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…
The breakthrough in the UK’s relations with the EU over Northern Ireland demonstrates yet again that there is no substitute for conducting negotiations with respect and dignity, building relationships with counterparts, being honest and frank …
“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 …
“Our problem is there always seems to be someone else to blame. The tram inquiry is about to reach £13m. The other ongoing inquiry into the Pandemic will also cost millions. ... Huge sums of …
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 have been musing about what a mediator might say to President Putin given the opportunity. That led me to compose a letter a few weeks ago, with which I have since tinkered. This is …
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 …
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 …
The escalating situation regarding Ukraine brings a chilling reminder of the days of the Cold War which came to an end at the beginning of the 1990s with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
That Scotland and Edinburgh played a …
The recent death of Professor Roger Fisher of Harvard University, founder of the internationally-renowned Harvard Negotiation Project, has passed relatively unnoticed in this country. But for many of us who work in the field of …