Mediation is a powerful leadership communication tool to smooth the way through disagreements.

Learning to successfully respond to conflict helps a leader learn that conflict can be very good for an organization. For instance, conflict can:

  • Help to measure unrest in a group of employees
  • Point out blind spots in programs, activities or policies
  • Measure the level of interest in topics or issues

A leader who recognizes these problems and becomes a mediator to help others work through their issues becomes a valuable asset to the organization.

It is important to understand some key ideas about conflict. A study of conflict by the Harvard Negotiating Project made some meaningful observations:

  • Conflict is a natural process, part of the nature of all relationships
  • Conflict can be managed through effective communications

Most problems begin as specks on the horizon, and leaders should not ignore them.

By taking action early, the small problem doesn’t become a big issue, or grow to a crisis. Take action using mediation to keep conflict from becoming an overwhelming problem.

Mediation is very effective. Even kids can do it. A peer mediation program in an elementary school in Lansing, Michigan, decreased the number of school fights from five per week to five per year.

Jack Pyle: The Face to Face Maximizer

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