How negotiation skills help leaders defuse work conflicts
A good compromise means that everyone gets a little something, but no one is completely satisfied. Getting a clean resolution requires careful listening and plenty of tenacity.
An important, and sometimes overlooked, leadership skill is the ability to navigate difficult conversations and achieve outcomes that are perceived as a win-win. Both sides come out having given up something and having gained something, too. Ruffled feathers are smoothed. Trust is established. Esprit de corps is achieved. This kind of masterful conflict resolution is really a form of negotiation.
How comfortable are you with negotiating?
As leadership coaches we regularly hear clients confess that they’re not great at negotiating for what they want, whether it’s for themselves, their teams or the business. However, one could argue we’re all born negotiators because as kids we learned the skill intuitively and used it often.
Negotiation skills are deployed daily in every sphere of life, but play an especially important role in business and professional settings. Good negotiations contribute to business success because they help you build better relationships and deliver higher-quality solutions.
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