Improve your negotiations in 2016 with a cue from the Paris climate talks

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This is the latest news and information for workers and managers from across the Web universe, brought to you by Monday Morning Manager writer Harvey Schachter. Follow us on Twitter @Globe_Careers or join our Linked In group.

Take a page from the climate talks

Improve your negotiations in 2016 with indabas, the technique used to forge consensus at the Paris climate talks. The approach, borrowed from the South African Zulu and Xhosa people, encourages each party to speak personally, stating their "red lines" – thresholds they won't cross – while also providing solutions to find common ground. Quartz

Help employees to embrace change

Research by the Center for Creative Leadership found resistance to change by employees comes not just because the change is viewed as negative but also the sense of capacity – do they have the resources to handle it? So recognize the harm in taking away resources while seeking change. Center for Creative Leadership

Understand your role in the chain of command

Adopt the U.S. Army's two-up/two-down rule: Col. Brian Halloran says that when he gets an assignment, he not only needs to understand his mission but also his boss's mission – and his boss's boss's mission – and where his goals fit into those, so he doesn't unwittingly create a problem elsewhere in the organization. Kellogg Insights

Step away from your smart phone

Are you paying a smart phone tax, entrepreneur Seth Godin says? No, not to government but by embracing brevity over depth, and also filtering what you learn since in the "closed gardens of the smart phone" you tend to receive ideas you already understand from people you agree with. Seth Godin

Sell smarter with a tracking app

Tech writer Doug Amoth suggests considering a free sales app for iOS and Android, Sales Tracking Calendar, which helps you track them by average deal size, objectives, and percentage of sales calls closed, while reminding you to follow up on prior calls. Fast Company

Harvey Schachter is a Battersea, Ont.-based writer specializing in management issues. He writes Monday Morning Manager and management book reviews for the print edition of Report on Business and an online work-life column Balance. E-mail Harvey Schachter.