About this episode

Scott Walker, a former kidnap negotiator, shares insights on negotiation tactics and conflict resolution applicable to business.

Conflict is not a dirty word. You don't need a trigger warning; you need to know the trigger better. Don't rush to solve the problem. And when you're negotiating, remember it's not about you. Scott Walker is a kidnap-for-ransom and extortion negotiator who's spent 20 years with a ringside seat into what makes human beings think, feel, and act—particularly in times of stress, overwhelm, challenge, and conflict. Over 300 cases across every major continent, and touch wood, every single person came back. That's a 100% success rate in an industry where the average is 93% (better than the All Blacks' win rate), and all those lessons apply directly to everyday business and life. In this episode, Scott reveals why 80% of his time on a kidnapping case was spent dealing with the crisis within the crisis (internal politics, egos, competing demands, silo thinking—not the kidnappers), why the conflict call with bad guys is essential (managing expectations when they want £10M but you're offering £250K), and the immediate action drill he learned after threatening grieving parents in his first case. He shares why most leaders spend their time dealing with internal politics rather than customers…

People in this episode

Host: Dominic Monkhouse

Guest: Scott Walker

Topics covered

• negotiation tactics
• conflict resolution
• business strategies
• leadership
• resilience

Keywords

• hostage negotiation
• business secrets
• conflict
• internal politics
• resilience

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Scotland Yard, All Blacks

More episodes of Scale To Win with Dominic Monkhouse

• Most People Overcomplicate Leadership (Here's What Actually Works) | E364 · April 9, 2026 · 1h 10m
• The 80/20 Deal Structure: Why I Never Buy Businesses Outright | E363 · March 26, 2026 · 41 min
• Think Big, Get Big: The Goal-Setting Strategy That Changes Everything | E362 · March 12, 2026 · 48 min
• Why Hiring for Skills Is Dead (Look for This Instead) | Alex Cooper | E361 · February 26, 2026 · 46 min
• Founder Bottlenecks, Leadership Lessons, & Scaling Without Chaos | E360 · February 10, 2026 · 46 min
• Why Leadership Teams Fail To Change (And How To Fix It) | E359 · January 30, 2026 · 58 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Scale To Win with Dominic Monkhouse podcast page.