Yippee for small victories! My husband has finally agreed to get rid of his sofa that smells like feet. Let me tell you, getting him to the table to even think about getting rid of that eyesore took plenty of negotiating. His biggest argument was, "I've just gotten it broken in." We started with small concessions. I agreed to get rid of a few pieces of abstract prints, and he agreed to get rid of his eight track tape deck. The next step was to get him to start thinking about the change. The best way I thought of to do that was by asking him to help me find just the right area rug for the den. Once we got to the furniture store, we discussed the pros and cons of the different furniture groupings that were arranged on top of the area rugs. Moving Keith from talking about a new sofa to purchasing it took a bit more leverage. I had to bring out my biggest negotiating piece...my favorite red leather outfit from the early 80's. That outfit reminded me of my party days. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Once I agreed to give that away, he agreed to give the couch away to a charity.
Negotiations take time. First, you have to know what it is your colleagues are getting out of being entranched in an idea. With my husband, it was obvious. He kept repeating the same statements over and over that he thought his sofa was comfortable and safe. Are your colleagues repeating the same statements to you at your meetings? What is it about the change that is setting them off? Next, your team needs for you to be able to bring them into your thought processes. They need to be able to discuss the pros and cons once they have a clear picture of where you want them to go. And remember to save your biggest negotiating tools for last.