In 2008, Mediate.com published Peter Adler’s Eye of the Storm Leadership: 150 Ideas, Stories, Quotes & Exercises on the Art & Politics of Managing Human Conflicts.
See the introductory video here
We liked Peter’s idea of writing a book on mediation as a leadership skill without always using the often self-referencing word “mediation.” Each of Peter’s fifteen chapters started with an inspiring longer story, then offered ten shorter ideas that any leader can use regardless of whether he or she is coaching a volleyball team or chairing a contentious meeting of the local library board.
See Peter Adler’s Author Page at Mediate.com
Watch video Interview of Peter by Colin Rule
There is a vast universe of ideas about leadership. Leadership in “the eye of the storm” comes down to this:
1. Apply Guerilla Tactics to managing conflict. Under the surface of every issue there are deep human needs. The need for safety, for continuity, for amity, and for closure and more are universal. In the chaos of conflict, the reasonable solution, the well crafted bargain, and the wise agreement will respond to these needs and acquire real traction.
2. Be Protean. To be protean is to be flexible. Check your ego and your orthodoxies at the door. The goal is suppleness.
3. Dive into the Fray. Most people either fear or love conflict too much. There is a middle way. Assess the situation and, at the right moment, become a small, tactical dispute-seeking missile and a guerilla problem solver. Pick the conflicts that have the greatest probability of advancing the greatest good for the most people.
4. Practice Paradox. Watch for key contradictions, polarities, dilemmas, and inconsistencies. Get comfortable with paradox and help others stay in the gray zone for awhile. If it is an either/or proposition, work both sides of the street. Invent possibilities.
5. Relish the Pragmatic. Cling to your ideals but stay mindful of day-to-day practicalities which can defeat or accelerate our highest aspirations. The combination of unwavering optimism and a hard eye on what must be done is a powerful leadership trait.
6. Assault the Problem. Frame problems as questions to be answered rather than wars to be won. Make the problem the common enemy and get all sides to undertake the attack together.
7. Create Process. Serve as architect-at-large but involve everyone else who has a stake to help design and participate fully in the forums you create. There is a great wisdom and collective intelligence. Your job is to uncork it.
8. Work Together. The spirit of teamwork is powerful. Set the example and play nicely with others. Then, help others do the same thing knowing that great teams are temporary and cannot be perpetuated forever.
9. Communicate Artfully. What is said and done in the heat of conflict is remembered. Use your greatest skill in private and public discussions. Help others communicate what their heart and mind tell them needs to be said.
10. Find the Facts. Information is a powerful transformer and information jointly arrived at is especially powerful. Clarity and factual understanding are the antecedents of smart deals. The greatest enemy of a good agreement is information that turned out to be missing, wrong, or misapplied.
11. Govern Lightly. Bearing some portion of responsibility for the destiny of the collective is an honor and a burden. Practice little politics and the big politics will work themselves out.
12. Hatch a Plan. The precursor to coordinated action is a powerful vision and a smart strategy to implement it. The inspired vision and well conceived, collaboratively crafted plan creates new beginnings.
13. Turbo-Charge Negotiations. Done badly, bargaining is awkward and frustrating, a sad tangle of bad process, irrelevant substance, and fractured relationships that produce bad results. Help others get to the finish line when their negotiations are in jeopardy.
14. Choreograph the Dance. Good conflict management is good stage-craft. Arrange a sequence and manage the process. Maneuver the pieces together so it all appears seamless.
15. Move Beyond Deadlock. Expect impasse. It is inevitable. It is also usually temporary. Breakdowns are not aberrations. They are breakthroughs delayed and solutions in progress.
Peter followed his work on “Eye of the Storm Leadership” with his 2024 Book “Calming the Storm.” Peter’s introduction to the book follows:
“If you are a leader—in any sense of the word—or aspire to be an effective one, the world desperately needs you. Perhaps you are an elected or appointed official. Or you run a library. Or you coach a Little League team. While leaders do many things, a major cornerstone of effective leadership is conflict management.
Filled with engaging stories and examples, Calming the Storm: A Leader’s Handbook for Managing Unproductive Conflicts presents seventy-five short and quick guidelines for getting past useless arguments and taming cranky issues.
Peter Adler brings decades of national and international experience that will be useful for all types of leaders in the public, private, and civil sectors who need to negotiate considerations, calm frictions, mend fences, and facilitate cooperation. This practical book provides a reservoir of ideas that can be used and adapted for diverse, individual situations.
One of my biggest questions is how Peter’s and others’ wisdom about leadership and teamwork can best be applied to better organize and grow the world of mediation?
Maxine Baker-Jackson talks about the conflict she felt in the relationship between nurses and doctors in the nursing profession.
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