by Joy King, 2025 President, Women’s Health Leadership TRUST
Negotiation is a leadership superpower. For women leaders in health care, the stakes are exceptionally high. The ability to negotiate effectively can shape significant outcomes not only for ourselves, but also for the organizations and communities we serve. Nearly every day, we’re negotiating as we secure funding, advocate for resources, set strategic priorities or advance our careers.
Why Negotiation Matters
Women tend to negotiate less than men and often face higher risks of being perceived negatively, resulting in hesitation that limits opportunities. In health care, resources are finite, stakeholder interests are varied and the impact on patient care is profound, making negotiating with both confidence and collaboration even more critical.
Understanding your worth is foundational, which means being clear on the value you bring—your expertise, leadership, network and track record of results. You will strengthen your position at the table, project credibility and gain authority when you express your value during negotiations.
Actionable Strategies
Several strategies can prepare you for more collaborative negotiations.
- Do Your Homework – Gather data, know your objectives and anticipate the priorities of the other party. In health care, aligning your ask to broader organizational or patient-care goals can be particularly effective.
- Lead with Questions, Not Demands – Asking insightful questions uncovers what truly matters to the other side and opens doors to creative solutions, and shifts the dynamic from adversarial to collaborative.
- Anchor in Your Value – Frame your requests in the context of the impact you deliver. It’s not about “what you want,” but “what your expertise and leadership make possible.”
- Remember to Pause – Use silence to create space for the other party to consider your perspective. A well-timed pause may also prompt the other party to share more information or make concessions.
Bridging the Gap
On September 18, the TRUST will host Bridging the Gap: Collaborative Negotiation for Women Leaders, an in-person panel discussion featuring three accomplished executive leaders—Shawntera Hardy, Monica Engel and Margaret Anderson Kelliher. These women have navigated complex negotiations in both public and private sectors, and they’ll share candid stories, lessons learned and strategies that have made a difference in their careers.
Our Collaborative Negotiation conversation will explore these and other strategies, with real-world examples from women who have navigated some of the toughest negotiation tables. Whether you’re advocating for your team, your department or yourself, you’ll walk away with practical tools you can put into action immediately.
Negotiation is not about winning or losing—it’s about building agreements that move everyone forward. Let’s continue to bridge the gap!
Joy King serves as the 2025 TRUST President and is the CEO of the Animal Humane Society (AHS), one of the nation’s leading animal welfare organizations. Prior to AHS, Joy spent nine years at NMDP (formerly the National Marrow Donor Program and Be the Match), where she was Chief Advancement Officer and Executive Director of the NMDP Foundation. Joy spent 16 years in leadership roles at the American Cancer Society, ultimately serving as Senior Vice President of Operations for the organization’s Midwest division. Joy has served on the board of Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Inc.’s Emerald Foundation and Jeremiah Program. She has been recognized by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal as a 2015 Women in Business, Twin Cities Business Magazine’s Best In Class Healthcare Executives, Greenspring’s 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders in Minnesota, and Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives.