Forgive me for the inflammatory title, but I wanted to get your attention. The truth is, they’re every bit as good as men, but many of them don’t believe that they are. You see, women have unfortunately been subject to system of oppression for a long, long time. And while we, collectively as western society, have come a long way in leveling the playing field, the effects of years of being told “You can’t.” are still being felt. And unfortunately that means that many women still truly believe that they can’t.
That’s why organizations like the WIN Summit are so important. Enabling and empowering women with the skills necessary to become great negotiators is noble work. Not just because it enables them with a great negotiation skill set, but because it enables them with the belief that they can can actually be great negotiators. This is the most important part of what the WIN Summit does, in my humble opinion. You see, negotiation is mostly about mindset. You can have all the skills and all the ability in the world, but if you don’t believe that you are good enough to use them, then having them is useless.
This week I was honoured to be an affiliate sponsor of the WIN Summit. And in the process got to record with some of the most incredible women leaders for the Negotiations Ninja Podcast. I also had the unique opportunity to meet some amazing people who are totally committed to developing women into great negotiators. It was truly a pleasure to be involved in such a great event.
And so now you’re thinking, “So what? So what, Mark. How can I use this.” The truth is that you can’t. This post is not about you. This post is about us. I truly believe that it’s our collective responsibility to build each other up. And so I am asking you not to take from this post, but to give. Learning about negotiation is great, don’t get me wrong, but teaching and empowering someone about negotiation is even better. So to that end, I would ask that you empower the women in your lives. Your sisters, wives, partners, friends, empower them with the belief and the skills to become great negotiators.