Negotiation Skills

Negotiating may seem to be a curious thing to put in an IT resume, but it is an IT skill that I find useful every day, no matter if I am negotiating scope on a win-win basis with the customer, or negotiating which technology to use with a peer.
 
It didn't start out as an IT issue, from 1975-1988 I negotiated dozens and dozens of building contracts totalling over 5 million dollars, and found that generally, the record showed that I did not excel at this task during this period. When I learned there were actually courses I could take, I attacked the study of negotiating with the zeal that comes from having one's butt handed back to one'self on a platter. I didn't let go until i proved to myself that I had developed excellent negotiating skills.
 
Negotiating is all about win-win, and at first I negotiated too well, it was me winning and others losing. But over the years I have matured and grown in this practice, and now am fairly good at it, at least I am when I want to be.
 
I negotiate every day. I negotiate with team-mates on best tasks for each to tackle. I negotiate with bosses and owners on approaches and goals. And on and on through every aspect of my life. Good skills in this area allow me to use my best talents where they do the most good, and the same with others I deal with.