Say you dream up an innovative product or advertising strategy. Or you have devised a better system for paying bills at home. But when you present the idea to your colleagues, boss, spouse—whomever—you are met with resistance. Here’s how to head off opposition, before it gathers steam, by addressing the three types of resistance: “I DON’T GET IT” The individual or group simply doesn’t understand your idea. Perhaps you used the wrong language. Jargon may work in your department, but to those down the hall, it may sound like you come from another country. Or your audience lacks the background to understand the concept. When my accountant reviews my retirement…

Photo: Pexels Face it, you work much harder than you need you. Chances are you’ve had this conversation with yourself. The average workweek is over 60 hours and it is getting longer, not shorter. Remember back in the 80s when it was predicted that the average workweek would be less than 30 hours in the next 20 years? As if. Did you know there are some professions, especially in the tech sector, employees are expected to put in 100+ hour weeks? Even interns. This marathon approach to working creates a lot of stress and limit the quality of life. It also hinders performance, productivity, and creativity. Working a lot harder,…

Everyone negotiates at some level every day. You negotiate with your spouse about where to go for dinner or what movie to see, and with your boss about salary. Yet standard negotiation strategies often leave people dissatisfied, worn out, and alienated. A better way to deal with differences is called “principled negotiation.” How it works: Listen actively. Frequently, negotiators talk, but not to each other. Instead, they talk merely to impress third parties or their own constituency. Example: Following World War II, negotiations over the city of Trieste involving large delegations from Yugoslavia, Britain, and the US stalled until representatives abandoned their large delegations and began meeting alone and informally…