Opinion / Columnist
Mnangagwa's meeting disaster in Japan
29 Aug 2019 at 23:53hrs | Views
The Local Solutions Council would like to register its outrage at the prima facie evidence of inadequate preparation by President Mnangagwa and his delegation at the 7th TICAD meeting being held from the 28th of August to 30 August 2019.
At the core of pictures taken in Yokohama, Japan is that President Mnangagwa and his delegation are evidently unprepared and lost in the meeting with their Japanese hosts.
Moreover, a top government negotiator noted that one would be forgiven to think that the Zimbabwean delegation was ambushed at the last minute and diplomatically nudged into meeting with the Japanese.
Preparing to Fail
However, the Local Solutions Council has it on good authority that government foreign trips that include the president are usually planned at least a year in advance.
Infact, they are no excuses why the delegation was evidently unprepared especially without strategy papers in front of them or note pads for analysing crucial points both during and after the meeting.
Crucially, researchers have observed that top negotiators worldwide argue that "failing to prepare is preparing to fail."
Therefore, the Local Solutions Council would like to caution the Zimbabwe Government that when it comes to negotiating, there are no guarantees that preparation will get you the deal you seek, but not preparing is a recipe for failure.
Gender Diverse
It was also surprising that in the 21st century, the Local Solutions Council noted that the Zimbabwe delegation was not gender diverse as it did not have a single woman at the top table in clear contrast to their Japanese counterparts.
Research has evidently highlighted that having both women and men in teams means the government will benefit from the different points of view and approaches that come from different life experiences.
More importantly, researchers have observed that women have stronger skills in reading non-verbal cues. Non-verbal cues are strategically vital in unlocking an opponent's negotiating tactics especially in such crucial meetings were important issues of national interest are at stake.
Negotiation Outlook
In conclusion and in line with the 7th TICAD debacle, the Local Solutions Council is appealing to the Zimbabwe Government to focus on its preparations for negotiations, for "failing to prepare is preparing to fail."
And finally, the Local Solutions Council is calling on the Government to be gender sensitive in its key appointments especially in naming delegates who represent the country both locally and abroad.
At the core of pictures taken in Yokohama, Japan is that President Mnangagwa and his delegation are evidently unprepared and lost in the meeting with their Japanese hosts.
Moreover, a top government negotiator noted that one would be forgiven to think that the Zimbabwean delegation was ambushed at the last minute and diplomatically nudged into meeting with the Japanese.
Preparing to Fail
However, the Local Solutions Council has it on good authority that government foreign trips that include the president are usually planned at least a year in advance.
Infact, they are no excuses why the delegation was evidently unprepared especially without strategy papers in front of them or note pads for analysing crucial points both during and after the meeting.
Crucially, researchers have observed that top negotiators worldwide argue that "failing to prepare is preparing to fail."
Gender Diverse
It was also surprising that in the 21st century, the Local Solutions Council noted that the Zimbabwe delegation was not gender diverse as it did not have a single woman at the top table in clear contrast to their Japanese counterparts.
Research has evidently highlighted that having both women and men in teams means the government will benefit from the different points of view and approaches that come from different life experiences.
More importantly, researchers have observed that women have stronger skills in reading non-verbal cues. Non-verbal cues are strategically vital in unlocking an opponent's negotiating tactics especially in such crucial meetings were important issues of national interest are at stake.
Negotiation Outlook
In conclusion and in line with the 7th TICAD debacle, the Local Solutions Council is appealing to the Zimbabwe Government to focus on its preparations for negotiations, for "failing to prepare is preparing to fail."
And finally, the Local Solutions Council is calling on the Government to be gender sensitive in its key appointments especially in naming delegates who represent the country both locally and abroad.
Source - Darlington Nyambiya
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