When underconfident negotiators engage in behaviors like making hesitant requests, settling too quickly, or missing advantageous trade-offs, they limit their own success ' and their potential to improve. Leaders can help team members develop advanced skills for the negotiating table and, in the process, grow their confidence. Follow three approaches for improving negotiation skills, and learn the five questions everyone should be able to answer before launching a negotiation. Anxiety and low confidence are two of the most common feelings people experience during negotiations ' just the thought of negotiating can send many people spinning. These reactions can cause people to preemptively throw in the towel and engage in behaviors that end up being self-sabotaging, including making lower first offers, responding too quickly to offers, and settling for too little, research shows. A lack of negotiation skills means missed chances and missteps, both for the individual and their company. If you ask a random sample of people what makes someone a successful negotiator, many of them will add what are typically seen as traditional 'male' traits to the list: strength, dominance, assertiveness, and rationality. Feeling like you lack those traits can lead to self-doubt. But research shows that when negotiators appreciate communication skills, listening skills, and insight as strong and effective tools, it raises their level of performance. This understanding can help unlock an underconfident negotiator's true ability to be successful....
The move comes as Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Burger King, advances a broader restructuring of its Asian operations. Last week, the company agreed to sell an 83% stake in Burger King China to Chinese private equity firm CPE for $350m. RBI will keep a 17% stake and retain a board seat. Western restaurant chains are increasingly turning to domestic private equity partners in China as consumer spending weakens and global investors become more cautious. Starbucks recently agreed to sell a 60% stake in its China arm to Boyu Capital, a firm linked to Alvin Jiang. Burger King China operated 1,474 restaurants at the end of 2024, making it RBI's largest global market. However, average sales were about $400,000 per store, far below markets such as France, where locations generated $3.8m. Subscribe to our Newsletter to increase your edge. Don't worry about the news anymore, through our newsletter you'll receive weekly access to what is happening. Join 120,000 other PE professionals today....
Adapted from the November-December 2025 edition of our print magazine, this roundup features some of the latest findings from academia, consultancies, and other research entities'and details how those findings might impact your company. Topics cover corporate strategy, employee engagement, deal making, and more....
Perpetual confirmed the exclusivity agreement on Wednesday, emphasising that discussions are ongoing and no final transaction has yet been agreed. Shares in Perpetual fell 0.7% following the announcement and are down around 5% year-to-date. The move follows the collapse of Perpetual's previous deal with KKR to sell its wealth and corporate trust units. The Sydney-based firm has since focused on selling only the wealth management arm, which had also attracted interest from Oaktree Capital Management. Australia's rapidly expanding wealth and pensions industries continue to draw global private equity interest. In recent months, CC Capital and One Investment Management agreed to acquire Insignia Financial for A$3.3bn ($2.1bn), while Swedish private equity firm EQT made a A$5.2bn ($3.4bn) bid for insurance broker AUB Group. If successful, Bain's acquisition would mark another major entry by an international private equity firm into Australia's financial services sector, underscoring the strong global appetite for exposure to the country's growing wealth management market....
