“The one thing that good leaders have in common is their ability to negotiate. And the one thing that excellent leaders have in common is their ability to negotiate better than good leaders.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)
“New Leadership Advice – How To Quickly Negotiate Better To Become A Much Better Leader”
People don’t realize they’re always negotiating.
Leaders in leadership positions have asked why I think negotiation is an important skill. My response is leaders constantly negotiate when leading their followers, teams, and those from whom they need support. And being able to negotiate effectively builds stronger networks while fostering more robust relationships.
So, how good are your negotiation skills? Do you believe you can enhance your leadership abilities if you negotiate better?
If you want to discover how to increase your leadership skills by negotiating better, continue. You will uncover enhanced negotiation skills that will improve your leadership abilities. And your new skills will benefit you for the rest of your life.
Understanding What Is Important
Sometimes, leaders believe they understand the importance of negotiation. They base their assessment on the facts they have gathered. But there are times when leaders fail to collect the appropriate information upon which to make their assessment. And that can lead to a dampening of their leadership abilities. So, how might a leader overcome that? They can:
1. Expand The Pool Of Information
I heard it through the grapevine – fake news! People will always have their perspectives about a situation. And a leader must consider that when attempting to lead others.
Therefore, to become better informed about a situation, a leader needs to increase their sources of information. And yet, there is the potential of becoming bombarded by frivolous insights that will only bog down one’s decision-making abilities.
So, based on the situation, before a leader attempts to pave a direction for those to follow, they should consult stakeholders who have a meaningful stake in the situation’s outcome. The purpose is to gather opposing and similar viewpoints. And do so with a manageable size to prevent needless information overload.
2. Increase Listening Abilities
In understanding what is essential to those that a leader leads, the leader must attune their listening skills. As they gather information from those with whom they discuss their needs, the leader must listen to how someone recites their perspective.
A respondent will display hidden body language cues that signal greater meaning to some words over others. That will also give the leader greater insight into what is more pressing with that individual versus what they may state through their words.
3. Know The Truth
Truth is perceptive. And everyone can have a different perception of it based on how they perceive it. And that is something a leader must be keenly aware of to become a better-perceived leader.
In any negotiation, a negotiator must be aware of biases, theirs and those they negotiate with when entering a negotiation – the same is true for leaders. And the source of one’s preferences is based on information sources, surroundings, and those in their surroundings.
To become a more effective leader, be absolute in knowing your truth – what motivates your beliefs. And be overly mindful of how someone arrived at their truth. If there is a gulf between your perspective and your potential followers, close that gap. Then others will view your leadership as being more viable.
4. Capturing Emotions
For any leader to lead successfully, they must know how to capture the emotions of others. Thus, during a presentation, as in negotiation, leaders must be aware of the emotional state displayed and how to tap into the feelings motivating them. Then, people will become more apt to follow the leader’s lead. So how can a leader increase their awareness of the emotions people display?
Heighten senses – the emotions of others sensitize people. Sometimes we miss cues because we become preoccupied with other distractions occurring in the environment.
To become a more effective leader, even when you are amongst hundreds of those you wish to lead, sense the mood of those in attendance. The same is true when speaking to one person or a few. Do not appear hypocritical or demeaning – appear to be genuine. And to the degree it serves your purpose, match that mood.
The Win-Win Conundrum
When negotiating, some negotiation scholars suggest that negotiators seek win-win outcomes. But those in leadership roles must be mindful of where a perceived win-win scenario will take a relationship. That means there will be times when a leader must firmly extinguish opposing views for the good of the whole – no compromise. And at other times, a velvet-gloved hand will be what is needed.
So, to lead more effectively, understand the trajectory of your actions. Know the points at which you need to alter them. Do not allow your leadership abilities to fall prey due to the belief that everyone needs to win in a negotiation. There are degrees to winning. And as long as constituents are satisfied with the outcome, that counts as a win for them. Thus, be very much aware of the win-win conundrum.
Reflection
It is true. The one thing that all leaders have in common is their ability to negotiate. And the leader with the best negotiation skills has more excellent leadership skills. They are the ones that tend to accomplish more through the people with whom they work and inspire. So which category do you want to be in – mediocre or excellent? Suffice it to say a leader with mediocre negotiation skills will possess less than stellar leadership abilities.
But, if you engage and implement the information presented here, you will increase your leadership abilities. You will become a better negotiator, and people will follow you more readily. And everything will be right with the world.
Remember, you’re always negotiating!
Check out this offer to learn more about negotiating better and reading body language!
Listen to Greg’s podcasts at https://megaphone.link/CSN6318246585 Once there, double click on the episode you would like to hear.
After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com
To receive weekly free 5-minute sneak peeks into the brilliant techniques offered by Greg, click here
https://www.themasternegotiator.com/negotiation-speaker/ and sign up at the bottom of the page