Kwame Christian, CEO of the American Negotiation Institute, business lawyer and bestselling author, knows that mutual understanding leads to a workable path forward in times of conflict. He’s developed a recipe for successful negotiation, which he shares through his podcast, “Negotiate Anything,” and two bestselling books, “Finding Confidence in Conflict” and “How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race.” His recommendations: Diffuse strong emotions by asking questions to understand and acknowledge others’ perspectives to set a foundation for effective communication. Create a connection by listening well and empathizing and building trust. Then, persuade action through compassion, conversational leadership and joint problem-solving.

Todd Suddeth, founder and director of Equity Leadership Consulting, explains that knowing the difference will help you turn your interactions, relationships and organization into much more of a transformative versus a transactional environment. Suddeth and a Glenn College senior lecturer, said that while a manager works toward performance outcomes, goals and system improvement, a leader uses communication, influence, energy and motivation to show people why their organization’s mission is valuable. A leader develops trusting relationships, mentors and coaches people, and helps them determine how to best utilize the talents and strengths they have. It takes patience, he said, to do the hard work of getting to learn the people and the organization and then to use emotional intelligence and communication to inspire and lead with a shared vision so everyone moves the organization forward.

As the executive director of Cleveland’s Police Accountability Team, Leigh Anderson leads the city’s final implementation of its consent decree and ensures progress toward cultural change within the police department. Her team establishes strong relationships with the many collaborators among the U.S. Department of Justice, which entered into the consent decree with the city in 2015 when it determined the police engaged in excessive use of force; the police department; city entities including public health and community relations; and community organizations. Complicating the matter are issues of turnover, continuity and morale as the effort extends multiple years. She explains how she leads her team to commit to and accomplish the goals through time management, task prioritization, accountability and making sure she and her team invest in themselves emotionally, mentally and physically.