Tag: Leadership Development

The Best Christmas Gift? A book on Hostage Negotiation
I have just finished reading a gift I was given for Christmas: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.

Voss was the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the FBI. You might wonder what a hostage negotiator has to teach a CEO or a Business Director.

The answer is: Everything.

In business, we are taught to be “Rational.” We use logic, spreadsheets, and “win-win” frameworks. But Voss’s core thesis is that humans are fundamentally irrational, driven by fear, and governed by emotion.

If you try to negotiate with “Logic” against an “Emotion”, you will lose every time.

Here are the three “Non-Rational” tactics I recommend every leader masters in 2026:
- The “Accusation Audit”: List every terrible thing the other side could say about you before they have the chance to say it. It “disarms” the tension immediately.
- Tactical Labelling: Instead of asking “Why are you angry?”, you say: “It seems like you feel this proposal is unfair.” It forces the other person to reflect rather than react.
- The Power of “No”: We are trained to chase a “Yes”. But “Yes” is often a trap or a politeness. Voss argues that “No” is where the negotiation actually starts. It makes the other person feel safe and in control.
As an Executive Coach, I see these tactics work where “Traditional Sales” fails.

When my clients are negotiating in their second language, they often get stuck on the “Maths” of the deal.

They forget that the person across the table is looking for Safety and Understanding, not just a 10% discount.

Negotiation isn’t a battle of wits; it’s an exercise in Tactical Empathy.

The Lesson:
Don’t “Split the Difference”. Splitting the difference is just a way for two people to walk away unhappy.

Learn to navigate the emotional undercurrents of the room, and you’ll find that the “Logic” of the deal takes care of itself.
27 January 2026 • 2 min read
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗲?

It’s rarely because they want to learn “better English”.

The executives I work with -leaders at firms like Airbus, Siemens, and BBVA- already know how to speak the language. They didn’t reach the boardroom by being incompetent.

They contract me because they are tired of feeling like a “diluted” version of themselves the moment they step into a global meeting.

They are brilliant strategists in their native tongue, but in English, they feel as though they are “𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸.”

They feel a frustrating gap between their Professional Authority and their Linguistic Fluency.

Traditional language trainers often struggle to bridge this gap. Why?

Because most have never:

• Managed a global P&L.

• Led a cross-cultural team through a crisis.

• Studied Business Management.

I don’t approach our sessions as a teacher. I approach them as an AC Certified Business Coach.

When we meet, we aren’t “practising grammar.” We are preparing for your next board presentation. We are refining your negotiation strategy for a multi-million-pound contract. We are articulating your leadership vision.

𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗱𝗴𝗲:

1. Executive Coaching: Navigating the real-world business challenges you face today.

2. Executive Fluency: Giving you the precise, high-level vocabulary to lead with the same authority you have in your first language.

If you are a leader, you don’t need more “lessons”. You need a partner who understands the pressure of the boardroom as well as you do.

Stop being a student of the language. Start being a master of the room.

23 January 2026 • 2 min read
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘂𝗿

𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘂𝗿”: What a Tunisian tea service taught me about boardroom silence.

𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱. I was wrong. It is what happens when nobody is talking.

I learnt this lesson in the mountains of Toujane, watching a Berber vendor prepare tea.

He didn’t rush. He didn’t fill the space with a sales pitch or “justifications” for the price of his rugs.

He simply poured the tea from a height—a long, steady stream that creates a thick foam—and then he sat in total, comfortable silence.

In the West, particularly in business, we are terrified of silence. We view it as an “𝗮𝘄𝗸𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗴𝗮𝗽” that needs to be filled.

When we state a price or a proposal and the other person doesn’t immediately respond, our anxiety spikes.

We feel the urge to:

• Offer a “pre-emptive” discount.
• Explain our “value proposition” for the fifth time.
• Ask “Does that make sense?” just to hear a human voice.

In that moment of “filling the gap”, we usually negotiate against ourselves.

𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙖 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙙; 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧.

When you stop talking after stating your terms, you hand the emotional “weight” of the conversation to the other person.

They are forced to confront their own thoughts, their own budget, and their own needs.

If you can’t handle five seconds of silence after naming your fee, you are telling the client that you don’t truly believe you are worth it.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱.

In 2026, learn to be comfortable in the quiet. Silence isn’t a sign that the deal is dying—it’s a sign that the other person is actually thinking.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹.

16 December 2025 • 2 min read

Emotional Intelligence

Team Leadership & EQ Audit.

Professional EQ Assessment

Discover your leadership profile and unlock your impact through human-centric communication.

Start Now Limited Availability

Tag: Leadership Development

The Best Christmas Gift? A book on Hostage Negotiation

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗲?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘂𝗿

Team Leadership & EQ Audit.