Conflict brings opportunity. Be curious rather than judgmental. Seek the pearl that lays hidden in every dispute.

Mediation, as well as informal conflict resolution, empowers people to effectively and creatively resolve their own disputes in a way that best serve the parties involved. As opposed to litigation and arbitration where the emphasis is on winning and losing, and the decision is handed down from on high, as it were, mediation involves taking into consideration the other party as well, and collaborating in seeking win-win solutions. Most of us want to be heard and understood and particularly so when conflict arises, as it inevitably does in life, over and over. Before disputes can effectively be resolved the parties must focus on hearing things often previously overlooked. Ironically, the resolution aspect of mediation typically requires a fraction of the time taken to uncover the underlying resentments, issues, and interests involved.

Approached in this way, conflict can be transformed from something to avoid whenever possible into something valuable and curious that brings with it significant opportunity for growth.