It’s on the calendar. That critical conversation or meeting that must happen between you and a client, employee, vendor, your boss or significant other. How do you navigate when the stakes are high?
Preparation. Yep, no big secret or special formula, just good old-fashioned preparation. In my experience with hundreds of clients, the biggest challenge to successful high stakes navigation is the lack of preparation.
Preparation requires that you are armed with facts, figures, and resources. It also requires a “why”, both yours AND the other party’s. More important than either of these is that you know what you need to move to a resolution.
I am not talking negotiation points here – “I’ll give that if they give this.” You need to understand the circumstances you need to move to a resolution. Then you can guide the conversation to meet that need. Examples will better illuminate this point.
Let’s say that you are brought into a situation that has some history or “hair” on it.
- If you are strong in Context, you’ll need to know how the situation came to be. History will help you make sense of the here and now and determine a path forward.
- If you lead with Strategic, knowledge of the current status and the desired end goal will allow you to evaluate the options to get there.
- Harmony allows you to see both sides of the situation and find a resolution.
- Adaptability provides the ability to adjust. Perhaps an alternative to the original objective is an even better outcome.
If you don’t know the strengths you bring to the table, your attempt to find resolution will rely on tricks or tactics you’ve learned from others. That’s when you’ll find the conversation going in a very different direction from what you need. Come from a place of strength, your own innate and natural strengths, and you will continue to find paths forward for you and your counterparty.
Want the insider’s secret? Get to know your strengths!