Big idea #2 – What motivates us? From The Complete Negotiator, Gerard I. Nierenberg

When you think of motivation in commercial negotiations, most of us think first of money or some kind of monetary reward, but in a complex world made up of humans, there are multiple variables and influences that motivate us, ranging from our culture & childhood background to personality and self-realization, in his book the complete negotiator, Gerard I. Nierenberg, presents Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, to try and explain the core motivators behind negotiators.

Let’s take a look at the 7 needs described by Maslow:

1. Physiological needs (food, water, rest, and other basic needs)

2. Safety and security needs (Protection from potential dangers)

3. Love and belonging needs (Receiving and getting love, being accepted and part of a social group)

4. Esteem needs (Receiving the respect of others, recognition of success)

5. Cognitive needs (knowledge, understanding, need for meaning)

6. Aesthetic needs (Balance, order, beauty in art or nature)

7. Self-actualization needs (Realizing your full potential “becoming everything one is capable of becoming”)

Looking at the 7 needs, we can attribute in negotiations money to “safety and security needs”, but that in itself by Maslow is only one piece of the human motivation puzzle, Nierenberg goes on to emphasize 2 main needs that are most prevalent in a negotiation, “Esteem needs” and “Self-actualization needs”, “Esteem” is attributed to the need of the negotiator to be recognized for his success by his peers and managers, the importance of being “successful” is key in fulfilling the Ego’s need, and “Self-actualization” in realizing your own potential, closing the gap between who you are and who you strive to become, i.e. exiting the negotiation better off then you entered.

We need to keep in mind that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, only provides a partial answer to the complexity of what drives negotiations, but if we keep an open mind and don’t only focus on “demands and requirements” and dig deeper into the needs and motivators of the other side, we will be able to find potential solutions and options to bring to the negotiation table, that will increase the potential for a successful outcome for both parties, but in particular for you!