dealmaker

Use when confronting a specific counterpart about a breach, violation, or adversarial behavior — situations where trust is already broken and the goal is accountability or resolution, not relationship-building. Not for giving developmental feedback (use feedback-coach) or building trust with new people (use rapport-builder).

Structures performance feedback using Radical Candor (challenge directly, care personally) and identity-safe framing to ensure feedback drives growth rather than defensiveness. Use when giving or receiving feedback, conducting 1:1s, preparing performance reviews, or coaching developmental conversations.

Use when you need to act on a known political landscape — building coalitions, persuading specific people, or maneuvering to get a decision approved. Assumes you already know who the stakeholders are (if not, use stakeholder-discovery first to map them).

Transforms negotiations into structured discovery using tactical empathy, interest analysis, and calibrated questions from Voss, Fisher, and Malhotra. Use when preparing for or conducting any negotiation — deals, contracts, salary, partnerships, or vendor terms.

Use when building trust with people who don't yet know or trust you — new teams, new roles, hostile audiences, or strained relationships where the goal is connection before any ask. Applies Tactical Empathy through mirroring, labeling, and belonging cues. Not for confrontation (use difficult-conversations) or giving feedback (use feedback-coach).