You're at odds with local partners over a social impact initiative. How can you find common ground?

In my experience, the first step to resolving conflict is active listening. — Take the time to understand the concerns and perspectives of local partners without interruption. — I believe listening fosters mutual respect and opens the door to collaboration. By listening carefully, you can identify underlying issues and find shared concerns.

It’s important that you’re curious and listening to understand, not listening to check a box or to get through a process. Understanding their point may help to shape your plans in different ways you didn’t expect

Difference is inevitable. How we utilise difference and conflict to unleash creativity and optimise impact is leadership. Leadership begins with listening and engaging with humility, openess, respect and wisdom.

A escuta ativa é uma ferramenta poderosa para lidar com conflitos e negocia??es, especialmente quando se busca uma resolu??o que atenda a todas as partes envolvidas em uma iniciativa de impacto social. Ao ouvir ativamente, você n?o apenas entende as palavras ditas, mas também identifica as emo??es, motiva??es e preocupa??es subjacentes. Isso permite que os principais problemas em quest?o sejam clarificados e que o foco da discuss?o se desloque para a solu??o, em vez de permanecer no conflito.

I prioritize open collaboration to bridge differences with local partners. Drawing on Fisher and Ury’s Getting to Yes (1981), I focus on mutual interests rather than entrenched positions. I apply this by facilitating joint workshops where we can transparently share goals and concerns. This approach helps us co-create solutions that respect local insights while advancing our social impact objectives, ultimately finding common ground that benefits all parties involved.

Local partners will always be best placed to understand need and therefore align activities to deliver outcomes that show progress towards social impact. Engaging with these partners, residents and other community anchors to ensure we are best interpreting what matters most in any particular project or initiative should help find commonalty in delivering, measuring and improving the impact we aim to create in the community in which we are working. Aligning the needs of local people, delivery partners and our own organisational goals can be challenging, but relying on local knowledge will always help focus on what is required to make a real difference to people's lives.

Align on common objectives that both sides want to achieve through the initiative. — Discuss long-term outcomes that matter to all stakeholders. — I believe focusing on shared goals creates a foundation for cooperation. By identifying common goals, you can refocus the conversation on mutual benefits.

I focus on identifying shared objectives to bridge differences with local partners. Drawing inspiration from Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s Collaborative Advantage (1994), I initiate open dialogues to uncover mutual goals. By articulating these shared aims, we transform the relationship from adversarial to collaborative. This approach allows us to co-create a unified vision for the social impact initiative, ensuring both parties are aligned and working together effectively.

The first step, knowing how to listen, makes it easier to find a point that suits everyone. Your posture says it all. From then on, the other side tends to start engaging and doing the same. O primeiro passo, saber escutar, facilita a busca de um ponto que atenda a todos. Sua postura diz tudo. A partir daí o outro lado tende a come?ar a se engajar e a fazer o mesmo

Be open to adjusting your approach to accommodate the needs and preferences of local partners. — Explore alternative strategies or compromises that still achieve the desired impact. — I believe flexibility demonstrates a willingness to collaborate and adapt. By being flexible, you can find solutions that work for everyone.

I embrace flexibility to find common ground with local partners. Inspired by Heifetz and Linsky’s concept of adaptive leadership (Leadership on the Line, 2002), I adjust our strategies to incorporate local insights and culturally appropriate methods. By remaining open to alternative approaches they propose, we enhance the initiative’s effectiveness without abandoning our core vision. This collaborative adaptation ensures the project is more likely to succeed with local support, aligning our goals while respecting their valuable contributions.

It is important to remember that looking for points that meet both demands flexibility, both need to give in. You may not get everything you want, but you can get very close and be the starting point for something bigger. Importante lembrar que buscar pontos que atenda aos dois exige flexibilidade, ambos precisam ceder. Você pode n?o conseguir tudo que quer, mas pode chegar bem próximo e ser o ponto de partida para algo maior.

1. Build trust: Establish a relationship of trust by being transparent, responsive, and open to feedback. Maintain regular communication and create a sense of security and reliability. 2. Active listening: Practice active listening to understand your partners' perspectives and concerns. Show genuine interest in their ideas and opinions. 3. Seek compromise: Look for opportunities to find mutually beneficial solutions that address both parties' interests. Be willing to compromise and explore alternative approaches. 4. Celebrate shared values: Identify and highlight the shared values and goals that unite your partnership. This can help create a sense of shared purpose and foster collaboration.

Establish trust through transparent communication and consistent actions. — Keep local partners informed and involved in decision-making to foster a sense of ownership. — I believe trust is key to long-term partnerships. By building trust, you create a more collaborative and supportive environment.

I build trust to find common ground with local partners. Drawing on Stephen M.R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust (2006), I prioritize transparency about our intentions and actively respond to their input. I establish clear communication channels and maintain regular contact to foster reliability and security. By cultivating trust, we create an environment where honest dialogue thrives, enabling us to work collaboratively towards our shared social impact goals.

Certainly, trust is the next step and it will be as well built as the previous step is well executed. This will be the foundation of the relationship, the basis that will guarantee the smooth progress of the project and reduce the likelihood of it being interrupted along the way. De certo que a confian?a é o próximo passo e ela será t?o bem construída quanto bem executado for o passo anterior. Este será o alicerce da rela??o, a base que vai garantir o bom andamento do projeto e reduzir a probabilidade dele ser interrompido no meio do caminho.

The relationship is more important than the issues is an unknown quote that I often refer to and try to live by as a social impact entrepreneur. And building relationships takes time. You need to show that you’re willing to listen, that you understand the values of your local partner and that your values are in fact aligned. You need to build trust by being trustworthy and transparent. Where there is no relationship based on shared values, chances are that cracks will start to appear sooner than later.

Identify key individuals within the local partner network who can advocate for your initiative. — Leverage their influence to gain buy-in from others and bridge gaps in understanding. — I believe that champions can be pivotal in driving consensus. By engaging trusted voices, you can foster broader support for the initiative.

Spend time on the ground, get your hands dirty, listen to the stories, share a meal, get different opinions and views. And remember that your champions are not always the obvious ones based on status and positions. It might be the 2nd chair leader, the quiet influencers.

The idea of using champions is increasingly true in a world full of influencers. If you're not in the market, it can be difficult to separate the real champions from the ones that look like champions. But once this is done accurately, the process can be greatly accelerated and the result surprising. Look for local ambassadors, who may not have the popularity and legion of followers as a digital influencer, but who for that specific market are the voice that everyone listens to and trusts.

Work together to develop a clear, actionable plan that incorporates the interests of all parties. — Define roles, responsibilities, and timelines to ensure accountability. — I believe joint planning ensures that everyone is aligned and committed. By creating a shared plan, you formalize agreements and keep everyone focused on the common goal.

Its important to lay out exact roles and responsibilities for each party so there is no conflict or issues. You want a rock solid plan that everyone understands and can work off of with no confusion.