This was a panel opener preso I did for the SPMI - SIngapore Project Management Institute. Organized as Paul's Top 10 Tipservations (tips/observations).

1. Presentation Notes
Title of presentation Paul’s Top 10 Tipservations
Speaker Paul Southern, Pasoco Pte Ltd
Content manager Paul Southern, Pasoco Pte Ltd
Presentation date/time Thursday 12 September 2013, evening
Length of presentation 10 mins (excluding Q&A)
Name of Event Negotiation for Project Leaders: Knowing when to hold 'em, fold 'em, walk away and run
Location of Event SMU | 60 Stamford Road | School of Accountancy | Level 2 | Seminar Room 2.2
Audience Public, non NDA. SPMI chapter members.
Press Announcement
http://www.pmi.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=207:20130912-
panel-discussion-negotiation-for-project-leaders-knowing-when-to-hold-em-fold-em-walk-
away-and-run&catid=78:current
Host Rashid Mohiuddin, PMI Singapore chapter
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3. Paul Southern
• Negotiation in business
–25 years in ICT Customer-facing
–6 continents, 6 million miles
–Mature & emerging, big & small, new &
old, internal & external
–Bizdev, sales, delivery, close/exit
• Negotiation everywhere, eg: fiancé,
family, teachers, the taxi driver, etc…

4. Tipservations

5. Tip #1

6. Know when to hold ‘em, fold em, etc…
• KNOW. Not guess, decide, blunder.
• Before you’re at the table.
• Decisions in the heat of the moment
are rarely great decisions.
• It’s (usually) ok to revert.
• Have a playbook, rehearse whatif’s.

7. Tip #2

8. Know who their King is
• Who’s making the final, final, final,
final decision.
• Their King may simply want to meet
your King.
• May be their internal thing but try
to get some credit.
• The King is a person too.

9. Tip #3

10. Know your strengths
• Every person/company has
strengths.
• Not all others recognize that
strength… find someone who does.
• Being small can be a strength.

11. Tip #4

12. Know your Goto’s
• Don’t expect Goto’s to know,
understand or care (hopefully they
do).
• Expect to be selling.
• Meet the Goto’s on their terms.

13. Tip #5

14. Don’t be afraid to call for help
• Especially in unclear
empowerments.
• There is no excuse for not
communicating, not asking for help.
• Be proactive.

15. Tip #6

16. White knights may not be the solution
• Motivated or mercenary?
• Are they truly empowered or is
there an ugly turf war in the exec
office?
• Do they have to live with it
afterwards?

17. Tip #7

18. Beware the twilight zone
• The last 72 hours are the wierdest,
most dangerous.
• White Knights often appear.
• Quarters may be ending, emotions
are high  corners cut, cave-ins,
etc…

19. Tip #8

20. Winning may be costly / destructive
• How you won may have greater
impact afterwards than winning.
• We work with people.

21. Tip #9

22. Even bad outcomes have some good
• Search for the good bit.
• You may need to spin it a bit.
• Experience is valuable – it’s better
to try and fail than to not try at all.

23. Tip #10

24. Win-wins are either elusive or spun
• Decide the win-criteria before you
play.
• Win-wins require different criteria.
• A win-win is the eye of the
beholder.

25. Tip #11

26. We negotiate with people
• People of value, with lives, family,
other interests.
• People chosen to do this job.
• Sometimes we can change the
counter-party.

27. Tip #12

28. Friends can help, a lot
• Know who your friends are.
• Search for common or adjacent
interests.

29. Tip #13

30. Trust matters, a lot
• We work better with people we like.
• We work better with people we
trust.
• Trust is earned (over a long time).
• Trust can be destroyed in an instant.
• Your reputation matters, a lot and
for a long time.

31. 13 Tipservations
Before, preparation
During, when stakes are high
How you play, character

32. Thank you
Paul Southern
paul@pasoco.biz