Page 134 - Stephen R. Covey - The 7 Habits of Highly Eff People.pdf

supplier to your company, for example, and I win on my terms in a particular
negotiation, I may get what I want now. But will you come to me again? My short-term
win will really be a long-term lose if I don't get your repeat business. So an
interdependent win-lose is really lose-lose in the long run.

If we come up with a lose-win, you may appear to get what you want for the moment.
But how will that affect my attitude about working with you, about fulfilling the
contract? I may not feel as anxious to please you. I may carry battle scars with me into
any future negotiations. My attitude about you and your company may be spread as I
associate with others in the industry. So we're into lose-lose again. Lose-lose obviously
isn't viable in any context. And if I focus on my own win and don't even consider your
point of view, there's no basis for any kind of productive relationship.

In the long run, if it isn't a win for both of us, we both lose. That's why win-win is the
only real alternative in interdependent realities.

I worked with a client once, the president of a large chain of retail stores, who said,
"Stephen, this win-win idea sounds good, but it is so idealistic. The tough, realistic
business world isn't like that. There's win-lose everywhere, and if you're not out there
playing the game, you just can't make it."

"All right," I said, "try going for win-lose with your customers. Is that realistic?"

"Well, no," he replied.

"Why not?"

"I'd lose my customers."

"Then, go for lose-win -- give the store away. Is that realistic?"

"No. No margin, no mission."

As we considered the various alternatives, win-win appeared to be the only truly realistic
approach.

"I guess that's true with customers," he admitted, "but not with suppliers."

"You are the customer of the supplier," I said. "Why doesn't the same principle apply?"

"Well, we recently renegotiated our lease agreements with the mall operators and
owners," he said.

"We went in with a win-win attitude. We were open, reasonable, conciliatory. But they
saw that position as being soft and weak, and they took us to the cleaners."

"Well, why did you go for lose-win?" I asked.

"We didn't. We went for win-win."

"I thought you said they took you to the cleaners."

"They did."

133