Power Play: Give in at just the right moment

It’s hard to know when to give in, or more accurately, knowing when you’ve pushed things far enough and it’s time to compromise.

The craftiest Power Players give in just after they’ve pushed right up to the point of sending someone off the cliff.

I once sat in a room and watched a great Power Player push someone on a contract negotiation to the point that the other guy was ready to walk away from the agreement. Just when the other guy got that look in his eye suggesting he would rather walk than do the deal, the Power Player agreed to one of the deal-breaking conditions, thereby getting the guy to agree to something he would never have conceded otherwise.

It was a brilliant negotiating tactic and I’ve remember it ever since. Learn to give in at just the right moment and you’ll get much more than you ever thought possible.

Pushing hard isn’t a vice: it’s knowing when to stop pushing and start giving in.