Does Being a Peacekeeper Mean you Can’t Have a Voice?

As a Business Relationship Manager, I am dropped into some of the most dysfunctional business relationships within an organization. One of the roles I take on is that of a peacekeeper.

Being a peacekeeper is not a bad thing. There is a job hazard of keeping escalations down, but not solving any problems. This type of neutrality allows silos to remain and potentially builds more resentment. The larger question is, how do I keep the peace and move the needle forward? For this to happen, you are going to have to show up as your best self. Keeping your focus on both the short- and long-range goals.

I have found that I am my best in this role when I am a strategic partner rather than a separated neutral party. Being a strategic partner means both listening to and honoring the individuality/uniqueness of the persons or departments that you support. Even if one department is your ‘hiring’ manager. Your goal is to always find the convergence of each parties’ goals.

For me, starting from a position of shared ownership helps me build perspective on both sides of the fence. If it were me, what would the value be? Each situation is different, so I need to go down my list of what the potential outcomes may be.

• Tangible or intangible?
• Qualitative or quantitative?
• Psychological value?
• What are the different perspectives to consider?
• What are the gaps between the two parties? Is one party negatively impacted?
• What are the similarities or shared benefits?

It helps when sitting down with each party that you have built trust. When you don’t have that, you need to ensure the person sitting across from you feels seen. This can be difficult because there may be moments when you must acknowledge that you don’t know something or that you are wrong. Showing this type of vulnerability in a discussion or negotiation can be very impactful.

In leadership, this type of accountability comes when you have done your personal work. You know who you are, and you know your value. When you can stand in your own truth, you can move forward with the work of facilitating and problem solving because the issue at hand is not about you. It is not about your ego. It is striving to make positive impact by being a strategic partner within your peacekeeping role.