Leadership and ManagementExecutive Decision Making and Negotiation
Executives decide with incomplete information under time pressure, and then negotiate the consequences with counterparts who are equally determined, which makes both disciplines matters of preparation rather than instinct. This course covers them together. Delegates work through framing a decision and the biases that distort one, including the sunk cost and confirmation effects that survive knowing about them, and structured approaches to choosing under uncertainty. Negotiation preparation follows: interests behind positions, the walk away point and the alternatives that give a party its real power. High stakes dynamics including power imbalance, deadlock and multi party talks are practised. The course closes on decisions taken as a group, where accountability blurs, and on reviewing a decision honestly afterwards.
Course objectives
- Frame a decision and recognise the biases distorting it
- Choose defensibly under uncertainty and time pressure
- Prepare a negotiation around interests rather than positions
- Establish a walk away point and strengthen your alternatives
- Handle power imbalance, deadlock and multi party negotiations
- Manage group decisions where accountability blurs
- Review a decision honestly after the outcome is known
Who should attend
- Chief executives and senior negotiators
- Procurement and commercial directors
- Executives involved in mergers, acquisitions or major contracts
- Senior managers representing the organisation in high stakes talks
Course outline
- 01Preparation against instinct
- 02Framing a decision
- 03Biases that survive being known
- 04Choosing under uncertainty
- 05Negotiation preparation and interests
- 06Walk away points and alternatives
- 07Power imbalance, deadlock and multi party talks
- 08Group decisions and honest review
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 to 21 October 2026 | Lagos, Nigeria | Classroom | USD 995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 28 to 30 October 2026 | Cape Town, South Africa | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 25 to 27 November 2026 | Maputo, Mozambique | Classroom | USD 995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 23 to 25 December 2026 | Online | Online | R6,500 per delegate | Register Now |
| 10 to 12 March 2027 | Gaborone, Botswana | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |