What do you do if your boss disagrees with your negotiation strategy?

Ask yourself, how did I let it get to this point in the first place? One element to this could be that you've misunderstood or misinterpreted what your boss sees as the acceptable and familiar way for building the strategy. A boss can/should be a significant ally in the execution of the strategy. Knowing how they lead/make decisions factors in to how you engage with them to get the strategy agreed upon. Leaders default to one of 4 styles: Command & Control Consultative Maternal/Paternal Collaborative How you create the strategy needs to be influenced by their preference. This will give you a better chance of reaching sustained agreement.

Ask if they would be willing to share their rationale and if there is interest in seeing if a path forward exists where the final negotiation strategy is perhaps a bit different than the one they had in mind and the one you presented (i.e., is there opportunity to collaborate?). You may also want to suggest getting an outside unbiased opinion and recommendation as well. Especially if the negotiation ahead is tied to something with large dollars attached to it, many senior level eyes on it and significant implications.

In my experience, I would say, seek to understand their perspective or concerns , communicate your rationale for the strategy clearly, be open to feedback and criticism , and work together to find a compromise that aligns with both your strategy and their concerns. This openness will improve or fosters understanding and ensures that you both work towards a common goal of the company.

Offering alternatives isn’t about giving up on what you want; it’s about showing you’re flexible and open to compromise. This approach demonstrates your willingness to work together and find a solution that considers both your goals and your boss’s concerns. Being prepared with these options ahead of time means you can confidently explain how they could work. It's a powerful move that not only keeps the negotiation going but also highlights your problem-solving and collaborative spirit.

Start by identifying things you both see eye-to-eye on within your negotiation. These agreed points serve as your foundation. From there, you can tackle differences with a sense of teamwork, not opposition. This method cultivates a partnership vibe, making it more likely to devise a plan that you and your boss are both happy with. The end game? To stand together, presenting a solid, united stance in the negotiation itself.

Speaking as both a boss, and someone who had bosses that disagreed with them... It's a boss's prerogative. Sometimes they're right, sometimes not, and sometimes there's multiple ways to accomplish a good negotiation. Consider "risk." If you do it their way and there's a failure, it's partly on them, but if you do it your way it's 100% on you... So have a good plan AND deliver results. That's when trust is built and promotions follow!!!

Si tu estrategia de negociación es buena, sabrás convencerle. Si no eres capaz de hacerlo, a lo mejor él está en lo cierto.

People are often unaware that the internal negotiation to align on objectives, strategy, approach, roles and escalations are as much a part of building a negotiation strategy as the external approach. From experience I would also say that most people don’t plan an entire strategy but instead they plan a step. The step-by-step approach is a terrible strategy as both side are often on the back foot reacting to events as they happen. This method also increases the chances of internal friction as you are trying to plot a way forward under a time pressure with perhaps limited options. If you and your boss are really stuck, you can always bring in an outside expert. An independent 3rd party has the luxury of sitting outside company politics.