Thoughts and Insights by Michael Gregory

How the Science of a Meaningful Life Can Impact Your Vocation

As we start a new year, it pays to reflect on how we make a difference in our vocation and what we may want to do differently with the start of this new year.  This article explains how.

Five tips to help resolve conflicts with customers and staff

As someone who concentrates on resolving conflict, negotiating winning solutions and inspiring leaders I want to offer you some relatively simple tips to help make the start of the new year better for you related to potential conflicts with customers and staff. You are not alone. Consider this commentary and reach out to mentors to explore how these or similar ideas may work best for you in your situation.

This is why trust and transparency matter with employees and negotiations

In business two elements can continually be at odds with one another. These items are trust and transparency. Transparency is clearly a good idea, but when is to much a bad idea? This article explores this question with employees and then looks at this question related to a negotiation.

Lessons learned from positive, negative encounters

This article summarizes lessons learned from interviews from 30 executives on lessons learned from positive and negative encounters.  We all can learn from these.

This is the way to enhance your reputation at the bargaining table

What do you think? Does a reputation for collaboration or for competition suggest an advantage at the bargaining table?  We both know you cannot control what others say about you, but you can control what you do and how you do it. You only have one reputation and once that is tarnished you are in trouble. So what type of reputation should you try to cultivate?

Will You Make the Right Decision When Deciding on a Contractor?

The point at which the buyer’s lowest price and the seller’s highest point are the same is called the reservation point.  Is that the only thing that matters in a negotiation?  I offer an example from a recent experience with a roofing contractor that I think we can all learn from.

This is Why Emotions Matter in Negotiations

Our brains are 98% and 2% rationale and yet we approach negotiations as if they are to be rationally resolved. This article focuses on your emotions and their emotions and how to address diffusing your and their emotions to focus on facts, issues, feelings and interests to work towards a resolution around particular issues.

This is Why You Need to Negotiate Your Business Career

You are responsible for your own career. Do you think about negotiating in terms of your long term career?  This commentary offers several ideas to consider as you think about what you are doing, what you want to do and how to negotiate not just for today, but for the long term with your career.

This is Why Values Matter in Negotiations

In negotiations the parties have positions and negotiators ask questions to determine interests, but what happens when the real underlying issues resolve around values? As a set of general rules it is a good idea to “consider interests and values separately, engage in relationship building dialogue, appeal to overreaching values, and confront valued differences directly” according to the consensus building institute. The link offers several good examples. I would like to explore these four steps with you regarding a personal situation of mine recently. Keep in mind not all situations have a happy ending.

Negotiations, the Brain and Stress Part II

This is the second blog with Part I having been issued October 23, 2017 at mikegreg.com/blog. Just the thought of negotiations can cause stress. More recent articles from neuroscientists provide some insights on what we can do to address stress proactively before, during and after a negotiation to minimize threats. Last week this blog focused on attitude, preparation and trying to be friendly. This week the focus is on clearing the mind of worry, balance and emotional charged negotiations.