How to Work (and Negotiate) With People You Don’t Like — From the Man Who United South Africa’s Enemies

Negotiate Anything

American Negotiation Institute

Education, Careers, Business

4.8 • 659 Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Most people think collaboration requires trust. Adam Kahane’s life work proves otherwise. In this episode, Kwame Christian sits down with Adam Kahane, Director at Reos Partners, a pioneer in facilitating collaboration between fierce adversaries—from politicians and generals to guerrillas and activists. Adam shares the powerful story of how he helped leaders on both sides of apartheid South Africa work together toward democracy, and explains why understanding, not agreement, is the key to breakthroughs. Learn how to work with people you don’t like, remove obstacles to real progress, and find common ground even in the most divided environments. Connect with Adam adamkahane.com [email protected] Follow Adam on LinkedIn Contact ANI ⁠⁠⁠Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ negotiateanything.com ⁠⁠⁠Click here to buy your copy of How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race!⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Break language barriers instantly by translating up to 44 languages in real time with the HP AI PC,
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0:14.0	Learn more at HP.com slash AIPC.
0:25.8	From LinkedIn News, I'm Jesse Hempel, host of the Hello Monday podcast.
0:28.9	Start your week with the Hello Monday podcast.
0:31.2	We'll navigate career pivots.
0:33.1	We'll learn where happiness fits in.
0:39.7	Listen to Hello Monday with me, Jesse Hempel, on the LinkedIn Podcast Network, or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:51.3	What if the key to resolving conflict isn't control, persuasion, or even agreement, but creating space for people to show up as they really are?
0:56.3	In this episode, I talk with Adam Cahane, a global expert in facilitating breakthroughs when the stakes are high and the trust is low. Adam is a director at Rio's
1:00.8	partners, a social impact firm that helps governments, businesses, and communities tackle their
1:06.1	toughest challenges. He's worked in over 50 countries, often in the heart of deep conflict, and has brought together people who didn't just disagree.
1:13.6	They despised each other.
1:15.6	Adam is also the author of six books, a member of the Order of Canada, and was named Social Innovation Thought Leader of the Year at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
1:25.6	In this conversation, he reveals the surprising secret
1:28.6	behind effective collaboration and why it all begins, not with control, but with humility.
1:34.9	And before we get into it, how do we know Adam's good? Let me read you this testimonial for his book.
1:41.1	Solving Tough Problems is a breakthrough book that addresses the central challenge of our time,
1:46.0	finding a way to work together to solve the problems we have created. You know who said that?
1:51.8	Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. And negotiate anything,
1:58.1	we're always trying to bring you the best. And Adam is one of the
2:02.3	greats. So if you have ever struggled to connect with someone who sees the world completely
	...

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