Six Steps to Negotiation – The Mayor of Kingstown (Spoilers!)

Kingstown & Mike McCluskey

Mike McCluskey is the central character in the television series “Mayor of Kingstown”, (dynamically portrayed by Jeremy Renner) who navigates the complex, turbulent landscape of a town steeped in crime and corruption. Kingstown, itself, is emblematic of the ever-changing challenges associated with power dynamics and negotiations in a community fraught with difficulties. The show delves heavily into tension between various factions and the struggle for dominance, making effective negotiation essential for survival and order.

In Kingstown, where prisons are big business, Mike operates as the newest in the line of ‘Mayor’s – an unofficial middleman seeking to maintain a semblance of peace while contending with complex relationships that often involve adversarial (i.e. bad guy) individuals – mostly criminals, prison officials and cops. As a matter of fact, the whole show is just a buncha bad guys being bad guys. McCluskey embodies the complexities of leadership, especially when engaging with difficult people. The negotiation process in Kingstown is fraught with challenges that test McCluskey’s capacity for diplomacy and assertiveness, reflecting the broader theme of how one can wield influence amidst chaos.

What makes Mike McCluskey a compelling figure is his understanding of the nuances involved in maintaining control over a volatile environment. Balancing the demands of law enforcement, criminal elements, and the community’s expectations, he strives for the best outcome all in the name of maintaining stability in a constantly unstable system. It shows that effective negotiation is not just about reaching an agreement but also about exercising influence and managing personality conflicts. And there’s some key steps we can make use of that allow us to negotiate just as well.

The Art of Negotiation

Mike McCluskey exemplifies a masterclass in negotiation through his strategic dealings with various factions in Kingstown. The complexities of his role necessitate a nuanced approach to conflict resolution, enabling him to address rival gang tensions, collaborate with law enforcement, and mediate community disputes. McCluskey’s unique ability to engage difficult people and transform adversarial relationships into cooperative dialogues showcases effective negotiation strategies. In all negotiations (aggressive or otherwise), there are things that can help sway the odds in your favour.

This is an important starting point – and one you have to believe. As humans we inevitably have wants and needs, drives for improvement in our circumstances that will give us the best outcome in all areas – personal, financial, emotional, etc.

Everyone. Needs. Something.

In psychology, a key component is understanding that ‘Wants’ and ‘Needs’ are two very different things:

Needs – requirements for survival and well-being. Essential for an individual’s physical, psychological, or emotional stability.

Wants – desires or wishes for things that go beyond the basic needs. The desire to enhance one’s life or provide pleasure, where survival is already assured.

In any negotiation, we can know our own wants and needs intimately, however it’s understanding those of other people that allows us to exert leverage.

Context is important – the perception someone has of an object, role or person can affect which category they place them in. Ever seen someone go through a break-up and say they ‘Need’ their now ex? The more someone needs, the more we can lean into that to gain a competitive advantage in negotiating.

Wants, likewise, can be used as a subtle means to bargain for more of what we want, in exchange for the potential benefits we can offer towards another person’s goals.

Know your mark.

As mentioned above, it’s easier to know what we want from a negotiation. Other people, however, require a bit of work.

Assess your goal – what do I need/want – and the steps you can take to get it. Where those steps include another person, the question that needs to be asked is “What does this person want and how can I get them closer to their goal”.

It’s not about delivering in full. The truth is very rarely will you have the reach or resources to magically deliver what another person desires in full (just ask my ex-girlfriends), however you may very well be able to facilitate them on a step towards their goal. And with the right negotiation, this can be just as good.

For Mike, he is intimately aware of the current states and pressures of his peers in Kingstown’s criminal elite. When negotiating with larger-than-life Gang Boss, Bunny, Mike is often placed in a circumstance where the gangster attempts to pressure him into giving more than is viable for the survival of the Mayor. In these circumstances McCluskey opts for one of four options:

• Refusal – Point blank non-cooperation of an unreasonable request by another party. It’s important to establish and maintain a boundary, and while this can end a negotiation, it quickly highlights whether the other party is a viable partner for negotiation or not.
• Renegotiation – Identifying the request as not possible but offering something of lesser or equivalent value as a consolation to continue the negotiation.
• Overpromising to underdeliver – Faking the ability or resources to deliver in full, while delivering only what is realistically possible. This is a dangerous tactic but can be worth it to allow for further transactions to improve on what is ultimately delivered…or in Mike’s case, as a statement to encourage others not to overplay their hand.
• Retaliation – This is an overwhelming show of force to dissuade another party from any attempt to apply pressure. Mike employs this rarely and with subtlety that allows him to move back to renegotiation. This technique is not recommended in normal interactions, leave it to the Mayor.

Each option is underpinned by Mike’s understanding of the pressures on Bunny, be they financial, status driven or external pressures from other drug dealers. And it’s this knowledge that allows him to select the best circumstances for survival and further negotiation.

Understand who you’re dealing with and what they want, and you’ll be primed for a better outcome.

Psychology has some useful tactics in getting what you want, and few are as effective as the Door in the Face technique. Don’t panic, it’s less violent than it sounds.

The Door in the Face technique involves one party asking another for a favour of some sort. Whatever you’re asking for, make it related to what you really want – for example, if you wanted a coffee, ask someone else for the coffee they’ve just made for themselves.

They’ll likely say no – which is the point – because the second thing you ask for is going to be a lot less i.e. Can I borrow some coffee to make my own?

This relies on the principle of reciprocity. People feel bad saying no to a request by someone else, often so much so that if the second request appears less costly to them than the first, they’ll often say yes.

For the Mayor, this is all the more important. When negotiating for the release of powerful gang figures to prevent a complete breakdown of stability in Kingstown, Mike asks for all of the prisoners to be released from incarceration immediately. This is met with shock and complete rejection by the lawgivers of the town, so much so that when Mike asks for only one, key figure to be released, the opposing party were compelled to approve his request.

The trick is to go big with the first request…and I mean really big.

One prominent method employed by McCluskey is active listening. By genuinely understanding the perspectives and motivations of conflicting parties, he fosters mutual respect, which is essential for serious negotiation. For instance, in a critical scene where McCluskey confronts a gang leader, he practices patience and empathy, allowing the leader to articulate grievances. This approach not only eases tensions but also paves the way for collaborative solutions. His active listening reflects a fundamental principle of conflict resolution, wherein acknowledging the feelings and concerns of others significantly impacts the negotiation process.

Some steps for active listening are:

• Pay attention – focus on the speaker without interruption.
• Acknowledge – nod and, where appropriate, smile.
• Ignore your internal voice – your focus is on understanding exactly what they’re saying without judging.
• Take your time to respond – consider carefully what’s been said, relate it to your position and respond calmly and positively as possible.

Knowledge is power and obtained by listening and understanding.

McCluskey capitalizes on the importance of establishing trust. He understands that trust is a cornerstone for effective negotiations, especially when dealing with difficult individuals. In a notable episode, McCluskey performs a delicate balancing act between opposing gangs, using transparent communication to build rapport. This transparency not only alleviates doubts among the parties but also illustrates McCluskey’s commitment to finding common ground. Such strategies highlight the essentials of negotiation: fostering collaboration over competition and emphasizing understanding over conflict.

Mirroring is a natural psychological phenomenon that allows human beings to interact and form trusting relationships. Most of us do this unconsciously to a degree, especially when in company we enjoy. It relies on the principle that we like people that are like us and, as such, when we observe movements or patterns we recognise in others, we find ourselves more at ease with them. Some examples could be:

• Word repetition – after allowing someone to speak, begin your own sentence with a repetition or inclusion of the words they last spoke. This can indicate active listening and a willingness to engage fully with the other person.
• Body language – observing and replicating the gestures of another person during an interaction. Body language is a large part of unconscious communication so be careful in overusing this. Small gestures, mostly hand gestures, performed on the opposite side (they gesture with their left, you with your right) can be enough to endear you to whomever you’re negotiating with.
• Smile & Reflect – when they smile, you smile. When they laugh, you laugh. When they look serious, you look serious and interested.
• Tone and pace – where you’re dealing with a high energy individual, up your energy to match. Conversely, for more softly spoken parties, adopt a quieter cadence in voice. Be careful of speaking too rapidly or slowly, read the room and act accordingly.

The ultimate power move.

Ever tried to buy a car? You know the salesman is probably a master negotiator and does this daily, so you have to be on point. However, they’re not going to walk away from a sale…but you can. This tactic can be used in all sorts of engagements although a limited number of times.

When fully exasperated with the escalating conflict between the prison officials, police and gangs of Kingstown, Mike tells them to go to Hell and walks away, verbally highlighting how the inevitable conflict will engulf and destroy them all without him to manage the relationships.

It’s a risky move and one that pays off. Bringing each faction back to the table allows the Mayor to bridge the gap and come to a workable, if not mutually satisfactory, solution to fend off larger federal involvement which would upend the entire town.

The truth about walking away from a negotiation is that it puts pressure on each party to consider what they could potentially be losing as a result of the negotiation. If you’ve done your job well up until that point, they’re aware of all the possible shiny benefits they could have to dealing with you, and that internal fear of loss will drive them back to the table.

Alternatively, they might just not come back to you in which case, you might have to accept the negotiation as unviable and look to alternative options to achieving your goals.

Either way, it’s worth a shot.

Be like Mike

Overall, the negotiation tactics displayed by Mike McCluskey in “Mayor of Kingstown” resonate deeply with principles of conflict resolution found in real-world scenarios. His ability to engage and mediate with difficult people exemplifies the power of diplomacy, making the narrative compelling and insightful for viewers seeking to understand the art of negotiation.

Strategic thinking is integral to McCluskey’s success as a negotiator. His ability to anticipate the moves of others and plan accordingly sets the stage for advantageous outcomes. By being prepared with alternatives and a clear understanding of desired results, negotiators can navigate complex discussions with confidence. This strategic mindset encourages flexibility, allowing individuals to adapt their approach as new information arises during negotiations.

In conclusion, the lessons derived from McCluskey’s experiences in “Mayor of Kingstown” highlight the significance of listening, adaptation, and strategic thinking in negotiation scenarios. By incorporating these principles, we can enhance our effectiveness in managing discussions with difficult people and, just maybe, increase the chances of a successful outcome.

Give it a try. Be like Mike.