Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

Leadership and negotiation skills play an essential role in achieving success. Yanuar Kurniawan, People Development and Learning Director at L'Oréal Indonesia shared insights on effective leadership and successful negotiation during a soft skills training titled "Leading with Influence: Leading and Negotiating for Success, held on October 25-26 at Djarum Hall Pertamina Tower and 8th floor of FEB Learning Building.

In this training session organized by the Career and Student Development Unit (CSDU) of FEB UGM, Yanuar explained that leading a team is a crucial requirement in one's career. Therefore, it is essential not only to develop technical skills but also to acquire leadership skills.

"When we start working, technical skills are indeed more important because we don't manage a team immediately. However, as our careers progress and we advance in our roles, we are expected to lead, which makes leadership skills extremely important," Yanuar explained on Friday (10/25) at the FEB UGM.

In front of FEB UGM students, Yanuar discussed the concept of situational leadership, which is the ability to adapt one's leadership style based on the personalities and skills of different individuals. In this style, leaders need to identify the growth areas for each team member and find ways to support their development.

Yanuar also introduced four types of leadership styles that can be adapted according to the development stages of team members. The first is directing, often used for beginners with lower competence. Second is coaching for reasonably competent members who still need guidance and motivation. Third is support, used for highly qualified members who still need direction and encouragement. Finally, delegating is appropriate for independent members working with minimal direction.

"This developmental diagnosis is essential to avoid mistakes in applying leadership styles. You don't want to give a delegating approach to a member who needs direction because it will only confuse him," he noted.

During the training, Yanuar stressed the importance of combining negotiation and leadership skills. As leaders, he explained, we must be able to defend our interests when dealing with others. He outlined five main negotiation styles: accommodating, avoiding, competitive, collaborative, and compromising. Each of these styles takes a different approach to achieving goals.

In addition to sharing negotiation techniques, Yanuar introduced the concept of the Zone of Possible Agreement (ZOPA), which represents the area where mutual agreement can be reached and the Best Alternatives to Negotiated Agreement (BATNA), which refers to alternative solutions when consensus cannot be reached. "However, not every negotiation will result in a win-win solution. That's why we need to think strategically and persuasively," Yanuar said.

At the end of the session, Yanuar explained several approaches to negotiation, such as rational persuasion, inspirational appeal, building rapport with the other party before negotiations, and a personal relationship approach. He also discussed exchange, pressure, and legitimacy approaches, where authority or position is used to influence the other party.

This soft skills training was conducted to enhance students' ability to become academically and professionally competent leaders. With a solid foundation in leadership skills, students will be better prepared to face future challenges confidently, enabling them to contribute as agents of change in their respective environments.

Reportage: Najwah Ariella Puteri
Editor: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum 

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