Mediation is so effective because it is collaborative. We have, however, turned it into an adversarial process: it’s us against them. In this game, there are never two winners, and that’s unfortunate. In mediation, there can be, and often are, two victorious parties.
Jim Camp is a financial negotiator who has helped people deal with the US IRS for over two decades. He says, “My first tip is that the worst person to negotiate for yourself is yourself. […]
If the parties return to work in the right frame of mind, the polarization of the workplace also dissipates quickly. People don’t need allies so much if they are not at war.
When we talk about empathy and a “safe” environment, we do not want to convey the idea that a mediator is a warm, fuzzy friend and therapist. Your mediator has a job to do, and part of that job is making sure everyone feels understood and safe enough to work towards a resolution. Keeping emotions in check, and using them to help further the process, is essential.
A LinkedIn survey found that, when it comes to negotiations, we’re a mess. Twenty-five percent have never negotiated in the workplace; only 37 percent of men and 26 percent of women felt confident in their […]
Have you ever felt like you were talking to a brick wall? Or gotten into a screaming match? If you answered yes, then rest assured – you are indeed human! You have officially experienced “bad […]
Winter’s coming, and you need someone to put a new liner in your chimney. You call that someone and get a quote for $2,500. You can say, “Sure, let’s do it,” or you can let […]
There are five phases of mediation, but it is not unusual to cycle back and forth between the different stages throughout the process. It is not linear, but instead a very fluid process – unlike a court trial, which is more rigid. This flexibility is one of the reasons why mediation is so successful.
“How do we fire someone and not have it come back to bite us?” While businesses may couch this question in more delicate terms, that’s essentially what they’re asking: how can we get rid of […]
Choosing a mediator is more involved than pointing to a listing in the phone book; how do you narrow down your choices and make the right decision? Here are five questions to ask any potential mediator to make sure you’re not only getting the best person for the job, but also the best chance for an amicable resolution.
