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…
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 …
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 …
At this time of year, it is good to reflect, to look back, and also to look forward. This is not always easy as we sense the clutter and complexity of life crowding in on …
Every now and again something happens to cause me to pause and think – or re-think. Recently, I had that experience at a small ruined castle in the heart of Scotland, near a lovely country …
I’ll start with a story. Bear with me as it unfolds. I’ll discuss the learning later. Here goes: The door closed behind me and I descended the stairs. I often take the stairs in hotels to …
Lawyers are as susceptible to errors in decision-making, and in giving advice to clients, as lay people, and this has a significant impact on the timing and quality of settlement of disputes. So we are …
It's one of your biggest ever mediations. The sums seem huge - to you. You could buy a small country with the cash. The stakes are high. The ranking of the principals is higher and, …
I commend the book Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley. It is one of those books the title of which might seem off-putting, but which captures well the phenomenal changes in the world of …
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 …
An interesting new Study of Medical Negligence Claiming in Scotland was recently published (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00394437.pdf). Its main findings included:
Patient grievances appear to involve an often complex and overlapping mix of concerns about communication breakdown, poor staff …