Strands
Leadership Wisdom Series
Speaker Bio
Session
Q&A
SPEAKER BIO
Jonathan Powell is the founder and CEO of Inter Mediate, a unique NGO dedicated to conflict resolution around the world.
Jonathan was Chief of Staff to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair from 1995 to 2007. He was the British Government’s chief negotiator on Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2007 and one of the key architects of the peace negotiations resulting in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
He is the author of ‘Great Hatred Little Room: Making Peace in Northern Ireland’, ‘The New Machiavelli’, ‘How to Wield Power in the Modern World’, ‘Talking to Terrorists’ and ‘How to End Armed Conflict’. Jonathan is also a member of the board of Save The Children International. His Leadership Wisdom Series session focused on chartering successful negotiations in tense and sensitive political matters, as well as top tips for effective conflict resolution.
Successful Negotiation
Jonathan Powell highlighted his experiences of ‘talking to terrorists’ by drawing on his personal involvement in various peace talks in Ireland, Spain, Colombia and Afghanistan.
Jonathan discussed the two factors necessary to building a successful negotiation:
1. A perceived mutually hurting stalemate - the objective is to make the cost of walking out of the negotiation, greater than the cost of the agreement.
2. Leadership – a leader who takes risks can be optimal as they will be more receptive to the possibility of change.
- Successful Negotiation Peace is rarely ever achieved at first attempt. Adopt the bicycle theory – you cannot stand still on a bicycle, you must keep moving forward.
- Always make the cost of walking out on a negotiation greater than the cost of signing an agreement.
- Try and avoid setting preconditions to a negotiation. This will only provide other parties with an excuse not to attend before they even take a seat at the table.
- Set a deadline – bringing the negotiation to land and preventing avoidable extensions is vital for success.
- Think about the choreography and sequencing of the process – how do you break it down into realistic yet aspirational targets?
Q&A
What words of advice do you have for those who share your vision of this sense of duty?
This is no longer something that is just for governments. Governments are even less inclined to accept mediations at all. I believe that anyone can contribute to this, whether you’re in business, politics, an educationalist etc. You can make a difference by trying to help people think about what has succeeded elsewhere.
What are the greatest challenges and opportunities to overcome the process of building trust?
Listening to people and demonstrating that you care about their concerns. Go to their territory when safe, build a trust – if you are a mediator and you get caught out in a lie, no matter how small, your credibility will be destroyed and your role will be redundant. Do not mislead them and do not be ‘too committed to the lowest denominator’ – you have to be proactive looking for answers and solutions to all issues.
What is your motivation to do the work you do?
I find it most interesting and most satisfying – especially when it works. Also, I have some sense of duty, I was on the board of Save the Children and after seeing the things I’ve seen of children suffering, I challenge you not to feel you need to dedicate yourself to do something to stop conflict. Children in conflict is unconscionable.
How can someone start a negotiation when one side feels they haven’t done equal impact/damage as the other side yet?
There doesn’t have to be a balance; there has to be a mutually hurting stalemate. Once you get to the negotiating table you are equal, you both have the same level of authority to accept or reject the terms being offered.