Thoughts and Insights by Michael Gregory

This is when you should walk away from a negotiation

When is it time to walk away from a negotiation? In short, when a trusted third-party advisor counsels you that is time to let it go. When mediation is not an option. When you are focused on sunk costs to recover rather than pertinent information now. When your focus is on fairness rather than objective criteria. There are many reasons why negotiations fail and why collaboration may not work. After all collaboration is hard. If the other party does not want to collaborate that pretty well ends the reason for trying to go forward.

This is What You Need to Know About Artificial Intelligence in Our Future

It was my pleasure to attend the CTI NACVA conference at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and hear a wonderful key note by Tim Urban on AI and the future. I wanted to share some of what I took away from his comments that I thought you too would find of interest.

This is How to Shift Your Thinking for Better Collaboration

In general, when someone comes with a question the typical response is to respond with an answer or what we believe to be a solution. This sets up a supply process for answers, but is this what is really needed? If we want collaboration, because that increases team work, reduces resources, reduces toil, reduces stress and increases productivity and therefore profit, there are three things to consider.

Want to Conquer Sleep and Reduce Conflict?

Focusing on conflict resolution and collaboration I have found one of the keys for decision makers to make great decisions has to do with having enough sleep. This blog provides two very good resources for you if you are having trouble getting enough sleep. With the right amount of sleep, you will be less irritable, and you will be able to see the world in a more positive light. This can lead to less conflict and help you see more opportunities for collaboration.

When You Foster Creativity You Can Produce Fantastic Results

Fostering creativity at work can produce some pretty fantastic results. This article focuses on creativity and offers some creative ways to promote this process at work. Last month I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Araela Kumaraea, an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota at the annual Conflict Resolution Minnesota Conference in St. Paul for mediators. She shared some ideas that we practiced in class. Upon reflection and a little research, I wanted to offer you some ideas too.

What questions should you ask about dispute resolution?

Dispute resolution may begin with a negotiation, move into mediation and could eventually require arbitration or litigation. Generally, most negotiations move smoothly and do not need to escalate to the other levels. In other situations, the parties may move to one of the other levels immediately. The less expensive and the least time-consuming approach is the negotiation without having to escalate to one of the other levels.

Awesome Advice for a Wonderful Negotiation with the IRS

Working with clients with issues at the IRS there are five steps to consider along the way. These are preparation, discussion, clarifying interests, negotiation, documentation of the agreement.  These five elements are addressed in terms of an IRS negotiation.  It is not always possible to have a wonderful negotiation, but these five steps can certainly increase the probability of success.