What are the best negotiation skills for Servant Leaders to solve problems?

Leadership is never about the leader it is always about the followers, You quickly realise in business that you need to take people with you on the journey, speak every day with your team. lift your head from your computer and look at people when you talk with them, repeat back to them things they have suggested and never take credit for others' great ideas, Business is all about engagement and commitment from your team, you can't buy loyalty but you can earn this from your team. People drive results in business.

Identify the problem. Offer realistic and actionable solutions. Step into the fray. Be concise, say what is necessary to provide solutions. Don't be afraid of discomfort.

To share a solution, one not just needs to know the problem, but to dig a bit further & and know the exact problem. Ex - My clients say, they face challenges in shipping. Challenges can be defined as pricing, paperwork, ETD, FIRC/BIRS, and so on. Pricing could be because of the ticket size of the product or could be coz of the competition or the selling price is not meeting the company's margin expectation and list is on. Paperwork for consumable items. ETD could be for B2C FMCG items/some festive season. Accepting foreign payments, mediums, shipping bills, and so on. Unless on the very root of the problem, the efficiency may be questioned.

Be a good listener and allow your team member to express the problem detailed, think with them after active listening might be the start of the solution

First things first, find out what the problem is; with all its pros and cons, secondly, find out what the desirable ideal goal is, and then just like building a bridge to connect both sides look for the most effective way to get that bridge complete. Ask a lot of questions and make sure that you are communicating on the same level so that it's a clear and concise picture and you will get to a solution to your problem with ease. Working together and as a Team.

We need to understand that communication is not only about talking. LISTENING!!! Communication and effectiveness (of the conversation) can be very easily attained by cross-questioning. Very politely we can use terms such as, "Please don't mind me asking...", "and I'm a bit curious about what if...".

In order to involve others in the negotiation, communication is key. To help others feel involved it is imperative to communicate effectively what the true goals are and listen to their feedback. Let them handle the negotiation after trust has been built and expectations established. If they are trustworthy and knowledgeable about the goals, they should be able to negotiate with little help. Even if not an ideal negotiation, communicating this in a positive constructive way will only help your employees grow and gain confidence in themselves and their business decisions.

Communication is a complex process integral to human interaction. It involves the exchange of information, thoughts, ideas, and feelings between individuals or groups. This process can occur through various channels, such as verbal language, written words, non-verbal cues, and visual symbols. Effective communication goes beyond the transmission of messages; it requires understanding and interpretation. Key elements of communication include a sender, a message, a medium, a receiver, and feedback. The sender initiates the communication by encoding a message, selecting the medium for delivery, and transmitting it to the other individual.

In my opinion, the easiest way to collaborate is to discuss plans and explore ideas that benefit every involved entity. All the involved parties not only need to compromise a bit but also, a bit of intransigence. Once the interests are met, the collaboration will not just be a mere collaboration but a foundation for the task/plan.

I believe this is one trait that should be very easy, but often does not work. When managers are power hungry, or always want the credit, will eliminate collaboration very quickly. First thing is to ask all parties involved what they would like for the outcome to be. Then follow up with cross questioning to help either side better understand the others. Someone my think saving money is the best thing for a company given their current situation while another think that spending is the best way to grow. Everyone should be willing to compromise something in a negotiation, and have open conversations will all parties will knowingly or unknowingly always positively impact creative collaboration.

Collaborating creatively is akin to orchestrating a symphony of diverse minds harmonizing toward a shared vision. It's not just a fusion of skills but a dance of perspectives, each contributing a unique hue to the canvas of innovation. In this dynamic exchange, open communication is my guiding principle. I ensure every voice resonates, weaving a narrative where every idea, no matter how disparate, finds its place in the grand conversation.Flexibility, the lifeblood of creative collaboration, allows for the graceful adaptation of ideas. Magic unfolds when we permit thoughts to flow, sparking novel possibilities unattainable individually. Openness to the alchemy of creativity is key, where the collective output eclipses the sum of its parts.

Recognizing and addressing conflict is, to me, the critical part of this section. Failure to appropriately recognize key issues will ensure that the counterparty "stews" on their dissatisfaction, creating drag in the negotiation process. Address areas of conflict directly, empathetically, and immediately. You'll move things along faster!

In this hurried world, conflict within the workplace can often take precedence over all other day-to-day operations. It is important to find ways to keep your team happy and functioning for the betterment of the business and with a keen eye on employees' quality of life both within and outside your organization. One way I have done this is to assign an employee an important component of the other job; it builds understanding and empathy and eliminates the Monday morning quarterbacking of why can't he/she just do their job. It really allows the employee to walk in their co-worker's shoes. Most importantly, it tempers conflict.

Some conflict is inevitable in any human interaction, but especially in negotiation. Approaching the situation with empathy, and ensuring all members are empowered with an opportunity to ground themselves, adds integrity to the tools of communication. It is for this reason that emotionally overwhelming the opposite negotiating party is such a useful tool of oppression. It weakens the opponent until they come in to alignment with a weak argument. This is the most effective way to perpetuate strong opinion that is grounded in insecurity.

Life will never be without stress, strain and conflict. The amount of times the phrase “It’s impossible” has been proven incorrect in the course of human history is proof that any conflict or barrier is temporary and has a solution. Learn into the conflict and find out what’s on the other side of “It can’t be done.”

Very obvious, but we need to understand that we are against the challenges (conflicts) not against the task/each other. Only then we can arrive at a solution (manage the hurdle). We can also solve by understanding the interests, areas of disputes, and nonacceptances. In case we're capable, we need to take a step further by, stating "In my opinion, this is how can it be done..."

Its been my experience as a Servant Leader that people buy from people they know, like and trust!You must share relevant information that brings value to the individual and their organization.

Building trust is a crucial aspect of effective leadership and successful relationships, whether in personal or professional settings. Here are some strategies to build and enhance trust: Consistency: Demonstrate it in your actions and decisions. When people can predict how you will behave in different situations, they are more likely to trust you. Open Communication: Share information openly, and encourage others to do the same. When people feel they have access to information, they are more likely to trust you. Reliability: Follow through on your commitments. Be someone others can rely on to deliver on promises and meet expectations. Reliability is a cornerstone of trust. Empathy: Show empathy and understanding toward others.

In my experience the first 5-10 minutes of any negotiation are crucial. It is the time when the parties are figuring out how to approach the negotiation and how the other person will react. Creating a rapport with casual conversation can make all the difference in how the rest of the conversation goes. It is the crucial period in the negotiation where you have an opportunity to build trust.

I’ve tried to use this as a foundation for any business relationship and client partnership I’ve established throughout my career. I may not always win the business but I want my clients, vendor partners and colleagues to always trust me.

One of the most important contributions we can make is immediately building a space of trust for our team members to co-exist within. Problem solving is not always a clean, linear process, and if our teammates feel they cannot express ideas that are potentially unpopular or unorthodox, this will quickly become an impediment to finding a solution; Especially in cases where problem solving is an iterative exercise, and feedback needs to freely flow without judgment. If we haven't built trust, solving complex problems can become impossible. This all assumes the problem solving exercise begins with a blank canvas; if dropped into an existing problem space, we must quickly try to identify and mend broken relationships and build back trust.

Learning is continuous. Each negotiation is different because people and needs are different. So keeping an open mind to learn what the particular situation needs, while using the skills previously acquired will allow for continuous improvement.

An uncurious mind is a closed mind. Without being open to improvements negotiations will stall, leadership will lack, and the servant mindset will grow bitter.

Continuous learning in crucial from both personal success as well as business. Understanding that it is okay to make mistakes, as long as you actually learn from them, will help others around you contribute. No more walking on egg shells if they feel like asking questions is not just accepted, but encouraged. It will help the entire team grow if they all contribute in an open dialogue while not being worried about how they are viewed. It is very hard to learn something if you do not try it. That often leads to mistakes, but those should always be looked at as ways to improve.

In a negotiation that involves multiple people at the table, try to determine who on the other side has the authority to approve the deal. Often it is not the lead speaker or presenter. It could be the one sitting in the second or third chair. Or approval may come from outside the negotiating team. Also, try to figure out who has the ability to kill the deal. Everyone at the table may come to an agreement, but then comes the surprise, "we need to run this up the ladder for approval." Always try to meet a negotiation with the actual decisionmaker present. Make your best pitch and you may have a chance to successfully conclude the deal.

Fully listen and understand the position of those you’re working with. Make no assumptions. Then, before starting a negotiation conversation, you must know your own floor (a position you can’t/wont go below).