Whether you’re representing someone else in a negotiation or you’re part of your company’s negotiating team, goal setting is a shared activity. Your first negotiation is with the other team members to be sure that the goals are realistic and understood by everybody on the team. In the entertainment industry, these types of relationships are common. For example, the agent/ writer relationship is one of the tightest relationships in the industry. Agents must know their clients’ work and the type of work their writer clients seek. It’s important for agents to know this to send their clients to appropriate pitch meetings that will benefit both team members. In essence, agents must know their clients’ goals.
There is no sense for an agent to send out his or her hot comedy writer to meet with a production company looking for the next great science-fiction project. For one, the writer client doesn’t achieve his or her goal of attaining a writing assignment. Secondly, the negotiation, or pitch meeting in this case, stalls and goes nowhere. Both agent and writer lose out. When assessing your team, odds are that you have someone on your team whom you would prefer to leave out of a planning session. Perhaps this person’s pace is slower than yours, and you’re afraid the team’s work will slow down. Or the person may be cantankerous and hardly ever agrees with the group. Don’t succumb to the temptation to exclude that individual. This person can end up being a stumbling block later when you’re close to a decision deadline. Be sure that everyone who is a member of the negotiating team participates to the extent possible in setting the goals. Some people may not be verbal, but make sure that they’re on board, even in a passive way. You need everyone to agree on the goals. Then they are more likely to own the goals — and the results.
Steven Spielberg’s Munich is an excellent example of how important it is for every team member to actively participate in goal setting. The film is set during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where 11 Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits five Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack. The agents all come from different walks of life, but they share the same goal: vengeance. In the roundtable scene where the group members gather for their first dinner together, the meal starts jovially. But as the scene progresses, the conversation shifts to an intense discussion about the ramifications of their goal. Is vengeance a justifiable option? It’s a divisive goal, but despite objections from some of the team members, they ultimately find common ground and proceed with their mission. Without that discussion beforehand, the mission surely would have broken down later.
Even with a personal goal that seems to be your decision alone, you can benefit from consulting with your family or friends. These people are affected by the decision. If you make your friends and family a part of the goal-setting process, they can be invaluable in helping you reach your objective. For example, if you want to write a book, your loved one can join in, if not with content, then with helpful encouragement so you don’t let less important tasks get in the way. Telling another person about your goal makes it real and also puts a bit of pressure on you to keep working toward your goal.
There is no sense for an agent to send out his or her hot comedy writer to meet with a production company looking for the next great science-fiction project. For one, the writer client doesn’t achieve his or her goal of attaining a writing assignment. Secondly, the negotiation, or pitch meeting in this case, stalls and goes nowhere. Both agent and writer lose out. When assessing your team, odds are that you have someone on your team whom you would prefer to leave out of a planning session. Perhaps this person’s pace is slower than yours, and you’re afraid the team’s work will slow down. Or the person may be cantankerous and hardly ever agrees with the group. Don’t succumb to the temptation to exclude that individual. This person can end up being a stumbling block later when you’re close to a decision deadline. Be sure that everyone who is a member of the negotiating team participates to the extent possible in setting the goals. Some people may not be verbal, but make sure that they’re on board, even in a passive way. You need everyone to agree on the goals. Then they are more likely to own the goals — and the results.
Steven Spielberg’s Munich is an excellent example of how important it is for every team member to actively participate in goal setting. The film is set during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where 11 Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits five Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack. The agents all come from different walks of life, but they share the same goal: vengeance. In the roundtable scene where the group members gather for their first dinner together, the meal starts jovially. But as the scene progresses, the conversation shifts to an intense discussion about the ramifications of their goal. Is vengeance a justifiable option? It’s a divisive goal, but despite objections from some of the team members, they ultimately find common ground and proceed with their mission. Without that discussion beforehand, the mission surely would have broken down later.
Even with a personal goal that seems to be your decision alone, you can benefit from consulting with your family or friends. These people are affected by the decision. If you make your friends and family a part of the goal-setting process, they can be invaluable in helping you reach your objective. For example, if you want to write a book, your loved one can join in, if not with content, then with helpful encouragement so you don’t let less important tasks get in the way. Telling another person about your goal makes it real and also puts a bit of pressure on you to keep working toward your goal.
No comments:
Post a Comment