Coachamatic

A Middle Eastern man died, leaving 17 camels to his three sons. The first son was to receive half the camels, the second son was to receive one third, and the third son was to receive one ninth. They were unable to figure out how to divide the live camels fairly.

Eventually, they consulted a wise old woman for a solution to this conundrum. She offered to lend them her one camel. Of the now 18 camels, the first son took nine, the second took six, and the third son took two. One camel remained, so the sons gave it back to the woman.

This fable, told by Jay Rothman, author of Resolving Identity-Based Conflict, highlights two of the best reasons to hire a professional mediator before a dispute gets ugly or people think about calling a lawyer: Mediators are trained to look at a dispute in “outside the box” ways. And when you get assistance early, like these sons did, you reduce the emotional, relationship, and financial debris caused by ongoing strife.

Professional mediators help people get things done in conflict. We help people approach stuck problems productively and constructively so that you can move on with other important matters.

Not long ago, someone asked me what my biggest hope is as a mediator. I replied that I dream of the day when people call me early in a conflict, so I can offer a little help and they can move on with life, instead of the calls I typically get, which go something like this: “About 15 months ago two of our employees had a falling out and…”

Posted on Jan 3rd 07 by Tammy Lenski.

Tammy helps people talk out their differences and build stronger work and home relationships in the process. She does this as a coach, mediator and trainer and works with people worldwide. http://www.lenski.com

Other posts on Coachamatic by Tammy Lenski.