Wisdom and behaving ethically often overlap. But most often not always. In a mediation, arbitration, facilitation or when having a transformative moment with a transgressing client, ethics can go out the window for the professional peace builder. This is because facilitators, mediators, arbitrators—peace builders all—are human. There is the idea among Read more…
There’s a lot of negative social proofing going on right now. Some of it is transmitted through social media; some of it comes through more traditional means. Personal branding as a marketing term has fallen out of popularity, now replaced by the equally amorphous term “thought leader” which will soon Read more…
The tragedy of the commons is an environmental science concept that cuts to the core of two areas critical to organizational (and personal) conflict management. The first idea is that there are so many resources available—time, money, talent, etc.—that there will never be a depletion. Until there is. This conception of Read more…
I’ve been thinking about the depth of change, the nature of adoption and what it takes to move the meter. As I have moved from mediations (trying to show parties how they can repair a boat with holes in it that may or may not have already hit the iceberg) Read more…
In a physical emergency, triage is the best way to address issues. Originating during the Napoleonic Wars, triage divides wounded people into three categories: Those who are likely to live, regardless of what care they receive; Those who are likely to die, regardless of what care they receive; Those for Read more…
We are reading The End of Power by Moises Naim and it puts forth a powerful historically broad thesis. Moises asserts that power, and the wielding of that power, isn’t what it used to be. That everywhere, from governments to corporations, power is diffusing and becomes diaphanous, even as the Read more…
The same people and organizations that are afraid of starting to blog—for whatever cultural organizational reasons—are starting to become perplexed as to why their reach to fans and audience is plummeting on social media. Our advice is the same as before, but there is another piece to this equation as Read more…
I am not a fan of meaningless meetings. Part of the reason that I started this gig was to go to fewer meetings, not more. Part of the reason that meetings are so prevalent is that human beings are social animals, and even in the workplace, being social takes a Read more…
Here’s a simple calculation: Managing yourself + managing other people = a full time job. Don’t let people fool you. There’s plenty of full-time work out there. But there’s no pay. And the cost for failing at it is high. We underestimate the power of disputes (as a part of Read more…
There are savvy peace builders all over the place. Unfortunately, sometimes it is difficult to talk with people who understand what is going on, with you, your business, or even your approach to peace. There are attorneys who mediate and volunteers who have dreams. There are professionals in the Read more…