We welcomed a new dog into our home last week, a three-year-old, completely untrained bundle of energy. He’s cute, but a little feral.
He came from a farm where he’d spent most of his life chained in a yard. His previous owner meant well, but didn’t have the time to properly train or socialise him.
Over the Easter break, I’ve been working with him. In just a few days, he’s become house-trained and can follow basic commands indoors: come, sit, down, heel, fetch. Outside, he’s still easily distracted, so there’s more work to do.
And that’s when it clicked: he’s not so different from many of the negotiators we encounter.
People develop professionally in the environments they’re placed in. They pick up enough skills to get by, and sometimes even to succeed, but too often, no one invests the time or effort to help them reach their full potential.
Organisations say they want better performance, yet many are unwilling to invest the time or money required to develop their people. What a waste.
It reminds me of Snoopy’s situation, left to get by as best he could.
Over the years, I’ve heard managers say, “They’re not worth investing in, we’ll just replace them with someone better.” Ironically, those same organisations often spend more recruiting replacements who may, or may not, deliver, while losing valuable experience and institutional knowledge in the process.
I’ve spent much of my career working with organisations that do invest in their people, not for the “warm fuzzies,” but because it’s both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. The return on that investment consistently outweighs the cost, by many multiples.
Negotiation is a skill like any other. It can be taught, learned, and strengthened. To excel, negotiators need structure, discipline, and practice. Repetition builds consistency; reinforcement builds confidence, and both drive results.
It requires a disciplined approach: learn the process, understand the skills, and apply them consistently. But the best negotiators aren’t rigid, they know when and how to adapt, responding effectively to changing circumstances in the moment.
As I write this, the now not so feral farm dog is lying relaxed at my feet, keen, engaged, and eager to learn.
Most people are no different.
With the right investment, structure, and support, they will rise to the level expected of them, and often beyond it.
If you believe your people are capable of more with the right development, let’s talk.
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