A Word About Being President

In honor of President's Day, I want to relate my experience, after 2 months as the President of the Southern California Mediation Association. Unlike these gentlemen, pictured above, my office is not cast in stone. To the contrary, it takes the utmost in diplomacy skill, patience, perserverance and calm to be the President. I am learning that it is not enough to surround oneself with brilliant, motivated, loyal Board members. The office requires true mediation insight. Since that is the theme of this blog, I wanted to at least offer that insight here this weekend.

Diplomat meets Mediator for Sound Advice

The Association of Business Trial Lawyers put on an awesome event last week, where Peter Robinson, Dean of Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Robert Mnookin, Harvard Project on Negotiation, and former Ambassador Dennis Ross, Middle East Special Coordinator spoke on "Lessons for Mediators from the Middle East Conflict". What a fascinating account of the skills and insights at a world level! I particularly enjoyed Ambassador Ross's tales of how he attempted to seize control of the negotiations, by his deft timing, like-ability and keen efforts to gain trust from both sides, and his manipulation of the accountability, by negotiation of public announcements periodically during the negotiations as a means of "testing" the veracity of the participants. Bravo to those who put on this program, and to those who aspire to achieve world peace through mediation efforts!

Welcome to Schau's Mediation Insights. After spending an inspiring weekend last weekend at the Ojai Valley Spa & Resort with Erica Ariel Fox, of the Harvard Insight Initiative, and several awesome mediators from IAM, the co-sponsor, I am undertaking a new initiative of my own. Blogging!