{"id":12779,"date":"2024-05-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/could-you-out-negotiate-kobe\/"},"modified":"2024-05-29T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T00:00:00","slug":"could-you-out-negotiate-kobe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/2024\/could-you-out-negotiate-kobe\/","title":{"rendered":"Could you out negotiate Kobe?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

You don\u2019t have to be a basketball fan to know the name Kobe Bryant. As great of a player as he was, he was best-known for his work ethic. No one outworked him, outpracticed him, or outhustled him. He didn\u2019t always win, but if you were going to beat Kobe, you had to be at your very best. Now, imagine Kobe as a negotiator.<\/p>\n

Given his work ethic, if Kobe were a negotiator, could you outnegotiate him? Before you answer, let\u2019s look at his work ethic.<\/p>\n

There was no doubt about Kobe\u2019s natural abilities, but he didn\u2019t rely on talent alone. He was known for training well beyond the norm. In preparation for an NBA season, he\u2019d train hard six hours a day, six days a week, for six months. Compare that to a typical pro, who does about five hours a day, five days a week, for about three months. Kobe was obsessed with being the best version of himself.<\/p>\n

That said, as a negotiator, he would likely be doing a few things differently from most of us . . .<\/p>\n

First, when not negotiating, he\u2019d be practicing his negotiating skills. He\u2019d run through all the typical scenarios, in addition to the situations he wasn\u2019t comfortable with. He\u2019d run simulations, challenging himself to find ways to be better and more efficient. When it came time to negotiate, he\u2019d likely have already seen just about any situation that could possibly transpire \u2014 and he\u2019d be ready.<\/p>\n

Most professionals don\u2019t spend that kind of time on any specific skill, let alone negotiation. They may read a book or attend a class, but their training would typically end there. For Kobe, that\u2019s precisely when his training would begin. A class can teach you a skill, but only practice with skilled coaching can help you\u00a0master<\/em>\u00a0a skill.<\/p>\n

When it comes time to negotiate \u2014 game time, if you will \u2014 Kobe the negotiator would be fully prepared. He\u2019d have analyzed the situation and his opposition. He\u2019d have developed a game plan with contingencies. He\u2019d be ready to deal.<\/p>\n

Most of the professionals we see at the negotiating table don\u2019t have that kind of discipline. They think that because they\u2019ve played the game before, they don\u2019t need to prepare extensively. They\u2019ll be able to \u201cwing it\u201d and simply do what they did before \u2014 after all, they do this all the time. They allow familiarity to fool them into thinking they don\u2019t need to put in the work before they\u2019re at the negotiating table. But that familiarity can lull someone into vulnerability.<\/p>\n

Negotiators who don\u2019t put in the work can be outclassed by other professionals who aren\u2019t even close to Kobe\u2019s level. People who don\u2019t hone their skills rely on what\u2019s worked for them in the past or what they\u2019re most comfortable with. Over time, their number of tools will dwindle till they may have only a single tool left in their skills toolbox. Let\u2019s say the tool is a hammer: That hammer will work when they face nails, but what happens when they face a leaky pipe?<\/p>\n

If you want to be a skilled negotiator, you have to work on developing your skills and continually expanding your toolbox. Kobe could\u2019ve rested on his laurels and would\u2019ve still been a good basketball player making a comfortable living, but that wasn\u2019t enough for him. He wanted to be the best. He wanted to be so skilled that the only way to beat him would be by besting the master himself. We should all aspire to that as negotiators.<\/p>\n

When we don\u2019t take the time to prepare for a negotiation, we prepare to fail. We all know this, but what many people don\u2019t seem to understand is that when they don\u2019t prepare, they leave themselves susceptible to giving away value, disclosing information that weakens their position, or creating precedents that are difficult to change. And while they may\u00a0get\u00a0<\/em>a deal, imagine how great that deal could\u2019ve been if they\u2019d prepared with a Kobe-like mindset.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, it\u2019s up to you whether you have a work ethic like Kobe\u2019s or not. But know that creating great deals or living with bad ones is also up to you. Which do you choose?We Can Help You Bring Your Best Self to the Negotiating Table.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Creating great deals or living with bad ones is up to you. Bringing in a high-level expert can help you prepare for your next negotiation like a champion. When you rely on Scotwork experts\u2019 nearly 50 years of real-world experience, you can get the best of all possible deals.Talk to one of our experts today:E: info@scotwork.co.nz<\/a>P: 04 2979069<\/p>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You don\u2019t have to be a basketball fan to know the name Kobe Bryant. As great of a player as he was, he was best-known for his work ethic. No one outworked him, outpracticed him, or outhustled him. He didn\u2019t always win, but if you were going to beat Kobe, you had to be at…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":12780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_legacy_url":"blog-nz\/2024\/could-you-out-negotiate-kobe\/","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCould you out negotiate Kobe?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"World leaders in business negotiation training and consultancy with experts across 120 countries, with negotiation courses taught in 29 languages.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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