Act Win-Win
Acting win-win is one of the most important habits of great Entrepreneurs.
A Win-Win Strategy: Amit Jatia
You will hardly see him at retail conferences or read about him in print. He works silently and prefers it that way. But meet him in person and you just cannot help yourself being in awe of the magnificent persona he carries. Amit Jatia is the man behind bringing McDonald’s to India and can leave you at loss of words when he gets talking. McDonald’s a truly global company established its first restaurant in 13th October 1996 at Basant lok, New Delhi. The major hurdle for McDonalds to establish itself in India was the culture barrier. Indians consider consuming beef and pork as taboo. Keeping in mind the cultural sensitivity in India, McDonald’s changed its complete menu. For example, in India, the menu has no beef dishes since it is not considered religiously correct to eat cow‘s meat: there is the very popular McAlooTikki, a potato-based patty in burger buns; the Big Mac is replaced by the Maharaja Mac, the Big Mac in chicken; there is also the paneer (cottage cheese) McVeggie burger. It was McDonald’s first experience to serve vegetarian Burgers rather than serving Beef and pork items. McDonald’s team in India did many years of extensive research in India before launching their product in the Indian market and they found many critical issues to look after. It has carefully kept the culture sensitivities in mind and today McDonalds is a huge success and a favorite food-joint among youth. The win-win strategy adopted by McDonald’s is worth emulating by entrepreneurs. The mantra of ‘Think Globally Act Locally’ has been at the heart of McDonald’s success in India.
The win-win approach is about changing the point of attention from adversarial attack and defence, to co-operation. It is a powerful shift of attitude that alters the whole course of communication. A win-win approach requires an entrepreneur to express his thoughts, feelings, beliefs and opinions in ways that are direct, honest and appropriate. It also means respecting the rights and needs of others. (I’M OK – YOU’RE OK)
What are the Benefits of a Win-Win Approach?
A win-win approach attempts to find a solution that meets the needs of both parties. In this case, the entrepreneur and the customer. Here the reference point is I win AND you win. Where both people win, both are tied to the solution. They feel committed to the solution because it actually suits them.
How can an Entrepreneur Develop a Win-Win Approach?
The entrepreneur should begin by discussing underlying needs, rather than only looking at solutions. Using a win-win approach can help two sets of needs to dovetail together.
Addressing customer’s underlying needs means that the entrepreneur builds solutions that acknowledge and value those needs, rather than denying them. Even where solutions cannot be “perfect”, the entrepreneur feels quite differently about the outcome.
He should ask questions like “Why does that seem to be the best solution to the customer?”, “What’s the customer’s real need here?”, “What interests need to be served in this situation?”, “What values are important to the customer here?”, “What’s the outcome or result the customer wants?”
This approach leads to opportunities for the entrepreneur to say what he needs and for the customer to say what they need too. It creates the foundation for co-operative problem-solving.
A win-win approach rests on strategies involving:
- Focusing on underlying needs rather than solutions
- Recognition of individual differences
- Openness to adapting your position resulting from shared information and attitudes
- Attacking the problem, not people.
When an entrepreneur thinks in terms of Lose & Win life becomes a zero-sum game. On the other hand, win-win sees business as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all business interactions. Win-win means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying.
An entrepreneur who approaches with a win-win attitude possesses three vital character traits:
- Integrity: sticking with true feelings, values, and commitments
- Maturity: expressing ideas and feelings with courage and consideration for the ideas and feelings of others
- Abundance Mentality: believing there is plenty for everyone
Many entrepreneur’s think in terms of either/or: either you’re nice or you’re tough. Win-win requires that you be both. It is a balancing act between courage and consideration. To go for win-win, an entrepreneur needs not only have to be empathic, but also confident. He not only has to be considerate and sensitive, but also has to be brave. To do that–to achieve that balance between courage and consideration–is the essence of real maturity and is fundamental to win-win.
Acting Win-Win isn’t about being nice, nor is it a quick-fix technique. It is a character-based code for human interaction and collaboration.