In this episode, Andy interviews Rick Czaplewski, who discusses the intersection of project management and negotiation. They explore the importance of negotiation skills for project managers, the significance of building strong relationships with stakeholders, and strategies for dealing with difficult stakeholders. Rick shares personal experiences, including lessons learned from being a cancer survivor, and emphasizes the importance of taking action when delivering bad news. The conversation concludes with advice on teaching negotiation skills to the next generation.

Want to improve your ability to negotiate more confidently? This episode is for you!

Sound Bites

  • “Project management is a verb. It’s an action sport. We’re on offense. We have the ball.”
  • “You want to put out fires as a project manager when they’re small campfires before they’re raging infernos.”
  • “If you’re in control of yourself, you’re in control of the situation.”
  • “It’s okay if you hear the word no.”
  • “Take that feeling of ‘I’m not willing to walk away with a loss’ and hang in there.”
  • “Negotiation isn’t just a skill; it’s a mindset that transforms projects.”

Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:18 Start Of Interview
  • 01:40 Rick’s Career Journey
  • 03:25 Why Negotiating Skills Are Critical for Project Managers
  • 05:30 How We Can Accidentally Set Up Negotiations to Fail
  • 08:05 How To Deal With Difficult Stakeholders
  • 12:50 Common Mistakes Delivering Bad News
  • 17:05 What If Someone Thinks They’re Not a Good Negotiator?
  • 20:20 How Has Surviving Cancer Shaped Your Perspective?
  • 23:00 How Can Parents Help Their Kids Become Better Negotiators?
  • 26:46 End Of Interview
  • 27:05 Andy Comments After The Interview
  • 30:13 Outtakes

Learn More

You can learn more about Rick and his work at NoOneWalksAlone.com. Also, please leave us feedback about this episode at Talk.ac/rickc?code=PEOPLE.

For more learning on this topic, check out:

  • Episode 412 with hostage negotiator Scott Walker.
  • Episode 365 with Christie Hunter Arscott about her book for women.
  • Episode 258 with Kari Mirabal about You Already Have the No.
  • Episode 148 with Daniel Shapiro, founder of the Harvard International Program on Negotiation.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Topics: Negotiation, Project Management, Stakeholder Management, Communication Skills, Leadership, Cancer Survivor, Relationship Building, Delivering Bad News, Negotiation Skills, Personal Growth

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Summer Morning Full Version by MusicLFiles
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Chillhouse by Frank Schroeter
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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