USM, PENANG, 11 January 2017 - Conflict is natural if we want to be a good leader in the future, because we humans interact with each other almost every day.

This was said by the Visiting Scholar from Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, Ulrich Kopetzki during his TED-style Talk entitled ‘Why You Should Negotiate Almost Everything’ at the Asia Leadership Conference (ALC) 2017 held in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) today.

He said, conflict will occur and it will come with risks and opportunities when it happens and as a negotiator, he also mentioned that in every negotiation, it will not only involve a winner and loser but there can also be winners for both parties.

"Remember that an effective negotiator is a good communicator and a negotiator needs good interpersonal skills to negotiate in a conflict for example," he said.

He added, when we learn or practice negotiation skills, we also develop other interpersonal skills which can help us in every aspect of our life especially as a leader.

“Negotiation involves looking towards the world from the eyes of another person, and in doing so, it helps us to build and strengthen relationships with people and know the needs of the people, hence providing us with the foundation of our personal empowerment to become a good negotiator and a great leader.”

Ulrich is a lawyer and a negotiation expert from Austria and has a passion for negotiations and for teaching students and professionals about how to negotiate successfully.

More than 250 participants attended the ALC 2017 today co-organised by USM, Sunway Education Group supported by Jeffrey Cheah Foundation and Asian Leadership Institute (ALI).

Text: Hafiz Meah Ghouse Meah / Photo: Mohd Fairus Md. Isa