Negotiation

About the course in Lucy Wark's own words:

✨ What’s the highest-ROI professional skill you can invest in?

IMHO: Negotiation ✨

⬇️ Here are a few sentiments I hear frequently about negotiation

💬 “I’d rather just be recognised for being good at my job”
💬 “I read [Getting to Yes / Never Split The Difference], so I’m good”
💬 “I feel under-valued - but I'm scared of hurting the relationship”
💬 “I get irrational and reactive when I feel like I’m not being respected”
💬 “I work in startups, and I don’t know what fair remuneration looks like for my role”

🤷‍♀️ Why do I care?

A) My favourite professional feedback is being described as negotiating “like a Russian accountant” 🤣

B) I got really lucky by being exposed to negotiation theory in my studies, and had lots of opportunity to see the value of those skills in the years since: from helping friends and colleagues increase job offers by >50%, to managing our brand’s exit from a venture-backed parent company.

💪 Why should you learn to negotiate?

1. Leaving money on the table early in your career drives huge differences in earnings and wealth later.

2. Most negotiations we do involve asymmetry of experience - whether the other side is a Head of HR or a real estate agent, they’ve had a lot more practice than you!

3. It’s especially important for diverse hires - who are much less likely, on average, to negotiate when they take a role - which only compounds income and wealth gaps later.

4. Pouring 100% of your effort into your core job is applying force without leverage - spending 10 hours learning to negotiate has huge benefits over time.
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🎁 What would you come away with?

A big uplift in your confidence and skills negotiating in common early-career scenarios, through:

💡 A better understanding of negotiation theory (leverage, BATNA, ZOPA, types of negotiation, negotiating ‘styles’ and personalities, preparation, etc)

💡 Weekly practice negotiations and reflections (think term sheets, remuneration, etc)

💡Self-diagnostics to help you figure out your style, strengths, weaknesses, etc

💡 Weekly conversations with awesome guest speakers tackling different startup negotiations
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