Managing Sticky Situations at Work

74 Managing Sticky Situations at Workdelivery Pete drew Anthony aside and said, ‘‘I want to talk toyou about a deal I’m putting together.’’‘‘Sure.’’‘‘I’ve got some people with deep pockets. They would be willingto pay for you to franchise this place. I told them all about youand what you do here. They are anxious to talk to you. One saidwe could get this idea franchised and probably make millions.We could be the McDonalds of Italian eating.’’Intrigued and excited by the idea, Anthony agreed to meetPete’s friends. They arranged a time and a place to get together.‘‘By the way,’’ Pete said to Anthony before he left, ‘‘If they bite,I want a cut. I’m thinking about a $10,000 finder’s fee andsome portion of the profits. That’s only fair.’’Anthony, too surprised to say anything, simply mumbled somethingabout talking about that later.APPLYING THE SAY IT JUST RIGHT MODELDECISION POINTSAnthony determines the costs. Anthony knows that his restaurantcould be franchised. He’d thought about pursuing that opportunity inthe past but didn’t know where to begin. Pete opened a door. But, hefeels very uncomfortable with Pete’s proposition. Even if he pays himthe ‘‘finder’s fee,’’ the fact that he wants a cut in the profits soundseither unethical or exorbitant to Anthony. If he franchised his businessname and his business idea, he should not have to share profits withsomeone who has had so little to do with his success. Anthony hastwoworries.One,ifhedoesnotpursuePete’slead,hemaylosetheopportunity to franchise. Two, if Pete gets angry with him, he may terminatetheir business relationship. It would be hard for Anthony tofind a vendor of similar quality and reliability.Anthony sets his limits. Anthony would be willing to pay Pete forconnecting him to these people. The fee Pete suggested sounded toosteep to Anthony, but he’d be willing to negotiate this. He, of course,would not want to pay the fee if the deal fell through. After muchthought, Anthony decides he will not dish over part of his profits toPete unless Pete agrees to contribute financially to the creation of thenew stores.Anthony determines the power sources. From Anthony’s point ofview, Pete has the power. He knows the people willing to pay for a