Getting Past No

What would you do if you face a big NO during negotiation? This book trains you well to handle such challenges. The techniques are very practical. I felt that this book is lot more better than the hypothetical Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

Key takeaways from the book are:

1. The five most common real world barriers that get in the way of cooperation are: your reaction, their emotion, their position, their dissatisfaction and their power
2. Rather than pressurizing your adversary to change their mind, create an environment in which they can learn. Only they can break through their own resistance. Your job is to just help them.
3. The secret of effective negotiation is simple - PREPARATION
4. There are 3 kinds of alternatives in a negotiation - walk-way alternative, interactive alternative and third-party alternative (with a mediation)
5. Stepping to the adversary’s side means doing 3 things - listen, acknowledge and agree
6. How you ask something is just as important as what you ask
7. Ask a question that cannot be answered by a NO
8. If you observe the practice of successful negotiators, you’ll find that they ask countless questions. 

The author teaches 5 simple negotiation techniques - Get perspective of the situation by 'going to the balcony', step to the adversary's side, re-frame adversary's thoughts and beliefs, build them a golden bridge. If any of the above 4 techniques don't help you - use power to educate your adversaries. The author has cautiously avoided using the word 'adversary'. He recommends everyone to take a 'co-operative' approach and not a 'manipulative' approach.

If there is one thing that is more important than any of the suggested techniques - it is PREPARATION. "The best place to make mistakes is in rehearsing with a friend or colleague, not in negotiating for real". This echoes Jim Champ's "Practice sessions provide you an environment to fail safely" theory.

The importance of having a BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) is re-enforced in this book. Overall, this is a very good book to read to improve your negotiation skills.

Author's website: http://www.williamury.com/

Good to Great by Jim Collins

Jim Collins, in his book "Good to Great" explains how good companies can transform into great companies. He explains what kind of leadership traits can make a company great. He also shares some techniques to build organizations that can achieve and sustain greatness. Anyone who is serious about developing skills in business management, this is a MUST to read.

Key takeaways from the book are:

1. Good to great transformation process: Disciplined people, disciplined thoughts and disciplined actions
2. People are not the company’s important assets. The right people are.
3. You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit
4. Confront the brutal facts, but yet never lose the faith
5. The executives who ignited the good to great transformation first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus and then figured out how to drive it. 
6. The right people will do the right things and deliver the best results they’re capable of, regardless of the incentive system
7. Put your best people on your biggest opportunities and not on your biggest problems. 
8. Stop doing lists are important than todo lists
9. Doing what you are good at, will only make you good. Focusing solely on what you can potentially do better than other organizations is the only path to greatness. 

The 48 Laws of Power

Do you think that you are not getting the credit for your work? Did you ever feel left out in discussions or meetings? Do you find it hard to create dependency? Were you curious how some of your colleagues move up in the ladder fast? Well, this book is just for you.

Key takeaways from the book are:

1. Anger is the most destructive of emotional responses, for it clouds your vision the most
2. It is even more damaging for an minister to say foolish things than to do them
3. An emotional response to a situation is the single greatest barrier to power. Power’s crucial foundation is the ability to master your emotions
4. A solid reputation increases your presence and exaggerates your strengths without you having to spend much energy
5. People feel superior to persons whose actions they can predict
6. The ultimate power is to get the people do as you wish
7. When you meet a swordsman draw your sword. Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet. 

The author clearly defines the "48 laws" that can help you in gaining power. The author not only talks about situations where you can apply these 'techniques' but also warns you of situations where you shouldn't. The references from history was kind of too much and was going above my head.

These techniques will serve as an armor, if your work environment expects you to play politics. If you don't play them right, some of these ploys may also bring you down from power.

This material is a good source of techniques to be aware of. It will help especially when people try to play these tricks on you.

Author's website:  http://robertgreene.net/

Starting with NO by Jim Camp

Jim Camp provides a contrarian view of doing negotiations. "Starting with NO" is an interesting read from the beginning till the end. The author teaches you a number of effective ways to do negotiations.

Key takeaways from the book are:

1. There is nothing called “win-win” in negotiations
2. “NO” is a decision. An early “Yes”is probably a trick. “Maybe” gets you nowhere
3. "Win-Win" is often "Win-Lose" because it invites unnecessary compromise. It is emotion based and not decision based
4. Greatest weakness in negotiation is the "dangers of neediness"
5. Fear of rejection is a sign of neediness
6. Cold-Calling is the worst way to do business. But, it is a great training ground for negotiation because your neediness is under control
7. We feel OK in the presence of inferior people and we feel not OK in the presence of superiors
8. Saying NO, inviting NO, hearing NO - these are powerful tools for any well trained negotiator
9. Never save the adversary, but save the relationship. Otherwise, you'll be responsible for their decisions. 

Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore

This is one of the best books that I've read about Product Management. If you are Product Manager or if you aspire to be a Product Manager, this book is a must to read.

You'll learn how to take a product through the different stages of technology adoption and into the mass market. The author explains some challenges faced by organizations in crossing the chasm and how they can effectively cross them.

Some key takeaways from the book are:

1. There are 5 stages of technology adoption - Innovators, Early Adoptors, Early Majority, Late Majority and Laggards 
2. Marketing must refocus away from selling products towards creating relationships
3. Marketing’s first deliverable should be partnerships 
4. Watch out for the FUD (Fear Uncertainty Doubt) that can plague decision makers when confronted with unfamiliar products or services 

Improving your story telling by Doug Lipman

Improving your story telling by Doug Lipman teaches you techniques that you can follow to tell powerful stories.

Key takeaways from the book are:

1. Many storytellers are less effective than they could be, simply because they try to apply written-language concepts to the oral language of story telling.
2. In a book, the reader who forgets whether the story began in a specified year can at worst, turn to the opening page to reread them. A story listener, however has no way to “rewind” except in her memory
3. No two story tellers will tell the same story identically. No two audience members will hear the story in the same way.
4. Different ways of creating vivid imagery are - visual, auditory, kinesthetic (touch), verbal and smell. 
5. The listener has no second chance to hear what was said previously. The oral story teller must rewind the listeners wherever the term or character is mentioned. 

The Millionaire Mind

"The harder you work, the luckier you become" - This has been the mantra of many millionaires surveyed by Thomas Stanley. The author has harped on millionaires' lifestyle, their habits, their attitude and some of their secrets for success. Of course, he corroborates them. I was surprised to know that millionaires were not created by trading stocks or playing lotto :) The content overall could have been condensed. Anyways, it was not very boring. I'm now more tempted to read "The Millionaire Next Door". I would recommend this book to people who wants to know some secrets behind millionaires' success.

Key takeaways from the book are:

1. Big home owners (who are at big debt and who are experts in filling loan applications) are “income statement affluent”. Millionaires are “Balance Sheet Affluent”. They focus on accumulating wealth. They have little or no outstanding credit balances
2. Foundation stones for financial success are Integrity, Discipline, Social Skills, a Supportive Spouse and Hardwork (working harder than most people)
3. There is a strong correlation between one’s willingness to take financial risks and one’s level of wealth. It is less about investing in the stock market and much more about investing in ourselves, our careers, our professional practices, our private businesses and so forth
4. Millionaires do not follow the crowd in what they sell and how they invest.
5. Majority of the millionaires exercise regularly

Author's website: http://www.thomasjstanley.com/