A major measure of the economy is the prevailing mood. A bleak job market and less-than-rosy economic outlook influence how we feel in an organization. Tighter budgets and increased layoffs are causes for concern, and many of us respond with “fight or flight” behavior. We defend our turf or avoid tense conversations in the hopes that things will just get better. Neither approach works very well. A better approach is to recognize that emotions can be your greatest asset in negotiation-especially during challenging economic times. Knowing how to deal effectively with them can enhance your leadership and management performance-even boost your organization’s bottom line in trying times.
According to Dan Shapiro, Director of Harvard International Negotiation Program and Associate Director of Harvard Negotiation Project, the challenges facing businesses are tightly connected to emotions and relationships. This especially holds true when money or jobs are at stake.
While conventional wisdom suggests that emotions don’t belong at the bargaining table, Professor Shapiro disagrees. In fact, his research suggests that effectively dealing with emotions gives you more power and control, both in negotiations and relationships. In his role as Vice Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Conflict Prevention, Professor Shapiro works with heads of state, security experts, leading academics, and CEOs-helping them establish global priorities around conflict resolution and navigate emotional challenges. His proven framework and strategies have been used the world over by countless leaders to achieve better outcomes.
These same principles and ideas, all tested and empirically supported, will be taught in Professor Shapiro’s one-day author session, Beyond Reason, taking place December 8th, 2011, at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, MA. You will learn about the five core concerns that stimulate the emotions that arise in negotiations and gain an essential framework for negotiating emotional challenges and building better relationships.
To learn more or register, please click here.
