One of the most underestimated leadership skills in emerging markets is negotiation. And not the kind you read in books.
Early in my career, I thought negotiation was about getting the best price or winning the argument. Operating across emerging markets taught me something very different.
Negotiation is really about alignment under pressure.
In many markets, you are not just negotiating with one party. You are balancing multiple forces at the same time:
- Distributors protecting their margins
- Hospitals under financial pressure
- Governments regulating pricing
- Supply chains that are not always predictable
And sometimes all of that happens in the same meeting.
Over time I realized something important. The best negotiations are not about pushing harder. They are about understanding where value really sits for each side. Where can you be flexible? Where must you stand firm?
When both sides understand the economics clearly, negotiations move faster and partnerships become stronger.
In emerging markets especially, long-term success rarely comes from winning a negotiation. It comes from building agreements that allow both sides to keep investing and growing.
Because the real negotiation is not the contract. It is the relationship that follows.