Negotiating is no game. It is not for the weak or the fragile. It takes assertiveness and someone who feels comfortable in the mano-a-mano world of business. Can women negotiate the deal as well as their male counterparts? Absolutely! In some cases, they may even do a better job. Women have a definite edge at the negotiating table because of their instincts and natural power of persuasion.

Women usually look for a win/win in negotiations. In Getting to Yes, the classic book on negotiation by the Harvard Negotiation Project, it was reported that the win/win strategy work best in negotiations. In order to avoid future resentments, all parties should come away feeling good about the resolution of a problem.

Traditionally, it is thought that whoever is on the other side in negotiations is the adversary. However, women tend to want to develop a relationship with the other person and take into account the needs and difficulties of both sides. Women also tend to collaborate and help one another if problems arise.

What traditional businesses have missed for far to long is the understanding that personal relationships, not the contract, profit margin, or delivery date is what give one the competitive edge. Historically, women have been seen as poor negotiators because they are influenced by the other partys situation. But if the truth were told women will more often than not work with their adversaries to reach a solution that is good for everyone involved.

Negotiating is a critical skill for all women aspiring to succeed in the business world. For those women who feel they are not good negotiators, they simply need to remember their natural talent of persuasion. Keep in mind even good negotiators will sometimes make mistakes. The key to avoiding these mistakes are: (1) attack the problem and not your adversary; (2) try to come up with several options; (3) never treat negotiations as a contest; (4) never threaten and (5) never give in to something that is contrary to what you believe is ethical.

The playing field for women in this arena has never been level. But women who have empowered themselves with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to negotiate at top levels have chosen a path that ultimately challenge the entrenched structures which have always hampered them. Women from childhood have been conditioned to be excellent negotiators. So ladies, do not be afraid to step up to table and negotiate with the big boys. Master the art of negotiating, use it with confidence, and the only limits to what you can achieve will be those placed upon yourself.

Madeline Lewis

Madeline Ann Lewis is President/CEO of the Deline Institute for Professional Development. She conducts workshops and seminars that have been presented throughout the United States and abroad. Ms. Lewis has been certified by The Professional Woman Network as a Diversity Trainer with special emphasis in Women?s Issues. The workshops and seminars conducted by the institute consist of: Women in Management; The Superwoman Syndrome; Leadership Skills for Women, and the Assertive Woman.

Ms. Lewis is a Sergeant Major in the United States Army Reserve (20 years service) and the Commandant of a Training Detachment located at Ft. Belvoir, VA. Ms Lewis is a Senior Intelligence Analyst with the Federal government (18 years) and an Adjunct Professor with National-Louis University. She received a Governor?s Citation from former Maryland Governor William Shaffer for service during Desert Storm; the Attorney General?s Employee Volunteer Service Award in (1995, 1998 and 2000). She is listed as an accomplished individual in the Manchester Who?s Who for Executives and Professionals; a member of the National Association of Female Executives; Federally Employed Women; the African American Association of Female Executives; the Professional Woman Network and Professional Woman Speakers Bureau.

PUBLICATIONS: Making the Deal: Women as Negotiators, Inland Empire Business Journal, September 2005) Playing from the Blue Tees: Women in the Federal Government , For You Magazine Winter Issue, 2005).

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES: She has appeared in the National Association of Female Executives Magazines Success Issue (Fall, 2005), Theme: Military Moxie Radio One (Channel-1010 AM), Theme: I Am Not Your Superwoman (Jan. 13, 2005)