People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

PPP 444 | Negotiating Secrets for Project Managers, with Rick Czaplewski

Jan 18, 2025

Rick Czaplewski, a seasoned project management expert and founder of No One Walks Alone, dives into the critical need for negotiation skills in project management. He shares personal insights from his journey as a cancer survivor, emphasizing resilience and emotional strength. The discussion covers strategies for managing difficult stakeholders and the art of delivering tough news effectively. Rick also explores ways to teach negotiation skills to kids, highlighting the value of practice in low-stakes situations. A must-listen for those looking to enhance their negotiation game!

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ADVICE

Negotiation: A Critical PM Skill

Project managers must improve negotiation skills because projects involve constant trade-offs.
Balancing relationships, resources, scope, schedule, and budget requires negotiation to avoid overspending or delays.

INSIGHT

Early Decisions Impact Negotiations

Early project decisions can unknowingly set up negotiations for failure.
Build strong relationships with stakeholders from the start to prevent future conflicts and leverage-seeking.

ADVICE

Managing Difficult Stakeholders

Control your emotions when dealing with difficult stakeholders, especially angry ones.
Listen and summarize their points to uncover leverage; address smaller issues promptly to prevent escalation.

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Summary

In this episode, Andy interviews Rick Czaplewski, who discusses the intersection of project management and negotiation. They explore the importance of negotiation skills for project managers, the significance of building strong relationships with stakeholders, and strategies for dealing with difficult stakeholders. Rick shares personal experiences, including lessons learned from being a cancer survivor, and emphasizes the importance of taking action when delivering bad news. The conversation concludes with advice on teaching negotiation skills to the next generation.

Want to improve your ability to negotiate more confidently? This episode is for you!

Sound Bites

"Project management is a verb. It's an action sport. We're on offense. We have the ball."
"You want to put out fires as a project manager when they're small campfires before they're raging infernos."
"If you're in control of yourself, you're in control of the situation."
"It's okay if you hear the word no."
"Take that feeling of 'I’m not willing to walk away with a loss' and hang in there."
"Negotiation isn’t just a skill; it’s a mindset that transforms projects."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:18 Start Of Interview
01:40 Rick's Career Journey
03:25 Why Negotiating Skills Are Critical for Project Managers
05:30 How We Can Accidentally Set Up Negotiations to Fail
08:05 How To Deal With Difficult Stakeholders
12:50 Common Mistakes Delivering Bad News
17:05 What If Someone Thinks They're Not a Good Negotiator?
20:20 How Has Surviving Cancer Shaped Your Perspective?
23:00 How Can Parents Help Their Kids Become Better Negotiators?
26:46 End Of Interview
27:05 Andy Comments After The Interview
30:13 Outtakes

Learn More

You can learn more about Rick and his work at NoOneWalksAlone.com. Also, please leave us feedback about this episode at Talk.ac/rickc?code=PEOPLE.

For more learning on this topic, check out:

Episode 412 with hostage negotiator Scott Walker.
Episode 365 with Christie Hunter Arscott about her book for women.
Episode 258 with Kari Mirabal about You Already Have the No.
Episode 148 with Daniel Shapiro, founder of the Harvard International Program on Negotiation.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Topics: Negotiation, Project Management, Stakeholder Management, Communication Skills, Leadership, Cancer Survivor, Relationship Building, Delivering Bad News, Negotiation Skills, Personal Growth

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Summer Morning Full Version by MusicLFiles License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Chillhouse by Frank Schroeter License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license