Leverage: How to Get It And How to Keep It in Any Negotiation

By Roger J. Volkema

"What is the most important aspect of any negotiation? The very best negotiators know that the answer to that question is leverage: the perceived advantage that one party has over another. Since... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814473261
• ISBN13: 9780814473269
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Amacom Books
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.0" x 0.8" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 17 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Gain power and advantage in any situation

Roger Volkema's book about leverage provides an excellent overview of the many types of leverage involved in the bargaining process, with exercises and examples to illustrate the concepts and teach the reader how to master the art of negotiation. Of the many exercises and self-assessments that are included in the book, some are very elaborate, requiring substantial role-playing with one or more partners. The methodology and principles outlined in this book can easily be applied to any situation. By providing the reader with a broad scope of information regarding leverage and negotiation techniques, and exercises with which to develop proficiency in managing power and advantage, this book is a superb and insightful resource for professionals at all skill levels.

Strategic lesson: how to start with leverage and move anything

Leverage is a useful way of thinking about how to gain the advantage in a negotiation, but the concept is essentially a crystallization of what good negotiators have been doing for centuries. Author Roger Volkema does an especially fine job in two areas: useful examples and methodical explanation of your options. He classifies common power plays into types that you can identify, practice and counter. He provides examples of each type drawn from real experience and the popular media. The result is easy to read, understand and apply. The book would have been even stronger if he had added more that was new, if he had grappled more directly with situations where the parties lack leverage and if he had gone further on such matters as ethical negotiation. Yet, as noted, we praise his examples and strategies, and recommend this book to people who want to improve their negotiating skills.