Review of Eye of the Storm Leadership by Peter Adler

Originally published in the LEADR Update April 2008

If you want a thought-provoking, engaging and at times inspirational read then this is the book for you!

Apart from conflict resolution much of my professional time these days is spent working with private and public sector organisations developing leadership skills, so the title to Peter’s latest book immediately caught my eye. As it turns out, this book is not about leadership generally – it focuses specifically on leadership in the context of conflict. Whilst the content is directly relevant to anyone who works in conflict resolution, I think it is clear Peter did not have mediators alone in mind when he put pen to paper.

In the preface to the book Peter sets the scene for what follows – a direct challenge to us as mediators to expand our thinking. In his words:

“Mediators like to talk about “the field?” and “the profession.” Actually, much as we hunger to be taken seriously, we are neither. Mediation is a passion, a calling shared by many more people in the world than those who have the word “Mediator” engraved on their business cards. This far larger group of people have never been formally trained and don?t know what we are talking about when we slip into mediator-speak. Nonetheless they share the same emotional and intellectual impulses we have about the need to find agreement on important matters, the power of good negotiating processes, the inclusion of diverse voices, and the ability of ordinary people to forge their own solutions. ……It is not more formally trained “mediators” we need but rather a new generation of people who can make the obvious links between mediation and leadership without all the preoccupying yearnings for professionalization. This book tries to take up that challenge. ….. My highest hope is that some of the 150 ideas described here will find their way into the working lives of thought leaders who share the same quiet aspiration we have for making the world a little better place than we found it.”

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John Sautelle

John Sautelle is a Principal of PerformGroup. He is a highly skilled mediator, presenter, facilitator and trainer. John brings to his clients a deep understanding of their needs and the challenges they face in today’s rapidly changing world. Before moving into consulting and training, John was a lawyer in private… MORE >