As the founder and CEO of the Core Solutions Group, I spend a great deal of time thinking and speaking about mediation, negotiation, conflict management, leadership and communication. I am told I should write some of these thoughts down… so, here goes…
“It’s all about trust, isn’t it?” observed my assistant mediator in a recent mediation where property investors resolved a long-running dispute with their professional advisers, having incurred considerable legal costs. It was good to see …
“O, wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!”
I am writing this on Burns Night and reflecting on a recent conversation with an acquaintance. I left our meeting feeling deeply …
Gillian Bowditch’s description in The Sunday Times this week of the attack on a schoolgirl at Waid Academy in Anstruther, Fife, brought back memories from 50 years ago. In 1973, I became a pupil at …
Stewart McDonald MP (SNP Defence Spokesperson) describes the horrors experienced in Ukraine and articulates well the concerns felt there about any change in the West’s position, prompted by “extreme voices from the left and the …
I did something recently that I have not done for well over two years. I addressed a large conference audience – in person. Prior to arriving at the venue, I had flashbacks to early days …
It’s been a long time since I wrote a blog just about mediation practice. Other things always seem more important!
However, as I was mediating this week, a thought occurred to me about a rather imperceptible …
The Auditor General’s recent report on the construction of two CalMac ferries identified various failures. One critical aspect was the breakdown of relationships between two of the main protagonists, CMAL, the Scottish Government-owned ferry purchasers, and …
As a mediator, and therefore as someone predisposed to peace-making, the situation in Ukraine is deeply troubling. Is there a time when peace-making is redundant? We must hope not. The alternative seems too awful to …
On 9 March 2022 Reform Scotland published a paper by John Sturrock entitled 'Transforming Dispute Resolution in Scotland'...
"Introduction
“I wish we’d had this conversation a year ago.” This remark, or language expressing similar sentiments, is probably …
The escalating situation in Ukraine brings challenges to those of us committed to mediation and peace-making. Is there a time when what we stand for does not work and cannot be pursued? When dialogue, even …