Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they focus on leveraging influence, negotiation, and understanding clients' business needs to improve project outcomes. They share practical examples from their personal experiences, illustrating how building trust, anticipating client needs, and understanding stakeholder motives can make a significant difference in project delivery. They discuss the importance of cultural awareness and communication in navigating complex stakeholder environments, while highlighting the value of perceiving hidden opportunities for innovation and efficiency.

Main Take-Aways

Stories are powerful teachers. Today’s story lessons help your understanding of the need to strengthen you negotiation and influence skills:

• using influence when you don’t have direct authority
• using the knowledge of your customer’s requirements to influence the solution
• using prior experience to educate customers in their negotiations
• being aware and using information gleaned from any source to help influence negotiations
• using anticipation and observation to better influence your stakeholders
• using your customer’s own requirements to better negotiate with your customer
• place yourself in a better negotiating and influencing position by considering your customer’s perspective over your own
• negotiating among stakeholders with competing priorities

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches – Influence and Negotiation Skills are Paramount

00:27 Merv begins this episode of actual project experiences by recounting how he uses influence in project situations where he does not have direct authority over the teams he advises.

02:16 Tim leverages Merv’s story with a similar experience of his own in using his knowledge of his customer’s requirements to influence a better solution.

04:52 Merv was able to help his client in a complex negotiation situation by educating them on the strategies and tactics that the other party would likely utilize.

07:34 Tim helped his customer by using information he gleaned from a conversation to help them understand how to negotiate better.

10:22 Merv tells of one of his favorite influence strategies – that of using anticipation and observation – to position himself well with senior stakeholders.

12:23 Tim changed his total approach to negotiation after a prolonged negotiation session during which he learned about unstated requirements and use them to enhance his stature with the stakeholders.

15:30 Merv recounts a project he was advising during which the vendor project manager would complain about how project situations affected him and his team. He improved his ability to influence and negotiate with the main customer when he finally realized he was working for them and needed to consider these situations from the perspective of the stakeholders.

17:06 Merv completes this podcast episode with a story of complex stakeholder management where he had to negotiate competing requirements between his primary and secondary stakeholders.