The Art Of Negotiation: Essential Skills For Leaders

Everyone negotiates

The art of the deal or the art of negotiation, whatever you call it, knowing how to negotiate is a critical skill for a leader. You’re always wheeling and dealing in a good way, trying to make things better for yourself and those you lead.

Don’t fret if you lack the skill of negotiation. Negotiation skills can be learned.

And, great for you, that’s exactly what we’re going to discuss in this article.

Man in a black suit with blue tie sitting at a wooden table. He has a coffee cup in one hand.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

The Art Of Negotiation: Essential Skills For Leaders

Why is negotiation necessary? Every leader needs to know how to hold a strategic discussion between parties to resolve issues, whether it’s for a deal or to resolve conflict. Negotiation often ends in both parties finding the resolution acceptable.

Think about it… We all need to know how to negotiate

Some of the areas you may negotiate are:

Emotional Intelligence: The Key To Effective Leadership

When employees leave an organization, it’s typically not the organization they leave. It’s terrible managers or leaders. They’ve become fed up with how they’re treated and their leadership’s lack of emotional intelligence.

It’s why I left one of my jobs.

Emotional Intelligence: The Key To Effective Leadership

My manager became disengaged from his employees. He lacked an emotional awareness of what was happening in the lives of his employees and how those situations impacted the lives of his employees. He also failed to show up with emotional intelligence, trying to scare employees into staying with the organization.

Eventually, he was left with a gutted team, and the employees were left with negative memories of their interaction with him.

His lack of emotional intelligence killed his team. But it doesn’t have to kill yours.

Mental Health America defines Emotional Intelligence as the following:

Building Resilience: Thriving In The Face Of Adversity

Leading an organization or team throws multiple challenges at you. From dealing with difficult people, to making life-changing decisions, and making mistakes, leadership requires you to be resilient.

If you can’t bounce back from the challenges thrown your way, you won’t last long as a leader. We don’t want that. Neither do you!

So, how do you build resilience as a leader? It’s not easy, but you can do it.

5 Strategies For Thriving In The Face Of Adversity (Or How To Build Resilience)

You may not feel confident enough to build your resilience, but you can. Even when you lack the resilience you need to keep going in your daily tasks, you can apply some of what you do have to build more. 

It seems counterintuitive, but you can. Now, let’s dive into the strategies to help you become more resilient.

Coping With Stress And Burnout As A Leader

Leaving the office doesn’t always relieve the sense of stress or frustration you feel. You often carry it home. There, you unleash that frustration on those closest to you: your family.

You know this isn’t right. Yet, the stress and impending burnout pull you in this negative direction. You’re not yourself; you’re someone who’s angry, broken, and bitter.

You want to be better than this. You don’t want to snap at your spouse, yell at your child, or fume angrily.

Did you know it’s possible? You don’t have to live a life of frustration. You don’t have to burnout. You can be something more than this.

Identifying Sources Of Stress And Burnout Of Leaders

What causes undue amounts of stress for leaders? Why do leaders burnout? 

I’ve heard these questions asked again and again. I’ve seen the results of stress and burnout. They’re not pretty. 

5 Ways Praying For Wisdom And Guidance In Leadership Helps

There’s power in prayer. The best leaders know this. They know that there’s a Heavenly Father who loves, cares for, and listens to them.

You won’t always know what to do when a leadership challenge rears its ugly head. There are questions that race through your mind. You might even think there’s no way through this challenge.

You’d be wrong. There’s always someone there for you. 

That person? God.

African American man praying. Photo is black and white

Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

You can talk to the creator of the universe. He will listen. He will also answer. 

I’ve found solace in my prayers to God, even the prayers I feel went unanswered. I believe God hears me and creates pathways for me. 

He can do the same for you.

5 Ways Praying For Wisdom And Guidance In Leadership Helps

But how does praying actually help you? Can it make you a better leader? Can it give you peace? Can it make a way when things are dark?