Does anyone else feel this way? I start off with good intentions - I will exercise everyday, write a weekly blog, spend more time with my family, volunteer -- but I tend to get distracted! Life happens. I write this blog from Puerto Rico where I am deployed as a Reservist ADR Advisor. Did I know that I would be here the last time I wrote a blog? I had an idea as I had been in the interview process with FEMA and conversations were moving towards deployment.
While my goal of writing a consistent blog has been inconsistent, my career goals have fallen in place. As I plan for the ACR conference this fall, I am mindful of the many people who have aspirations to work in the alternative dispute resolution field and are frustrated with what feels like a lack of opportunities. Having landed in the ADR field nearly 20 years ago, I wouldn't have imagined that I would be sitting in a Puerto Rican Starbucks typing a blog for my own website in February 2018! How did I get here? Well, I think it is because I have been "consistently inconsistent" but with a goal in mind: to be an ADR professional. Earl Nightingale's analogy of a boat in a harbor, one with a captain and one without, and the fact that the boat will float either way. The difference is the one with the captain will get it to its destination. I have been "captaining" my career but I have been open to other co-captains, different ports, and even different "boats". While my blog aspirations fall short (and then again, maybe I should only blog when I have something of value to offer!), I exercise on a regular basis (the fittest I have been since I left Maui - I am a tropical climate lover!), I am redefining my family relationships by having meaningful conversations and FaceTime with them while I am gone, and I am balancing my volunteering time as ACR's President while working as an ADR professional 55 + hours each week. It looks like intentional consistent inconsistency works for me!
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In the early 2000's, I was new to the alternative dispute resolution field. I had been volunteering as a mediator for Mediation Services of Maui, getting experience and hours to both serve the community and build my own competency.
Many years ago, as an aspiring mediator, I discovered the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR). I was seeking connection and credibility as a professional. As a member, I received access to peer reviewed materials, publications, and most importantly - connection to what I fondly refer to as "my peeps"! In the early 2000ʻs, websites, teleconferences, webinars and virtual conferences were not commonplace. ACR relied on local chapters and regional conferences to bring practitioners and professionals together. Today, ACR connects alternative dispute resolution professionals, students, retirees, educators, arbitrators, mediators and attorneys around the globe with technology that is accessible and user friendly.
Statistically memberships in professional associations are on the decline. As the chair of the ACR Membership committee a few years ago, I was tasked to come up with a plan to build and retain membership. I investigated the concept of "association membership" as a whole. What motivates people to join an association? What are professionals seeking from associations? What is our competition? The following are some of the takeaways: 1. Association memberships use to be the only way to get trade materials, access to names of professionals and discounts to conferences and other resources. This was all pre-internet. Today we can access for free many resources on the internet, create our own websites to boost our professional credibility and publish our own blogs. Our audience and clients are not necessarily educated about the value and professionalism associated with membership. 2. Membership is not a requirement of a profession. Do you assume that your doctor is a member of the AMA or that your dentist is a member of the ADA? Well you know what they say about assuming... Many associations are not in the business of credentialing professionals; professional ethics can be set by associations but it is ultimately up to the individual as to whether or not they abide by them. 3. Associations have become more specialized: competition for membership has forced professionals to choose between complementary associations and their limited budget for association memberships. Membership with ACR does include an expectation of adhering to the high standards set forth by the Universal Mediation Act (UMA). States and jurisdictions can set standards of conduct for mediators; universally, many states base state mediator standards on the UMA which ACR helped to establish along with the American Bar Association. Associations frequently are the standard bearer for the principles and guidelines for professionals in their respective field. What association connects you to your "peeps"? Two doctors, who had been friends since college and now operated a successful business together, were considering expanding their practice and bringing on a third partner. They were being intentional and strategic in their process. The local business development director suggested that they participate in a Interpersonal Business Plan mediation to help them address their concerns and decide if expanding was the right direction for them.
We met for the first session, they agreed to commit to the full process, and include the potential third partner. There were tense moments and difficult conversations took place. Individual and interpersonal development also occurred, and at the end of the program, they had a clear understanding of what the next steps were in making this big decision as well as a plan for how to overcome challenges in the future. Fast forward several years, their practice has continued to expand and they have a solid reputation in the community. They are also able to do the type of meaningful outreach and work that is part of their vision; a vision that was supported through the work they did during the mediation sessions. If you are in a partnership or considering one, I invite you to review the Interpersonal Business Partnership Plan program found under Services. If your goal is long-term business and financial success, the investment of time and money for this program pays for itself exponentially. It is an investment in the relationship that is the foundation of your business, something that the doctors realized early on in their partnership. I am happy to talk with you more about the program to see if it is right for you. Call or email me! As a lecturer at universities, TED talks are a powerful tool to introduce and expand the learning of students. Admittedly, I think that I sometimes get more out of the talks than my students! My approach has been to select a theme for the daily lesson plan; I have some theory to share, an activity, and like to go outside of the classroom to give students something else to think about. For my leadership course, we were working with the topic of “motivation”. CEO’s and leadership are expected to lead and motivate both internally as well as externally. Think of the face of an organization you follow. Nike has Phil Knight. Adidas has Adolf Dassler. Microsoft has Bill Gates. Apple had Steve Jobs. If you compare the companies, they are basically doing the same what and how. What separates organizations is the why; why we are in business and what motivates those who work for or support the business. Enter Simon Sinek.
In his pointed TED talk, Mr. Sinek uses a flip chart to draw circles illustrating the difference between the what-how-why of organizations helping us to understand that successful organizations focus on the why. The why is what motivates employees and customers, and is at the center of the flip chart diagram. For example: what Nike and Adidas do is make clothes and shoes. How they do it is by being innovative in the performance wear market. But why do they do it? Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks, very clearly states the why in the mission statement: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. Doesn’t say anything about brewing coffee or serving up a Frappuccino. What Apple and Microsoft do are make computers and software. How they do it is by hiring the best and creating devices and programs that consumers want. Why do they do it? Why do we choose an iPhone over an Android? Apple’s motto is “think different”. Somehow this transcends to standing in line for 8 hours to be the first to get the latest iPhone or partaking in an interactive Apple store where techs far outnumber any sales person. Why are your employees motivated to show up each day at your business? You can probably easily answer the what: data process, make sales to customers, or assemble widgets and collect a paycheck. And the how of doing it: with the latest software, through presentations and with automated equipment. But why do they do it? If you can’t answer this, it might be time to consider what motivates your employees, your customers and your business partners. If you have high turnover or lower than projected profits, are not seeing the growth you expect, or don’t have the type of collaborative partnerships you envisioned, this is a strong clue that you do not know the why of your business and if you don’t know, nobody else does either. How do we appreciate the generation that we have to rely on to build and operate our businesses? A generation that has always had a computer (also known as an appendage), was raised by "helicopter" parents, and will surpass the Baby Boomers in size. We need each other so how do we have the important conversations to help us all be successful?
First, what are the needs? Do you need employees to be on time and work certain hours or do you just need to make sure the work gets done? Do your employees need to have a cell phone on the table during a meeting or does the culture imply that this behavior is okay? In order to understand mutual needs, maybe we need to stop making assumptions. Second, what kind of leadership do you provide? Are you accessible? Do you provide feedback regularly? If you are a Gen-X'er, you want to be left alone and don't need constant feedback. The children that were raised by the Gen-X'ers do because guess what, that is the world in which they were raised. So adapt your leadership style to motivate your employees. Conversations of curiosity with all employees will help to better build understanding and bridge what seems to be a vast divide. And if the conversation feels too difficult, there are resources to support your goal. Having arrived in the fall, all I can say is that Spring brightens up the disposition of everyone here in the NW! Portland has so much to offer and I look forward to continuing to build relationships and providing opportunities for all to feel the renewal of life through comprehensive conflict management services. Contact me if you are professional seeking a partnership or an individual wondering how the heck there could possibly be a "sexy side of conflict"!
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AuthorSunny E. Sassaman Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution Consultant Archives
November 2022
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