Why Leaders Need to Take Negotiation from the Boardroom to the Team Meeting

Leighton Wilks is an associate professor (teaching) in organizational behaviour and human resources at the Haskayne School of Business. With a deep background in consulting, Leighton knows a thing or two about what good negotiations look like — and what not to do. 

Negotiation is the bread and butter of how things get done every single day. Whether you’re figuring out who will empty the dishwasher in the office kitchen, or setting a project deadline with your team, being an effective leader and negotiator means shifting your mentality. 

Great leaders understand that negotiation isn’t about winning a single bout. It’s a daily leadership skill rooted in listening, collaboration, and value creation. With the right mindset, negotiation becomes less about leverage and more about building solutions that people are committed to — and reputations that last.

Negotiation is a daily tool, not a one-time hammer

One of the biggest learnings for many leaders is that negotiation isn’t just for closing on a house or making a sale, it’s the way they get things done in their organizations. 

“Negotiation is just a decision-making process where two or more people attempt to reach an agreement on something. We negotiate all the time, every day, in a series of small negotiations, rather than the big ones.”

Truly effective negotiations shift the focus from me vs. you to how can I accomplish something I couldn’t do without you? Leaders need to expand their toolbelt to look at negotiation differently, because as they say, 

“You need the right tools for the right job. If you only have a hammer, everything is going to be a nail.”

Shifting from a fixed pie to a win-win

There’s a crucial shift between ‘old-school’ managers and modern leaders and how they negotiate: knowing there’s enough pie for everyone. 

Distributive, or win-lose, mentality looks at negotiation as something to master in order to get the biggest chunk. But this way of thinking can be short-sighted and potentially destructive to long-term value. 

“The real a-ha moment is the shift to win-win, or the integrative approach. It’s starting to see opportunities where you didn't before. Win-win can be more difficult and require more creativity, time and effort, but if we can both walk away from the table better off, it’s an easy argument to make.”

The integrative method treats negotiation as a problem to be solved, leaving more meat on the bone for everyone. Seasoned leaders know that being cutthroat can ruin a reputation by taking short-term value at the expense of a relationship.

Understanding your why, not your what

A potential way to derail a negotiation is to miss why you’re seeking a solution in the first place: the “why” behind the negotiation. 

“Often when you look at the why, you can satisfy it in different ways than focusing on the what. I could think I only want a hamburger, but the why is because I’m actually hungry.”

When you understand the why, you open up many more doors to satisfy the need than if you focus on a rigid demand or outcome. 

Prepare, prepare, prepare

The best negotiators do most of the work before they enter the meeting; they never wing it or go in cold. Natural talent does not supersede preparation. 

“I use a planning guide to walk through the negotiation — think about issues, interests, strategy and the environment. A lot of the negotiators think about the outcomes they want, but the great ones think about the process.”

Planning helps leaders manage their emotions, which can lead to chaos if left unchecked. Negotiation is between your head and your heart, so anything a leader can do to be more rational will lead to better outcomes for everyone. 

Last thoughts

Leaders who are negotiation-literate have the opportunity to transform their organizational culture from cut-throat to collaborative, because the best negotiations happen when relationships are built, environments are supportive and people are listening to each other. 

“The foundation is trust — when you have that, it’s where the magic happens. You ask better questions, control your emotions and pick up clues and cues. Win-win is possible and is better for everybody.”

A simple check for leaders: did you truly understand what the other party was bringing to the table in your last negotiation? If not, we can help.