Win_Win

D’ Undefeated “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence”- Confucius According to Seven habits of highly effective people, Win-Win isn't about being nice, nor is it a quick-fix technique. It is a character-based code for human interaction and collaboration. Most of us learn to base our self-worth on comparisons and competition. We think about succeeding in terms of someone else failing that is, if I win, you lose; or if you win, I lose. Life becomes a zero-sum game. There is only so much pie to go around, and if you get a big piece, there is less for me. These things are not fair. Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-win means agreements or solutions that are mutually beneficial and satisfying. One example is my personal experience with my friends at Starbucks last Sunday. I bought Venti Zebra Mocha which I usually bought but that time the taste wasn’t good. I told my friends about it on a low tone voice. I got really disappointed because I considered myself as their loyal customer. But still I’m trying to drink it because I don’t want my money get wasted then suddenly the barista approached me and asked if I would like to change my beverage on whatever I like, for free. I got shy because they noticed my reaction but I accepted their offer. When the barista serve my drink she hand me a service recovery coupon. It’s a free beverage on my next visit. I didn’t expect these things from them because on some other store, the crew will pretend that there’s nothing wrong with the food they serve. In this case, we both win because on behalf of the barista she saved a customer. And on my part, I won because I still enjoyed my drinks with my friends. Another example is a win-lose situation, my cousin and I visit a spa. We paid for a 40 minutes massage. As soon as the staff started massaging us, I decided to set my timer and then after a few minutes, one of the staff told us that it’s already finished. I was shocked because it was only a few minutes since she’s started so I look up on the timer I set and showed it to the staff. And I told her, “it’s only 20 minutes and you’re telling me it’s already finished, how is that possible'” I was pissed off because she doesn’t even bother telling us that she’s sorry but instead her faced are all crumpled. When the massage is finished, I asked her to call their manager. I told the manager about what happen and then she said that she was really sorry on behalf of their employee. She promise to talk to that staff and then she gave us a 10% refund of what we paid for and a PHP500.00 Gift Certificate. In this case, I won against the unethical employee. “The price of success is hardwork, dedication to the job at hand, and determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” – Vince Lombardi The aim of win-win negotiation is to find a solution that is acceptable to both parties, and leaves both parties feeling that they've won, in some way, after the event. Success depends upon cooperation with other people. However, Win-lose situations result when only one side perceives the outcome as positive. Thus, win-lose outcomes are less likely to be accepted voluntarily. Many people think in terms of, either you're nice or you're tough. Win-win requires that you be both. It is a balancing act between courage and consideration. To go for win-win, you not only have to be empathic, but you also have to be confident. You not only have to be considerate and sensitive, you also have to be brave. To do that, you have to achieve that balance between courage and consideration. And that is the essence of real maturity and is fundamental to win-win.