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After three years based in England, Kwame Mainu was looking forward to returning to Ghana and settling with his wife, Comfort, in her house in Nhyiasu, the old colonial quarter of Kumasi. While working on a programme linking Kumasi University with Warwick University in England, Kwame had been forced to become involved in helping to prevent a Kumasi-based drugs cartel recruiting couriers from Ghanaian academics visiting Warwick. International collaboration in fighting the drugs trade had been thwarted by the Rawlings government’s apparent involvement. However, with the approach of the new millennium, and the completion of his two terms as president, there were good prospects of J J Rawlings standing down and a democratic election bringing to power the party once led by Kwame’s father’s hero Kofi Busia.

The new millennium offered hope of a new start in national governance which could include a radical change in attitude towards drugs trading. Kwame expected that a reformed administration would present an opportunity for negotiating an international treaty between Ghana and the UK in line with Leon’s ideas. While he supported such a move in principle, Kwame had no interest in any direct involvement and had made it clear to Leon that his aim was total retirement from the service. He had no intention of remaining a sleeping agent, or serving in any other reserve capacity. Kwame realised that he had many blessings to count and his outlook appeared rosier than at any time in the past. Wherever his mind turned he could discern only one dark menace: Peter Sarpong.

After Peter Sarpong’s early release from prison in the UK and repatriation to Ghana, Kwame had hoped that finding no compatriots left in the Kumasi cartel, Peter would settle for a quiet life in retirement, as Bra Yaw and Kofi Boateng had done. He had hoped that like Kofi Adjare, Peter would have no interest in working with the camel herders, Adjare’s name for the Lebanese directors of the Hanabis company. However, much to Kwame’s horror, Peter seemed intent on reviving the old cartel and rebuilding the Ghanaian involvement in the courier and distributive functions. He showed no aversion to continuing to work with the Hanabis directors. Even more sinister was Peter’s lust for revenge as visited upon Akos Mary for her involvement in his conviction and imprisonment. By this action Peter had shown himself to be a real and present danger.

Kwame suspected that he and his family might be in danger of violent retribution if Peter ever became aware of Kwame’s own involvement in his detection and arrest, or the imprisonment of his Uncle George, which led to Uncle George’s death in Nsawam Prison. While Kwame’s future prospects of a comfortable and fulfilling life in Ghana looked secure in almost every way, he knew that his mind could never be fully at rest as long as Peter Sarpong remained at liberty.

Positioning in a #negotiation impacts a #negotiator‘s ability to #negotiate before the negotiation begins. Because the way you position yourself determines how the other negotiator will perceive you. And it’ll regulate your interactions. Thus, to be a better negotiator, you must #control any risky #positioning that might impact a negotiation.

Everyone considers what they might encounter before they engage in an activity – that’s especially true in negotiations. And it’s better you shape their perception before they do. Doing so delivers the image you wish them to have of you compared to the haphazard perspective they might create.

The following are examples to control your positioning before a negotiation occurs.

Hanging with Influencers:

You’re perceived as an influencer when you surround yourself with those that influence others – that allows you to become better positioned. To advantage your position, consider becoming seen with the influencers that’ll have the greatest impact on those that you wish to influence. That will improve your positioning based on how others perceive you.

Controlling Your Message:

People will attempt to control your message. And they may hijack its intent to serve a purpose that’s better aligned with their goals, not yours. To oppose their efforts…

• Control others that attempt to control your message. Don’t let them brand you or your message if it doesn’t support your positioning – confront them when they oppose you.
• Beware of ear-jackers – Ear-jackers are people that will eavesdrop on your conversations when they’re in your environment. Most likely, they’ll appear to be engaged in other activities. They may be seeking salacious information that they can twist to demean you or enhance their positioning (e.g. I heard him say ‘XYZ’. I knew there was another side to him that he doesn’t want the public to see.)
• Observe what happens in slow motion. Because we’re bombarded with activities, sometimes we miss what’s before us – most occurrences happen over an extended period-of-time. Take note of the changes that occur around you daily. It’s the short-term changes that could become long-term detriments to your positioning that you should be aware of.
• Be innovative – When you’re seen as an innovator, you’re viewed as someone that’s leading others to their future. If they perceive that as a benefit, they’ll follow you more readily. And when you’re at the negotiation table, they’ll be more willing to accept your offerings.
• Control the flow of your messages. Always consider the impact one message will have on another when you send it into the realm of public opinion. If you initiate messages that are less important too frequently, messages that might have a greater impact on your positioning will be less potent – and the more important messages may miss your intended audience altogether.

Use Appropriate Words:

Words control emotions. And emotions control perceptions. To control your positioning better, control the words that control your message. As an example, depending on the situation, it may be beneficial to use the word squabble versus fight (e.g. we had a squabble) – that’s less impactful than, we had a fight. The exchange of those two words alters the perception of the situation.

Perception is Reality:

When it comes to controlling your positioning, perception is reality. Your integrity intentions can be in alignment with your actions and if someone taints it with their ill-will, you could become seen as someone with less integrity. That’ll impact the way the other negotiator interacts with you. That could be to the detriment of both of you and the negotiation.

Being a better negotiator starts first with how you’re positioned. It shapes the way you’re perceived at the negotiation table. It determines how the other negotiator will strategize to negotiate against you. And it will have an impact on how effective your negotiation efforts will be. To negotiate better, always pay careful attention to your messages and how they position you. Because, the better you position yourself per how you wish to be perceived, the easier the negotiation will be… and everything will be right with the world.