Problem Resolving

As a leader, do you have a process for resolving problems? 

Change the game.  At the Harvard Negotiation Project we have been developing an alternative to positional bargaining: a method of negotiation explicitly designed to produce wise outcomes efficiently and amicably.  This method, called principled negotiation or negotiation on the merits, can be boiled down to four basic points. 

These four points define a straightforward method of negotiation that can be used under almost any circumstance.  Each point deals with a basic element of negotiation, and suggests what you should do about it.

People:  Separate the people from the problem.
Interests:  Focus on interests, not positions.
Options:  Generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do.
Criteria:  Insist that the result be based on some objective standard.

From:  Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher, William Ury, & Bruce Patton
Published by: Penguin Books

Listening

As a leader, how well do you listen?

I believe we can change the world if we start listening to one another again.  Simple, honest, human conversation.  Not mediation, negotiation, problem-solving, debate, or public meetings.  Simple, truthful conversation where we each have a chance to speak, we each feel heard, and we each listen well.

What would it feel like to be listening to each other again about what disturbs or troubles us?  About what gives us energy and hope?  About our yearnings, our fears, our prayers, our children?

From:  Turning to One Another by Margaret Wheatley
Published by: Berrett-Koehler