Thoughts and Insights by Michael Gregory

What actions can you take to redefine collaboration now?

With Covid-19 various entities have had to redefine what is meant by collaboration in the workpla

Are women more ethical than men in negotiations?

Recently the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation provided an article on this subject entitl

This is how to overcome your conflicts

The Collaboration Effect® is all about connecting relationships, listening actively, and educating judiciously in order to build bridges to negotiate closure. This is a core statement. Although many blogs have been offered through this site relating to the application of The Collaboration Effect with the IRS, estate planning, exit planning, working with difficult people and in many other areas at my blog site, I want to take this opportunity to spend a little more time on each of these elements of The Collaboration Effect. This commentary is a little more detailed than any of the other blogs, but is still simply an introduction to the topic.

Exit Planning with The Collaboration Effect

If there ever was a profession where The Collaboration Effect® made sense it is in exit planning. Instead of individual specialists reaching out to a potential client wanting to exit a business, think about if they worked together and what a better result there would be for the client. This past week it was my pleasure to address the Exit Planning Institute (EPI) Twin Cities Chapter at the invitation of the Chapter President Julie Keyes and to meet the incoming Chapter President Mark Hegrstrom. I presented Collaboration for Exit Planners – Applying The Collaboration Effect®. They were very receptive and I appreciated their glowing recommendations. Here are some of the key points. We can all learn from this example.

Here are three keys to happiness at work

We are in stressful times with COVID-19, George Floyd, and work. For those of working, we feel for those that aren’t. For those working with kids in school there are many unknowns for this fall with virtual classes, being at school and hybrids. Those are plans, and once something happens parents will have to adjust to changes. With everything going on in our lives at home, in life and at work, what can we do to find more happiness at work? That is the focus of this article.

This is how to remain ethical with hard bargainers

With the advent of artificial intelligence ethics is taking on additional importance. The Harvard Program on Negotiation identifies five principles for consideration. Linda Fisher in her book, 7 lenses, Learning Principles and Practices of Ethical Leadership offers seven lenses of ethical responsibility. A question is how can these principles and ethical responsibilities be applied to negotiations? When working with principled negotiators the ethical principles and ethical responsibilities seem to be very practical. What about when needing to address hard bargainers that don’t seem to have principles and ethical responsibilities?

Here are three great ideas for addressing change

Research has shown that 58% of businesses reinvent themselves at least every three years. Think about that for a second. With Covid-19, one of those times likely for an even greater percentage is now. The question is how do you adapt? So, what should you do? These three suggestions from the Harvard Business Review are to flip conventional thinking. They are: Rather than “follow best practices” “share your failures” Rather than “if it ain’t broken don’t fix it” to “fix it anyway Rather than “control your assets” to “share your assets” The HBR article takes a look at these suggestions and provides you with some ideas looking directly at business results. In this blog article additional thoughts are presented for you to consider based on this author’s personal experiences. Both hopefully give you some food for thought from different perspectives to help you going forward.

Here are the three best tips to negotiate closure

Previously on this blog tips have been presented on how to negotiate closure, how to close a deal in a negotiation, and closing the deal – what is the impact on the next one. Reflecting on these blogs and considering that we can remember three things well, this blog priorities the three best tips to negotiate closure. In the end isn’t that what we want whether it be a sales deal, a business negotiation or an end to a conflict? My experience is, that is what the decision maker wants. In corporate America the VP’s may be only oriented towards their area of influence, but the C-Suite people want closure. That’s what business owners want too. So, what are these three best tips? Negotiate the process including benchmarks and deadlines Come up for air When needed bring in fresh faces

Here is what you can learn from a COVID-19 doctor applied to BV negotiations with the IRS and other parties

Recently an emergency room doctor, Dr. Lorna M. Breen, working continuous 12 hour shifts in NYC committed suicide. This was very sad and points out the tremendous cost this is having on our medical and first responders. The Greater Good Science Center at the U of California at Berkeley responded with a neuroscience article on How Can Doctors Stop Burnout in a Pandemic? In the commentary that follows I take that article and apply the lessons learned here to communication in a hard negotiation. We can all learn from this tragedy. In the end taking time to build connections, listen actively, and educate judiciously are needed in business valuation too.

This is how to get your productivity back on track

Here it is Memorial Day weekend. For most of us that gives us an extra day off. For many of us we are working from home and trying to balance life. This may include kids with school work, buying groceries, doing laundry, maintaining relationships, etc. etc. etc. With everything going on in our lives the question is are you a wonder woman or a super man? The answer is no. We are only human. We can only do so much. There are only so many hours in the day. We are never 100% productive. We all need down time. The question is how do we balance everything and remain sane? Understanding The Collaboration Effect®, associated with connecting relationships, actively listening and educating judiciously let’s explore what to do looking at ourselves instead of others.