The Dear Accountant podcast is the ultimate mentorship tool: advice, stories, and career introspections from executives, leaders, and idea makers in the accounting industry. It's such an honor to have an opportunity to chat with Wharton Business School Professor And Author, Mori Taheripour, on all things negotiation, DEI and so much more. In this episode, we explored how bargaining with empathy, curiosity, and authenticity are the most effective tools for negotiations; and how her personal and professional journey brought her to write her book, Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly. Everything in life is negotiation. Life is a negotiation. We are essentially all negotiators.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
1. THERE'S NO PRESCRIPTIVE FORMULA FOR BEING A GREAT NEGOTIATOR. EVERYONE CAN DO IT!
Mori explains that negotiation is an art, without right or wrongs, that allows individuals to engage in an elegant back and forth for decision making while honoring themselves and speaking their values. Mori’s teaching style emphasizes that negotiations are not just transactional approaches; rather, negotiations build your reality. Discussing with your parents, your siblings, or your classmates are the soundtrack to your life, and they’re all negotiations.
2. THERE ARE A FEW HELPFUL PIECES OF ADVICE TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN IN NEGOTIATIONS
When in negotiation, it’s important to approach the conversation with a learning and growth focused mindset. What can you learn from this interaction? Apart from this, Mori explains that negotiations are successful when individuals focus on curiosity, humility, and open mindedness. Finally, she recommends making sure to share data when engaging in negotiation to bring an element of objectivity into the negotiation.
3. EMPATHY AND KINDNESS WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL
To be a successful negotiator, understanding that everyone’s values are really beneficial and will contribute to a successful resolution in the negotiation is key. Being empathetic, even with people you disagree with, allows you to lead with kindness while honoring your personal values. In doing so, you allow the conversation to be led with empathy, curiosity, and kindness, and will leave the negotiation satisfied, regardless of its conclusion.
🎧 To learn more about negotiation strategy, leading with empathy, or to find yourself a mentor in Cece, head to the Dear Accountant Podcast here.
🎙 “DEAR ACCOUNTANT" PODCAST is a uniquely insightful and entertaining podcast for aspiring young business professionals. Each episode is packed with actionable advice to help young finance professionals get ready for whatever challenge they may face next. Aside from all of the many cool things in accounting (technical topics and trends), we bring in industry experts and influential leaders to share their journey, insights and perspectives. We will also cover topics that were not taught in school - essential life skills such as personal finance, emotional intelligence, mentorship, networking, body language and human behaviors, and so much more!
💬 ABOUT OUR GUEST, Mori Taheripour: Mori Taheripour is a globally recognized and highly sought-after speaker, award-winning educator and negotiation expert who's worked with some of the most iconic sports leagues and Fortune 500 corporations over the past twenty years. Mori's work has been featured in top business and sports publications like Forbes, INC, ESPN and Wall Street Journal. She is a regular contributor to sports discussions on Wharton Business Daily on SiriusXM and was featured in ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary, Broke. Her current and past clients include Goldman Sachs Foundation, Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), National Football League (NFL), NFL Players Association, The Timberland Company, United Parcel Service (UPS), Wasserman, Wells Fargo, and the White House Fellows Program.
📖 Get the amazing advices from the 20 mentors in the “Dear Accountant” Book: The book offers a unique immersion into the lives and careers of 20 inspiring leaders in finance from different disciplines - their backstories, pivotal moments, career trajectories, and hiccups along the way.
🎧 Listen to Cece’s interviews about her passion and mission in writing this book and paying it forward to help young professionals to find meaning and fulfillment in their life and career: