Rodney Johnson - Without Warning

I’ve always been a proponent that you learn as much from your successes as you do from your failures. With what is going on over in Wisconsin relative to collective bargaining and union busting initiatives, there seems to be a lot to learn. From my perspective, it’s a test case of “How Not to Negotiate.” Here are six take-aways that are being shown on daily basis.

1. Never  underestimate the power of the opposing party: Scott Walker had the numbers he needed to make it happen - it was a slam dunk. However, he either didn’t consider or he under-estimated the ability of Senate Democrats to defect, thereby preventing the formation of a quorem, which is needed to take a vote. Lesson: Always treat your opponent with respect, realizing they might also have a few cards up their sleeve that you didn’t think about.
2. Imposing punitive damages does not mend a fence: Governor Walker implemented a strategy that imposed numerous damages like a $100 fine for every day a senator misses. This was an attempt to force Democratic Senators back to the capitol. While this might work with children, its having the opposite effect in Wisconsin. Democrats are simply becoming more vigilant in their efforts to stop Walker from achieving his desired outcome. Lesson: Never parent your opponents with “You better or…” in an attempt to have them take action.
3. Win-Lose strategies are always high stake games: From the beginning, Walker and the Republican party has taken a Win-Lose strategy in this debate. The Democrats conceded early on some key initiatives, the Republicans have conceded on virtually nothing. This only furthers the divide that will persist in the State for years to come. Lesson: All negotiations should pursue a win-win outcome if at all possible.
4. Bullies should stay at home: In State politics there is a lot of huffing and puffing or I’ll blow your house down tactics/rhetoric in play. While this makes for a good fairytale, it makes for terrible negotiations. Having a bully on the team is rarely useful and it tends to extend the negotiation process - and yes, Governor Walker is behaving like a Bully. Lesson: Bullies are rarely an asset in any negotiation process.
5. You’re always on stage - anything and everything can be used against you: If you’re heading into a negotiation, you must make all private and public comments/conversations as if they were being taped by CNN. Governor Walker recently got into trouble by stating what was on his mind to what he believed to be a major political supporter - David Koch. It wasn’t David and after the conversation was leaked to the media, Walker cried fowl. Lesson: In the world of technology and social media, every word and every conversation must be on point as if it were a CNN moment.
6. Avoid backing your opponent into a corner - they just might bite: There is an old Chinese Proverb that states, “Even a rabbit will bite if its cornered.” By backing unions into a corner, Governor Walker has inspired a national debate around a State issue. While this may be good for Walker’s political aspirations, it does not help solve the problem at hand. Instead, it simply intensified the debate and the divide. Lesson: Be careful, at times you might win the battle, yet lose the war if you go too far.

Governor Walker rode into the Governor’s Mansion with full complement of Republican Assemblymen and Senators. This was a dream come true - they had a full house and they knew it. And with a full house, most will put all of their chips to the center of the table with confidence. However in this instance, Walker has been unable to collect his winnings and go home. From my perspective, Governor Walker continues down a road of botched negotiation strategy and execution.

What are your thoughts?