August 2023 - 6

INDUSTRY NEWS
from americanhort to you
How Women in Horticulture Can
Find an Effective Negotiation Style
BY CINDY WHITT, MARKETING AND
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Women can become more effective negotiators by
recognizing the factors influencing their style. Deborah
Streeter, Ph.D., the Bruce F. Failing Sr. professor of
Personal Enterprise at Cornell University, recently
explored these internal and external factors in-depth
during a webinar for Women in Horticulture. Attendees
represented key sectors of the industry, including retail,
growers, distributors, educators and landscapers.
" In horticulture, there's a lot of problems to solve
because nature is involved, and people are involved. So,
you're probably good at problem-solving, but you don't
think about negotiation that way, " she said.
According to Streeter, oftentimes the biggest challenge
for women in negotiation is the double bind. For example,
a woman who projects kindness and warmth may not
be seen as a competent or decisive leader. Men are not
usually subjected to these unconscious gender biases.
Another internal factor that may impact negotiation
is what she called negotiation roots, or the idea that
women behave a certain way because of what they were
taught. Some people see negotiation as confrontational,
which tends to have a negative connotation. Women
need to identify what negotiation roots are holding us
back from communicating our goals.
One way for women to learn to negotiate is through
practice. Women who think they are not good at
negotiating need more experience. Men are taught
how to negotiate because they have a more extensive
network of mentors who show them how. She suggested
asking for support from peers to practice negotiation
as a skill.
" It's important to monitor your own self-talk. Don't
say. 'I'm bad at negotiation,' " she said. " Say (you're)
a beginner. If you haven't done a lot of it, then you're
just at the beginning point. In your job it took time and
experience to get good at things. And that's going to be
true of negotiation as well. "
Streeter also shared another internal factor to
consider is emotional intelligence (EQ), which is how
women manage their own emotions and the emotions
of others. Women are taught to use emotions to build
relationships, while men are conditioned to compete with
other people. But successful negotiations do not need to
be aggressive or harsh. EQ can help uncover strategies
to make it a win-win situation for everyone by being
aware of others' needs and aligning self-interests.
" You want to figure out what is the other person trying
to solve in their situation, " she said. " The other side will
say yes for their own reasons, not for your reasons. "
Understanding and improving your internal factors
can help you prepare, but being adaptable during a
negotiation is also key. She suggested staying focused
on the problem and proposing solutions rather than
someone's personality, which is an external factor we
cannot control. EQ can help you learn self-regulation
of emotions from external factors during heated
conversations.
In negotiation, understanding BATNA, or the best
alternative to a negotiated agreement, can help you be
prepared to accept a different deal, look for other ways
to agree or walk away if necessary.
Women are less likely to persist in tough negotiations
and may accept the first offer, but you can arm yourself
with tools to walk away feeling successful. Prepare to
state your case and desired outcome, remember to
consider the other person's perspective and decide what
measures are important for success.
The presentation was part of the AmericanHort
Women in Horticulture webinar series that aims to
educate, inspire and help women build their professional
network and skills. AmericanHort members can access
this program by Deborah Streeter in the online Hort
Knowledge Center. Learn more about upcoming Women
in Horticulture programs and access past interviews with
notable women in the green industry at AmericanHort.
org/WiH.
6
AUGUST 2023 GPNMAG.COM
http://www.GPNMAG.COM
August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2023
