#3 - Wies Bratby, Negotiation as a weapon for women

Wies Bratby, my guest this week, is fighting every day for more female recognition in the workplace. Her choice of weapon? The art of negotiation. 

For several years now, she has been helping women like you and me to gain recognition in the workplace and on the job market, whether it’s for a higher position or salary. The studies are telling: although women tend to be excellent negotiators for their surroundings or company, they don't fight enough for their own interests. And yet... without negotiation, the wage gap widens, the glass ceiling cannot be broken and motivation at work declines. 

You will hear Wies reflect on her childhood and how a passion for negotiation led her from the largest law firm in her country to head of HR in a global company in Hong Kong. She also tells me what drove her to set up her own firm, Women in Negotiation (WIN). 

But the essential part of this rather exceptional episode is centred on the ‘why’ and how-tos of negotiation (from the 23rd minute). You'll find tips and tricks, the essential checklist before landing in your boss’s office, or before setting the price of your product. The Dutch native also explains the strength of crafting and tapping into your network and the community. 

Whether you are just starting your career or you already have high responsibilities, whether you are unemployed, building a business from scratch or already running a successful startup, you should all be hanging on her every word!

Time codes 

03:36 Surrounded by sparkling women 

05:52 The need for flexibility in the work place as one of the main learning from the Covid crisis 

07:55 Successfully working together with her husband 

08:51 Being raised in a tiny village in the Netherlands 

09:34 Advocating for others: a life-long passion, leading to negotiation 

11:21 Starting her career in a big law firm from the Netherlands 

12:55 Starting her career without negotiating: or how to become her first client 

15:52 Moving to Hong-Kong and shifting to HR 

17:44 The cultural fit as the main success indicator 

19:05 Helping people do their best work and making them shine through HR 

21:29 Launching negotiation trainings inside her company 

23:11 The global difficulty for women to negotiate 

24:43 Why are women naturally better negotiators than men…

26:16 … but negotiation on their own behalf goes against their education 

27:45 The need to work on internal self-estime 

28:30 “It costs a company between 100% and 400% of someone’s annual salary to replace that person”

30:21 Valuing the people, or how to unleash motivation, passion and good work 

32:56 Negotiating requires hard work 

34:46 Quick and dirty tips for your negotiation : Prepare properly and aim high 

37:22 The difference between being a negotiator or not in financial terms 

38:40 Helping startups set up the right (and high!) prices - because price and value are connected in people’s mind 

41:04 Your customers become a ton more of fun the more you charge! 

42:36 The gender inequality for startups and fund-raising 

44:12 Breaking gender biaises through education

48:13 Connecting people and ideas, all over the world 

49:40 Creating a “old girls network”, and pear support through the Lean In organisation  

51:49 “We are stronger together”

53:18 Final questions 

Interesting links and references 

Social medias

• On Linkedin account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/womeninnegotiation/
• On instagram 
• Her account: https://www.instagram.com/wiesbratby/
• WIN account: https://www.instagram.com/womeninnegotiation/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenInNegotiation

Interesting websites 

• Her company Women in Negociation : https://womeninnegotiation.org/
• Lean in Switzerland: https://www.leaninswitzerland.org/

References 

• Book that shifted her way to think: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (2011), by Roger Fisher 
• The women she would like to hear in a Brillantes episode : Fungai Mettler https://www.fungaimettler.com/

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