Diplomacy: The Art of Mediation
By: Samantha Carter
Lawsuits, disputes, etc. — we will have them for life. Resolving them quickly and moving on isn’t so simple.
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The wrong-doer ALWAYS becomes the victim in their own mind. Instead of wisdom, they use the law of self preservation to attain results in a manner that often leads to disappointment.
Avoiding peacefully resolving a dispute with integrity can lead to all sorts of future issues. You do not want to create generational curses from doing others wrong or from compromising.
[Related: A Year-Round Guide to Self-Advocacy]
Here are a few simple steps to resolve conflict.
- Acknowledge the conflict.
- Do not allow it to control you or cause an outburst.
- Maintain control of your emotions.
- Write it down.
- Pray about it.
- Do not allow your energy to be eaten by trials and tribulations.
- Instead, command the resolution.
- If you are mediating: State exactly what it is that you are seeking, with calculations of the approximate damages from research and case studies or examples.
- Do not back down so easily. Do not allow a mediator to improperly end your mediation. (Not only is it unethical, but unprofessional.)
- Resolve the dispute, close it out IN CONFIDENCE. If you do not, it will become rumination and you will need therapy (whether that be ice cream or pie).
[Related: Nine Tips for Succeeding as a Woman in a Male-Dominated World]
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Samantha Carter is an Executive of the City of Fort Lauderdale.
Originally published at https://www.ellevatenetwork.com on April 12, 2023.
