What do you do if your negotiation and conflict resolution skills are lacking as a Thought Leader?
As a thought leader, you're often in the spotlight for guidance and direction, especially during challenging situations that require negotiation and conflict resolution. If you find your skills in these areas lacking, it can be daunting. However, the journey to improving these skills can lead to both personal and professional growth. It's about recognizing your current limitations and taking proactive steps to enhance your abilities, ensuring you can lead effectively even when the waters get rough.
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Ankit SaxenaTechnology Leader, AI explorer, Cloud Enthusiast, Agile Practitioner, Author, 2X Linkedin Top Voice
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Bruno CorreaSoftware and Product Development Leader @ Mercado Libre | Head of Product and Technology | Mentor | Consultant |…
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Ashton CousineauDirector, Performance Solutions Lead, Global Advisory
Begin by taking a candid look at your current negotiation and conflict resolution skills. This honest assessment is crucial as it helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses. Reflect on past experiences where you've had to negotiate or resolve conflicts. What went well? What didn't? Consider seeking feedback from peers or mentors who have observed you in action. Their insights can provide you with an external perspective that might highlight areas you've overlooked.
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Ashton Cousineau
Director, Performance Solutions Lead, Global Advisory
Self-assessing is really challenging. Seeking feedback is useful, though it can be biased. It is important to approach this in a way that helps you understand what you lack within negotiation and conflict resolution skills. These are not singular skills, rather they are a bundle of behaviors, skills, general perception, etc. For example, negotiation is often a combination of credibility and influence, communication style, and how folks feel about you (to name a few). If you're experiencing difficulty, seek out some honest feedback on where things are lacking so you can target the correct area of opportunity. It is easy to push the wrong behavior and then end up seeming inflexible, harsh or insensitive.
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Ankit Saxena
Technology Leader, AI explorer, Cloud Enthusiast, Agile Practitioner, Author, 2X Linkedin Top Voice
- Start by conducting a self-assessment of your current negotiation and conflict resolution skills to identify both strengths and weaknesses clearly. - Reflect on your past experiences with negotiation and conflict resolution, analyzing what tactics have succeeded and where you have faced challenges. - Seek constructive feedback from peers and mentors who have witnessed your negotiation and conflict resolution efforts, as their perspectives can provide valuable insights into your performance. - Use the feedback and reflections to identify specific areas for improvement and develop a targeted plan to enhance your skills in these crucial areas.
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T.S.Venkatesh-PMP .
Project Lead Planner @ Cyient | PMP, Generative AI, 🏆 37 X Top Voice|Project Management|Project Coordination| Leadership| Project Planning|Communication|People Management
If your negotiation and conflict resolution skills are lacking, self awareness is the best way to understand the strengths and weeknesses. Negotiation is an art you need to develop the skills from stakeholders, team members and experienced persons. Negotiation is not an one time work. You need to learn and practice whenever you get an opportunity. You have to update yourself with the latest trends in the markets and industries. Attend the training, coaching, conferences and webinar classes to learn more about negotiation and conflict resolution techniques and use in daily day to day life to improve further.
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Reema Singhal
Become Part of the Industry 1% 🦈 Sharks with our Branding Strategy 📈 | 250+ Success Stories of Industry Top Voices 🚀 | 18+ Yrs Experience 💼 | Content Strategist for👩🏻💼Leaders & Brands ✨
If your negotiation and conflict resolution skills are lacking as a Thought Leader, consider undertaking formal training through workshops, courses, or certification programs focused on these skills. Practice active listening and empathy to better understand different perspectives. Engage a mentor or coach who excels in negotiation to provide guidance and feedback. Regularly analyze past negotiations to identify improvement areas. Participate in simulations and role-playing exercises to build confidence and competence. Stay informed on new techniques and theories in negotiation and conflict resolution to continuously refine your approach.
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Terence Nunis
Chief Executive Officer, Equinox GEMTZ Pte. Ltd.
The obvious answer is to develop those skills. You are not a thought leader if you cannot negotiate or resolve conflicts because new ideas will always face resistance. You are challenging vested interests, and moving people from their comfort zones. You need to find ways for your ideas to be, not just accepted, but embraced. You develop these skills by gaining a basic understanding through training. Master the basics, then practise. Find a mentor to guide you in your learning journey. Find opportunities to put those skills to use, and have your actions evaluated. Without that evaluation, you have no means of developing, and may simply be perfecting mistakes.
Once you've identified areas for improvement, actively seek out knowledge and resources to enhance your skills. This could involve reading books, attending workshops, or enrolling in courses focused on negotiation and conflict resolution. By dedicating time to learn from experts in the field, you'll gain valuable strategies and techniques that you can apply to your thought leadership practice.
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Ankit Saxena
Technology Leader, AI explorer, Cloud Enthusiast, Agile Practitioner, Author, 2X Linkedin Top Voice
- Identify specific areas of weakness in your negotiation and conflict resolution skills and actively seek resources to enhance these capabilities. - Invest time in reading authoritative books, attending workshops, and participating in courses dedicated to improving negotiation and conflict resolution skills. - Learn from experts and practitioners in the field to acquire new strategies and techniques that are directly applicable to enhancing your thought leadership. - Integrate the acquired knowledge and practical skills into your daily practice, continuously refining your approach to negotiation and conflict resolution as a thought leader.
Learning is one thing, but mastering negotiation and conflict resolution requires practice. Look for opportunities to apply what you've learned in real-life scenarios. This could be as simple as negotiating terms with a new vendor or mediating a minor dispute within your team. The more you practice, the more confident and adept you'll become at handling these situations.
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Bruno Correa
Software and Product Development Leader @ Mercado Libre | Head of Product and Technology | Mentor | Consultant | Driving Innovation in E-commerce, Fintech and Insurtech | Top Voice LinkedIn
Implement a structured practice regimen by engaging in simulated negotiation scenarios with a mentor or coach, using real-world conflicts to hone your skills and adapt strategies in a controlled, feedback-rich environment. Join or form a peer learning group dedicated to conflict resolution and negotiation, where members can role-play challenging situations, provide diverse perspectives, and collectively develop a toolkit of effective approaches. Regularly attend workshops and seminars led by negotiation experts, absorbing new techniques and actively participating in live negotiations to build confidence and refine your skill set through continuous, practical experience.
After each negotiation or conflict resolution scenario, take time to reflect on the outcome. What worked well? What could have been done better? Use these reflections to adapt your approach for next time. Continuous improvement is key in developing any skill, and by learning from each experience, you'll refine your abilities and become more effective in your role as a thought leader.
Networking with other thought leaders and professionals who excel in negotiation and conflict resolution can also be beneficial. Not only can they provide mentorship and advice, but they can also offer opportunities for collaboration. Through these interactions, you can observe and learn different styles and approaches that might complement your own skill set.
Lastly, resilience is vital. You may not become an expert negotiator or conflict resolver overnight, but with persistence and a willingness to learn from mistakes, you'll improve over time. Embrace the challenges that come your way as opportunities to grow. Remember, even the most seasoned thought leaders had to start somewhere, and they too experienced setbacks along their journey.
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