Publisher, Gildan Media Corporation (May 2007)

"New leaders face extraordinary challenges in dealing with today's complex and rapidly changing business environment. Shaping the Game: The New Leader's Guide to Effective Negotiating provides crib I strategies that will assist new leaders in executing their transition plans. It joins The First 90 Days must-read for new leaders entering critical roles." —John H. Johnson, Company Group Chairman, Biopharmaceuticals Worldwide Johnson & John

The bestselling author of The First 90 Days : Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, which has become the business bible for accelerating leaders' transitions into new roles, now zeroes in on the most critical skill that transitioning leaders must master in order to create momentum and secure early wins. That skill? Negotiation.

In Shaping the Game : The New Leader's Guide to Effective Negotiating, Watkins draws from extensive research and practical consulting work to reveal four fundamental objectives that should guide new leaders in their negotiations with key constituencies inside and outside their organizations. This audio book provides potent guidelines for:

* Creating maximum value in negotiation with critical stakeholders

* Capturing a fair share of that value

* Building relationships

* Preserving one's reputation

Watkins also presents hands-on strategies that help any new leader become a world-class negotiator, including:

* Matching one's negotiation strategy to the situation

* Influencing key counterparts' viewpoints

* Shaping the structure of negotiations in one's favor

* Organizing to improve

Navigating the myriad high-stakes negotiating challenges that confront new leaders, Shaping the Game provides all the tools the listener needs to make the right moves as s/he climbs the career ladder-and to succeed in those roles once s/he gets there.

About the Author: MICHAEL WATKINS is a Professor of Practice at INSEAD, Europe's leading business school, and the founding head of Genesis Advisors, a leadership strategy consultancy.