Three Tips for Negotiating as a Social Impact Leader

Zachary Herrmann, senior director of strategic initiatives and a member of Penn GSE’s professional faculty, is an expert on negotiations. In collaboration with the School of Social Policy and Practice’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy, he is teaching in a new certificate course,“Introduction to Negotiation for Social Impact,” and launching a new intensive course this summer, “Negotiation for the Public Good,” which is open to non-degree individuals who apply through the Penn GSE General Admissions process. Ahead of those new courses, he shared some tips on negotiation practices for mission-driven nonprofit leaders, including those in education.

The term “negotiation” has negative connotations for many in the social impact space. For some, negotiation is an adversarial endeavor typically reserved for business contexts where the goal is to “win” a conflict and maximize economic gain. In reality, negotiation is far more expansive. We negotiate when we must rely on others to achieve goals, address challenges, or solve problems. Therefore, social impact leaders are negotiating all day, every day. Their success depends on it.

By thinking like skilled negotiators, leaders can strengthen their relationships, build trust, and secure sustainable commitment for ideas and approaches that address the diverse goals and needs of their communities. To do this, they can consider how skilled negotiators manage the process, build relationships, and focus on interests.

1. Manage the Process
   Rather than passively letting a process unfold, skilled leaders actively manage it. Consider a nonprofit leader who is attempting to address public health challenges brought on by extreme heat events in their city. Clearly, many individuals have a stake in the problem, including school leaders, community organizers, local businesses, elected officials, and city employees, to name a few. Where should the leader start? What conversations must be had, and in what order? When is it too early, or perhaps too late, to involve certain individuals or groups? Should anyone be left out of the conversation altogether? What expectations do these various individuals have in terms of what’s possible, what input they are entitled to offer, who has authority over ultimate decisions, and what happens if there is disagreement?

   While it’s difficult to fully answer any of these questions, what’s clear is that these questions matter. How the nonprofit leader navigates these decisions will have a significant impact on the outcomes of the process, the quality and comprehensiveness of the plan, and how people feel about it and their readiness and willingness to follow through.

2. Build Relationships 
   Negotiations take place in the context of relationships. So too does leadership. Whether those relationships are close and trusting, tentative and skeptical, or hostile and adversarial, the nature of the relationships can dictate what types of problem-solving and negotiating is possible.

   We know that trust plays a significant role in negotiations. In the context of trusting relationships, people may be willing to share more information, disclose concerns, feel safe to problem-solve and explore ideas, and engage in difficult conversations. These actions can allow groups to dig deeper into the complexity of the issues and build better solutions. When trust is absent, people may withhold information, be reticent to share ideas, keep discussions at surface levels, and be more inclined to walk away from discussions. Under such conditions, it’s much harder to build solutions that truly address complex problems.

3. Focus on Interests 
   Thoughtful negotiators focus on interests, not positions. A position is your stance on a particular issue, while your interest is the underpinning goal behind that position. Rather than simply seeing opposed positions as a stalemate or a win-lose scenario, two individuals who have opposing positions can begin to explore possible solutions that satisfy both individuals' interests. Consider a community foundation whose executive director and board chair are at odds with how much oversight the board should have on the strategic priorities of the foundation. Their positions are directly opposed; the board chair wants weekly in-person check-ins while the executive director favors a monthly routine of written status updates. Simply knowing the position of the board chair may reveal very little about their actual interest. What goal are they trying to achieve through the weekly check-ins? Do they want a chance to offer feedback? Do they not trust the executive director? Is it something else altogether? Depending on the true underpinning interest of the board chair, the executive director might offer different approaches that satisfy the board chair's interest, as well as their own.

   In most debates, we typically focus on our positions. Unfortunately, our positions may reveal very little about what we actually want. Therefore, effective negotiators ask questions that help them uncover the underpinning reasons behind our positions. They try to figure out the why behind the what. When we have a more accurate understanding of each other’s interests, we’re more empowered with the information we need to find creative solutions.

Social impact leaders face significant challenges. They’re often caught between competing priorities, engulfed in seemingly irreconcilable challenges, and must manage diverse expectations from a range of stakeholders. And yet, every day, leaders find ways to build bridges, solve problems, address inequities, and move their communities forward. By developing their practice as principled negotiators, leaders can strengthen their leadership practice through managing the process, building relationships, and focusing on interests.

Interested in Exploring More?
Registration is open for Herrmann’s classes now. “Introduction to Negotiation for Social Impact” starts May 7, and “Negotiation for the Public Good” launches on June 1. 

By Zachary Herrmann