Negotiating in the Leadership Zone

Book description

Negotiating in the Leadership Zone expertly addresses the question: How do leaders become better negotiators? Much has been written about leadership, and negotiating skills have long been the subject of academics and business consultants. This book successfully brings negotiation and leadership together for the first time, building separate insights about them into practical, applied lessons and tools that can be used immediately.

Leaders will find unique cases, examples, and insights for high-stakes and routine negotiations alike. Mixng a readable, non-jargon approach with real-world stories and wide applicability, the author's use of 50+ years of experience as a business owner, negotiation consultant, and teacher to convey the fundamental logic and strategies underlying negotiations. The results are more than convincing.



  • Draws upon 50+ years of the authors' relevant experience to teach leaders the logic and strategy behind successful negotiations
  • Connects research and principles to actual events via short vignettes and extended case studies
  • Features website tools, tips, stories, and video lessons on effective negotiating
  • Encourages the leader in every reader

Table of contents

  1. Cover image
  2. Title page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Preface
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction: The Alaskan Fishing Conflict—A Real-Life Negotiation
  8. Section I. The Mind of the Leader-Negotiator
    1. Chapter 1. The Case for the Leader-as-Negotiator
      1. Introduction: The Need for Leader–Negotiators
      2. Four Prominent Leadership Theories
      3. Explaining the World from One Point of View Is a Perfect Formula for Failure
      4. The Leader–Negotiator Diagram
    2. Chapter 2. Attributes of Effective Leader-Negotiators
      1. Introduction
      2. Three Powers of Effective L-Ns
      3. The Five Attributes
      4. In Conclusion
    3. Chapter 3. Systems-3 Leadership
      1. Dispelling Two Leadership Myths
      2. The Challenge of Where We Are: Do You Know What You Are Leading? Do You Know What the Context of Your Organization Is?
      3. The Three Organizational Zones: The S-3 Leadership Model
      4. Organizational Puzzles
      5. Zone Blindness
      6. Team Competence
  9. Section II. Identifying Assumptions using Effective Questioning (EQ)
    1. Chapter 4. Introduction to Effective Questioning (EQ)
      1. Introduction: Contextual Intelligence
      2. What Is Effective Questioning and How Is It Used?
      3. Is EQ a Solution for All Leadership Demands?
      4. Application of EQ
      5. When Solving Problems, What Needs to Be Seen? The Organization’s Root System
      6. What Is the Cause for 433 Organizational Failures?
      7. What Is the Importance of Questions versus Statements?
      8. Six Core Principles of EQ
      9. What Is the “Politeness Barrier?”
    2. Chapter 5. Using Effective Questioning Strategically
      1. Thinking and Perception
      2. Avoiding Oversimplification
      3. Generating Alternatives
      4. Two Interconnected, yet Distinct Components of EQ
      5. Data Collection and Classification
      6. The Nine Assumptions that Result in Thinking Errors
      7. Applying EQ:
      8. The Niagara-Medina Exercise
    3. Chapter 6. Win–Win and Win–Lose in the Leadership Zone
      1. An Introduction to the Win–Win and Win–Lose Philosophies
      2. So Where Are You?
      3. A Comparison of Competitive and Collaborative Organizations
      4. How to Implement a Collaborative Negotiation
  10. Section III. Negotiating in the Leadership Zone
    1. Chapter 7. The Power and Influence of Frames
      1. What is a Frame? Frames Are Mental Models
      2. Frame Recognition
      3. The Awesome Power of the Listening Ear: Six Frames That Filter Information
      4. Everything Is Context-Dependent
      5. Shifting Frames
      6. Four Frames and Reframes
      7. Rarely Is a Single Frame Adequate for Solving Complex Problems
      8. Review: One-Size Does Not Fit All
      9. Return to Kansas
    2. Chapter 8. Perspectives on Strategy
      1. The Bulletproof Leader-Negotiator
      2. So What Makes for a Successful Leader-Negotiator?
      3. What Is Strategy?
      4. Three Negotiation Strategies
      5. Overview of Negotiation Planning
      6. Strategic Advantages, Disadvantages, and Contradictions
      7. Multitasking
      8. Relevant Context
      9. There Are No Tactics or Strategies for All Time
      10. Twelve Conditions for Effective Negotiations
      11. The Three Decisions—“AIR”
      12. The Relationship among Strategy, Policy, and Resources
      13. Reality Check
    3. Chapter 9. Perspectives on the Use of Tactics-Refer to Appendix D: Thirty Tactics
      1. A Word of Caution About Selecting Tactics
      2. Selecting and Using Tactics: Six Important Considerations
      3. Evaluating the Use of Tactics
      4. Three Tactics to Overcome Gridlock
      5. Twenty-Five Alternatives to an Impasse
      6. Five Tactical Methods
    4. Chapter 10. Troubleshooting the Collaborative Process
      1. Introduction: Facilitating the Collaborative Process
      2. Enhancing Collaboration
      3. Perspectives on How to Facilitate Synergistic Opportunities
      4. Establishing Common Ground
      5. Balanced Power
      6. The Dilemma of Trust, Honesty, and Openness
      7. Five Approaches That Help Promote Trust
  11. Section IV. Managing Conflict
    1. Introduction
    2. Chapter 11. The Context of Conflict
      1. Introduction to the Context of Conflict
      2. What Causes Conflict?
      3. JABS—Judgments, Attributes, and Blame
      4. Reasons for Conflict
      5. Three Observations
      6. Seven Positive Outcomes of Conflict
      7. Dysfunctional Outcomes of Conflict
      8. The Escalation of Conflict
      9. Concluding Statement About the Complexity of Conflict
    3. Chapter 12. Diagnosing and Managing Conflict
      1. Introduction
      2. Overview of Six Conflict Theories
      3. Diagnosing Conflict Is Both a Science and an Art
      4. Personal Attachment Theory
      5. Seven Reasons Conflict and Suggested Actions
      6. Methods and Skills for Managing Conflict
      7. Three Keys to Understanding Other’s Perspectives and Their Positions
      8. Suggestions for Disarming Disagreements: Ask E-Questions
      9. Closure
  12. Section V. Hidden Traps
    1. Chapter 13. Closing Words: Hidden Traps
      1. Ten Traps that Influence an L-N’s Thinking
      2. Summary
  13. Section VI. Appendices
    1. Appendix A. Glossary of Key Terms
    2. Appendix B
    3. Appendix C
    4. Appendix D. Thirty Tactics
    5. Appendix E
    6. Appendix F. About the Author
  14. Index

Product information

  • Title: Negotiating in the Leadership Zone
  • Author(s): Ken Sylvester
  • Release date: August 2015
  • Publisher(s): Academic Press
  • ISBN: 9780128004104