Making the deal with Broadstaff's Carrie Charles

Making tough decisions and managing conflict are some of the hardest parts of Carrie Charles' job, but navigating those situations has fueled her success.

State of play: Charles, CEO of Tampa-based employment firm Broadstaff, was recently honored at the Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine's Business Women awards.

• Broadstaff, started in 2015, was named one of the fastest-growing private companies in the southeast by INC Magazine last month.

We asked for her best advice on finessing a major deal. When the stakes are high, how do you bring two sides together?

1. Ask questions. "Typically, the person you're speaking with won't give you all the information in the beginning. There's always something they're not fully saying. I need to ask them at least three times. Is there anything else? Anything else that concerns you here? Anything else that's important to you in this deal or interaction?

• The first time something might surface, the other times they go deeper. By the third time, they'll tell you what's deep inside them. ... to really get at the core of what they want, what they're trying to achieve and what concerns they have."

2. Create a partnership. "I'm a big believer in skin in the game. I do think it's important that we're in it just as much as they are in it. I always talk about the 'why.' It gives context to the other side, versus just saying 'This is what we need and this is it.'"

3. Leave them feeling empowered. "I want to make sure that person knows they're going to be taken care of, they're going to be a priority for us hands down and their priorities are going to get met."