Crisis Negotiations for Business!

A question often posed in our workshops – what’s it really like to be a crisis negotiator; it must be scary.

Yes, it is scary because you are dealing with someone’s life. One wrong word or poor intonation can swiftly change a negotiation.

You have to think on your feet, any delay in reply can be turned against you.

In crisis negotiation, the stakes are life and death.

In business, the stakes are growth and survival.

Surprisingly, the principles are the same.

When I worked as a crisis and hostage negotiator, I learned that understanding leverage and risk determines success. Here’s the analogy:

• Kidnap Situation: The person is held against their will; the offender already has what they want. It’s volatile, high-risk, and requires patience, empathy and trust-building. Business Parallel: Negotiating with a supplier who controls a critical resource, if you push too hard you risk losing everything.

• Hostage Situation: The person is held against their will and is used as leverage to get something else. There’s room to manoeuvre, explore options and create solutions.

• Business Parallel: Deals where both sides need something, a mutual dependency opens the door for collaboration.

Five Strategies for Business Negotiators:

1) Build value through relationships when leverage is one-sided.

2) Expand the pie by introducing new variables for win-win outcomes.

3) Mitigate risk with transparency and phased commitments.

4) Separate people from the problem, protect relationships while solving issues.

5) Use principled negotiation to preserve trust and create value.

Bottom line: Whether in a crisis or a boardroom, negotiation isn’t about winning, it’s about creating outcomes where everyone walks away safe, satisfied and ready for the next conversation.

Want to learn more?

Check out our WARN International Business Negotiation Programme.

We turn high-stakes principles into practical strategies for your business.

Let's talk!

Did Men Always Hide Their Emotions?

Did Men Always Hide Their Emotions?

Out of pure selfishness, I am intrigued by the term 'masculinity' and how it doesn't seem to fit with who we truly are as people.

For the last 30+ years I’ve been working in wellbeing. It started with my own journey of depression which led me to a period of dark thoughts and ideations.

Why was I broken, why was I so weak, why do I feel pain in my heart, why do I often feel the need to cry, why can't I be more masculine.

In a recent keynote I asked the audience, 95% male, have you ever felt the need to cry but held it back? And it hurt. Deeply.

Immediately their faces changed, with a few tearing up. It had struck a nerve, or rather, it hit them in their heart.

We’ve been told for generations that real men put on a brave face, that we should suck it up, or worse still, to man up!

But here’s the truth: that idea is modern, not ancient.

The word masculinity didn’t even exist until the 16th century, while its modern meaning only took shape in the 18th.

For most of human history, survival depended on cooperation and care, not stoic isolation.

Hunter-gatherers thrived on empathy and sharing – anthropologists show that early humans lived in egalitarian bands where emotional attunement mattered for group harmony.

Evolution favoured cooperation – Sarah Hrdy’s (correct spelling) research on cooperative breeding and Kristen Hawkes’ grandmother hypothesis reveal that raising children required emotional responsiveness from everyone.

Medieval men cried, publicly – tears were seen as virtuous and sincere, not weak.

Even Norse sagas (prose) – famous for their stoicism, include grief and tears expressed through poetic codes.

The stiff upper lip – that is a Victorian invention, not a timeless truth.

Across cultures, emotional expression is shaped by social rules, not by biology.

Courage and care have always coexisted.

Could it actually be that the bravest face is the one willing to feel and openly show their emotions?

Or is this is asking too much given how far we have come down the ‘real men don’t cry’ path.

The overwhelming majority of men I have encountered who struggled with their lives is directly due to their inability to openly express emotions. To share how they truly feel.

I pose a question, for everyone, when you hold back your true feelings does it hurt inside?

Let’s talk!

“Every mountain looks impossible until you take the first step." – Lance Burdett.

“Every mountain looks impossible until you take the first step." – Lance Burdett.

Your load shapes you but it doesn’t have to define you forever!

Every culture has a moment in time that marks a new beginning. A time to pause, reflect, and to reset.

For many of us, the New Year is that point. It’s not just a date on the calendar; it’s a psychological anchor, a starting line that says – You can begin again.

But let’s be honest, starting fresh is never easy when you’re dragging baggage behind you.

For Christmas, I received this sculpture (refer image) of a person climbing a mountain, pulling a heavy weight. It struck me deeply. Because isn’t that life? We all carry burdens, some more heavy than others.

Most of us have faced a significant challenge in our life, often more than one.

Sometimes, that weight feels unbearable. Yet, if we keep moving, something remarkable happens: the load becomes lighter.

Not because it disappears, but because we grow stronger. Those struggles shape us into who we are today.

Most often it’s when the weight feels crushing that we realise something must change.

A new year offers that moment, a chance to say: It’s time to move forward.

We need not wait until we hit rock bottom, we can start to make a change before that time.

And when we decide to make the change, the load may remain, but it doesn’t have to define us forever.

Some will say, “You can change anytime.” True, but those who say this do not know what it’s like to carry your load.

For many, a symbolic point in time such as the start of a new year, can ignite that first spark of change.

So, here’s my challenge for 2026 to you - Make one small change. Then another. And another.

Small steps completed consistently create massive transformation.

Your mountain may be steep. Your weight may be heavy. Yet you’ve already proven something, you are still climbing.

Happy New Year. Let’s make 2026 the year of forward movement.

Let’s talk!

An Early Start: A Sign of Good Things Ahead

Yesterday marked my first day back at work for 2026 and what an amazing start it was!

I provided a range of coping skills to Newey Transport, a large trucking company in Northland, at their Safe Start Breakfast event.

This is the earliest start to our year since WARN International began 11 years ago. And with bookings confirmed into April, the year ahead looks very promising.

Of course, none of us can predict how a year will unfold.

Yet, after speaking with many business leaders, one thing is clear: the last five years have been tough with the last two exceptionally challenging.

Burnout became common last year. Not necessarily because people were overwhelmed with work, because they were overwhelmed trying to find work.

A major cause of burnout is a lack of control. The American Psychological Association defines burnout as physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes toward oneself and others.

It’s the result of prolonged stress and tension, often from extreme exertion or an overburdening workload. In short: exhaustion leads to cynicism and feelings of ineffectiveness.

But here’s the good news: we shouldn’t fear a busy year if the last few years were spent simply trying to stay afloat.

At WARN International, we promote a balance of being busy with purpose with setting boundaries, managing stress effectively, making work more enjoyable and aligning work with personal values.

2026 feels different, there's a positive vibe, almost as though we have all said - enough is enough!

I am reluctant to say that this is going to be a great year, how many of us have said that for the last few years?

Perhaps 2026 is a year of rebuilding, of reconnecting, and of finding our way forward.

Let’s make 2026 count.

What’s your outlook for 2026. Are you feeling optimistic, cautious, or somewhere in between?

Let’s talk!

“Every mountain looks impossible until you take the first step." – Lance Burdett.

Your load shapes you but it doesn’t have to define you forever!

Every culture has a moment in time that marks a new beginning. A time to pause, reflect, and to reset.

For many of us, the New Year is that point. It’s not just a date on the calendar; it’s a psychological anchor, a starting line that says – You can begin again.

But let’s be honest, starting fresh is never easy when you’re dragging baggage behind you.

For Christmas, I received this sculpture (refer image) of a person climbing a mountain, pulling a heavy weight. It struck me deeply. Because isn’t that life? We all carry burdens, some more heavy than others.

Most of us have faced a significant challenge in our life, often more than one.

Sometimes, that weight feels unbearable. Yet, if we keep moving, something remarkable happens: the load becomes lighter.

Not because it disappears, but because we grow stronger. Those struggles shape us into who we are today.

Most often it’s when the weight feels crushing that we realise something must change. A new year offers that moment, a chance to say: It’s time to move forward.

We need not wait until we hit rock bottom, we can start to make a change before that time.

And when we decide to make the change, the load may remain but it doesn’t have to define us forever.

Some will say, “You can change anytime.” True, but those who say this do not know what it’s like to carry your load. For many, a symbolic point in time such as the start of a new year, can ignite that first spark of change.

So here’s my challenge for 2026 - Make one small change. Then another. And another.

Small steps done consistently create massive transformation.

Your mountain may be steep. Your weight may be heavy. Yet you’ve already proven something, you are still climbing.

Happy New Year. Let’s make 2026 the year of forward movement.

Let’s talk!