As part of your negotiating strategy, assign to another person the power to make the final decision. With that, you have more time to mull everything over. Especially during a negotiation where you’re sitting “on the fence,” you need the opportunity to ensure your decision to agree is the right one.

At the same time, letting the other party know that someone else has the authority to give the green light applies a little pressure. If there’s one sticking point the other party doesn’t want to budge on, yet that individual knows the deal is a good one, using another person as the scapegoat could prompt them to relinquish the one thing holding them back.

Not asking for what you want is a common negotiating mistake made by a lot of people. Even the best negotiators often start discussions feeling a little on the defensive. For you to succeed in negotiations, remember to assert yourself. In fact, you shouldn’t ever hold back on challenging everything.

You can refuse to take “no” for an answer and still come across as professional and charming. Rely on your newly developed communication and interpersonal skills to accomplish this goal. With a little bit of practice, you’ll soon become a master of negotiation.

Being assertive isn’t the same as showing aggression. By genuinely listening and caring about the other party’s viewpoint, you show respect, whereas having no regard makes you appear aggressive.

As for challenging the various aspects of the deal, the other party expects this just as you anticipate they’ll counter your position. Rather than believing what you hear, learn to think for yourself. Challenging the different aspects of the deal is all part of negotiations.

How many times did you hear that growing up? The same goes for negotiations. It’s worth reemphasizing that listening is sometimes more insightful than talking.

Excellent listening skills actually put you in a position of power. When you listen more than you speak, you learn things that might otherwise remain hidden, including things you can use to benefit your position.

Allowing pride to enter the picture is another mistake some negotiators make. Remember the comment about not making a negotiation a platform for a personal agenda? Yes, you want to come out the winner, but so does the other party. Unless the deal benefits you in the way you need it to, don’t feel nervous about walking away.

Just because you say “no” doesn’t mean at some point you and the other party can put the negotiations back on the table. Of course, you want to pull out all the stops to prevent that from happening, but if it does, it’s not the end of the world.

Even if you have a set deadline, you never want to rush negotiations. Especially when there’s a lot of money involved, you want a controlled process that takes time. While you might think not rushing puts you at a disadvantage, the opposite is true. Often, the other party begins to feel antsy, prompting him or her to sweeten the deal in an effort to get you to make a move.

The more you expect out of negotiations, the more you’ll likely receive. An excellent strategy consists of starting the discussion by putting yourself in an extreme position. Just like buying a car, the seller is going to set the price as high as possible in the hopes of getting it. Based on leading experts in the art of negotiations, aiming high will help you do better.

Focus on the Pressures of the Other Party

Instead of focusing on the pressures you face, turn your attention to those of the other party. Stop working against yourself and work for yourself. How? Learn why the opposing side should give in. If you can identify the pressures of your rival, you can exploit them to help you achieve an optimal outcome.

Along with that, show the other party how meeting your demands benefits them. The best negotiators in the world know success comes from looking at things from the other person’s viewpoint. Rather than trying to win the negotiation, understand the other party, and show them how accepting your offer will help them.

With negotiations, you should never give anything away without receiving something in exchange. While this might seem childish, the fact is if you don’t do this, there’s an excellent chance the other party will push for more and more. Feeling entitled puts that individual in a position of power, which you want to avoid at all costs.

Negotiations sometimes become heated. In the moment, both parties can say things they didn’t mean. Sure, you want to be careful with your words but at the same time, if you hear words that don’t sound nice, don’t take it personally.

At Go1, we serve as a leading Learning Management System with a vast library of podcasts, articles, and videos designed to help you become a successful negotiator. We invite you to visit our site or contact us about membership. Give yourself an advantage, so you win every negotiation, whether big or small.

Become a master of negotiation with these powerful tips

At Go1, we are committed to bringing you the highest-quality learning content to meet all your training needs, so we are excited to announce our recent content partnerships with Vivid and UL.

You will now be able to access training from Vivid and UL through your Go1 Premium subscription at no additional cost, or purchase their courses individually through the Go1 Course Marketplace.

Learn more about our new Content Partners below.

Vivid is an online safety training provider specializing in digital training for the high-risk workforce.

Each Vivid course incorporates a unique storyline and interactive activities to engage learners and increase knowledge retention, providing a memorable training experience that can improve workplace safety.

Whether you work in construction and manufacturing or utilities and general industry, Vivid content is a great way to provide engaging safety training for the entire workforce. Choose from a variety of OSHA-related content as well as over 100 courses covering additional safety topics to meet your compliance needs.

We have 324 of Vivid’s online safety courses available in Premium.

UL has joined Go1 as a Premium partner to cover workplace health and safety topics, providing over 300 of their PURE Safety courses.