Aligning objectives and agreeing a mutually satisfactory action plan – a case study
Some time ago in pre-COVID times, I was having a quick end of the week drink with a group of friends when the conversation turned to domestic negotiations around football matches.
My mate, a keen Chelsea fan, wanted to attend an important football match in Germany. He explained it was with some trepidation that he raised this subject with his wife knowing that his idea would take him away from home for a couple of days, involve some expense and some time to recover from the associated alcohol consumption.
When he tentatively mentioned the subject she sighed, paused, thought for a moment, and pointed to the fact that as a keen wildlife watcher and photographer her binoculars could do with updating. The implication was clear, if their savings could fund a trip to Munich, they could also fund a new pair of state-of-the-art Swarovski binoculars.
The end result; my friend watched Chelsea win the Champions League and his wife sported a new pair of binoculars. Everyone was happy.
They had a difficult conversation, aligned their objectives and worked collaboratively to achieve a mutually satisfactory action plan.
Having difficult conversations in a constructive way can build trust and confidence
In my day to day role of providing cost assurance I regularly come across issues which are difficult and are likely to affect adversely either contractor’s margins or client’s costs.
The approach and attitude which the parties take in response to my findings can provide a real insight into their commitment to a collaborative approach.
If they become difficult or create arguments to justify and protect their position, they may be paying only lip service to working collaboratively.
If, however they acknowledge any uncertainty and commit to working with the other party to achieve common understanding they are demonstrating a more collaborative approach.
I recommend that the way in which parties work together to demonstrate costs, check costs and certify payments can be used as a useful indicator to assess whether their objectives are aligned and the strength of their commitment to a collaborative approach. This is particularly the case where difficult issues arise.
