SHOULD YOU MEDIATE?
Ever have the desire to yell "checkmate" when dealing with someone you have a conflict with? While that urge is human, there are many conflicts that cannot be resolved quite so easily. A mediator is like having a disinterested person remove obstacles on the chess board. That is what I do by providing clarity to participants through a creative, candid, and objective approach. Guiding participants to identify the source of the conflict, the emotions associated with it, finding common ground where it exists, and illuminating the risks, benefits, and possible outcomes, provides participants with the information needed for them to take the necessary steps to become the solution.
Some of the potential benefits of mediation are:
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Participants have much more control of the outcome of their dispute
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Settling disputes avoids the risks associated with litigation and provides a much faster solution than litigation.
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Courts and juries, not parties to a lawsuit, make decisions that impact the outcome
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Mediation is cost effective and efficient. Litigation is time consuming, financially draining, and emotionally exhausting
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Settling a dispute clears the way to living rather than dreading the unknown
In the words of the Rolling Stones:
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need!"