Photo By Jorge Garcia | This year, the West Point Negotiation Conference brought together 100 cadets from West...... read more read more
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How an Army officer articulates his or her intentions during strategic discourse to seek an equitable solution can mean the difference between a disastrous result in military strategy or a beneficial conclusion that supports the Army and its allies.
Because of this, every year, during the annual West Point Negotiation Conference (WPNC), cadets develop their critical-thinking skills, strategic acumen and psychological savvy to prepare for potential hard-hitting negotiations in future worldwide military operations they will one day lead.
This year, the WPNC brought together 100 cadets from West Point, the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Reserve Officer Training Corps, and the Royal Military College of Canada, to partake in building and refining negotiation skills from April 12-14 at the U.S. Military Academy.
“Like any good Army operation, we took after-action review comments from last year and tried to make incremental improvements,” said Maj. Travis Cyphers, the West Point Negotiation Project director. “We expanded our invitation list to include more schools than last year, including the USCGA and our Canadian partners at the RMC. The ROTC, USAFA, USCGA and RMC cadets were offered the opportunity to come earlier than last year and received a tour, in addition to some structured events solely for our guests.”
During the event, Cyphers trained the cadets using lesson plans developed by the Harvard Program on Negotiation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Crisis Negotiation Unit, among other methods.
In addition, he discussed negotiation principles and the preparation needed to articulate a proposition whether it is an officer discussing a mission plan with a four-star general or seeking a peaceful conclusion during a hostage negotiation with a hostile.
Many of the techniques he taught were also applicable to dealing with family members and friends.
The event also took a deep dive into military and business negotiation tactics, showing cadets how both perspective forms of consultation can overlap to create an optimal solution between the parties involved.
“One of the most illuminating moments during the conference was when Maj. Cyphers differentiated between interests and options,” said Class of 2023 Cadet Sydney Frascht. “Options are what we want, interests are why we want them. I feel so often in life we are so set on what we want, we miss out on other gains and opportunities that could have been created if we had disclosed the interest behind our request.”
Other service academy officers provided expert knowledge to cadets, like Lt. Col. Taren Wellman, who attended the event as the leadership and talent acquisition program officer for USAFA and was thrilled to share and correspond knowledge with her contemporaries.
“It’s all about idea sharing. This is an opportunity for us to see how different kinds of cultures and different service branches approach the same problem,” Wellman said. “What I find refreshing about the conference is that there’s a lot in common with how we all think. But, there’s still that margin of excellence where you can pull info from others that you may not know about and share that information and those ideas so that we can amplify and make how we teach this subject more effective. That synergy can really help create a force multiplier for (military) strategic thinking.”
The event also featured sage advice from industry moguls Mr. Jonathan Hughes of Vantage Partners, Mrs. Indra Nooyi, Former President and CEO of PepsiCo, and Mr. Derek Falvey, President of Baseball Operations for the Minnesota Twins.
“Each speaker came from a very different background yet were able to highlight many of the same teaching points and lessons learned despite the variety of their industries,” Cyphers said. “The opportunity for cadets to hear from such industry leaders was invaluable.”
Falvey stated, during his presentation, that preparation, more so than any other aspect of their business, is most critical in preparing for success and that stress testing how a negotiation might go is one way to refine one’s ability to make the right choices.
“It’s about taking your team and creating a culture where people are comfortable giving you critical feedback. I stress-test the idea of me negotiating with the agent. So, if I were sitting across Thad Levine, my general manager, and a couple of our assistant GMs, I would start the dialogue with them,” Falvey said. “I want them to play the other side, even if they agree with me. I want them to take the side of the agent, and we’ll do that regularly.”
Falvey added that, historically, most negotiations have been over the phone or in person in some cases, but now there has been a shift into various mediums for negotiating.
“It’s done through text messaging, it’s over email, it’s sharing jokes back and forth during a text message and then having an offer go. So, learning how to strategize for each of those types of negotiations are what it means when you shift from text message to a phone call,” Falvey said. “Is (the phone call) a signal that you’re further into negotiations or that you’re more committed to the deal? What are they going to interpret on the other side? These are all the types of things that we prepare for in a negotiation in my world.”
During Nooyi’s tenure as the lead negotiator turned CEO of PepsiCo, she experienced a plethora of critical moments in her career that she synthesized into tried-and-true philosophies establishing her presence as a master strategist.
During her presentation, she provided real-life examples from her experience at PepsiCo and compared negotiating to a game of chess, advising cadets to plan their moves effectively and calculate potential outcomes. Subsequently, she discussed the importance of cordiality and respect during a negotiation.
“Honor in negotiations is very important, especially if the group you’re dealing with claims they want to partner with you,” Nooyi said. “You must have respect for the other party during the negotiations, but you cannot let the leader of the group bully you because if (he or she) bullies you today, you will be bullied tomorrow.”
Nooyi also addressed avoiding traps that appear advantageous.
“The problem occurs when the offer can sometimes look so good you somehow want to prove that you’re a hero because you got the deal done, but if you got it done for a price that didn’t make sense, you are not a hero,” Nooyi explained.
During the questions and answers segment, Cyphers was impressed by the quality of questions cadets asked Nooyi and Falvey.
“The cadets took lessons, tactics and strategies we discussed on Thursday during the lectures and simulations and applied them well when asking their questions,” Cyphers said. “The quick application of knowledge by the cohort attending was very impressive.”
Nooyi also expressed her delight in answering the cadets’ questions and was pleased with their keen enthusiasm.
“Remember that there is an art and science to negotiation. When it comes to business negotiations, it’s 10% emotions, 90% hard facts and hard data. The only time you should put 90% emotion into a negotiation is when you’re dealing with your spouse or kids,” Nooyi said. “When it comes to business, you must think of negotiations absolutely in objective terms. If you don’t apply this logic and get seduced by the sexiness of the deal, believe me, there will be a crisis and you will regret it after the fact.”
The techniques, strategies and tactics learned resonated with cadets as they reflected on the experience.
Hailing from USAFA, Class of 2024 Cadet Anu Alama felt the conference was a wealth of knowledge, helping her understand the skills she needs to develop to be an efficient Air Force officer when she commissions next year.
“One of USAFA’s primary missions is to develop leaders of character who commission into the Air Force. As an officer, whether you’re a second lieutenant or a general, you need to have the skill sets to negotiate,” Alama said. “Coming to this project really taught me what my strengths and weaknesses are. It showed me what I can improve on but mostly how I can apply this to my profession as an officer, and with these tools, I’ll be able to negotiate terms for my Airmen who look up to me as a leader.”
The impactful roles that empathy, preparation and creativity play in negotiations and leadership were one of the most important takeaways for Class of 2023 Cadet Elias Brown.
“In an increasingly complex world, a foundation of discipline and compassion are needed to effectively engage with fellow leaders to build an environment of camaraderie that coincides creativity and intellectual curiosity with the critical characteristics of problem-solving,” Brown said. “As future leaders, we must think outside the box while tackling complex issues. For me, the knowledge and development of these negotiation strategies are invaluable because they better equip me to lead America’s Soldiers and be an instrumental component to our Army’s success.”
As the cadets brace themselves for a perplexing future as commissioned officers, the tools they gained in this year’s WPNC will improve their self and situational awareness, their ability to negotiate, and it will guide their decision-making capabilities during critical military operations proving that the pen, during the most critical of moments, can be mightier than the sword.
“I hope cadets leave with an understanding that negotiation is not a concept that solely belongs to corporate executives or government leaders. Leaders negotiate every time they need to get something from someone else and don’t have the authority nor desire to force or coerce that person,” Cyphers concluded. “Their ability to effectively communicate and influence will be a major impact on their organizations and subordinates. I hope after these few days that we have given them some skills and knowledge to be better leaders.”
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2023 12:46 |
| Story ID: | 443092 |
| Location: | WEST POINT, NY, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 212 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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