Like the waters of Great Pond, my approach draws from deep wells of insight:
- The work of the Harvard Negotiation Project (HNP) as outlined in the classic Getting to Yes (Fisher and Ury, 1981) as well as in Difficult Conversations (Stone, Heen and Patton, 1999) and Winning From Within (Fox, 2014) among other worksIn addition to applying HNP’s elegant and powerful models in my own practice, I have worked as a senior consultant and trainer for a half-dozen firms affiliated with HNP.
- The Conflict Resolution and Alternative Dispute
Resolution MovementsIt was love at first role-play when I was trained as a mediator in one of Frank Sander’s multi-door courthouses. I have mediated—and coached countless others to effectively resolve conflict—ever since.
- Chris Argyris’ Action Science (and the work of his colleagues and students)Particularly useful tools that enable people to explore their assumptions, skillfully ask questions, advocate for themselves effectively, and transform difficult conversations into learning conversations.
- Emotional Intelligence, most notably the work of pioneers Daniel Goleman, Paul Ekman, and Richard DavidsonImportant insights about the central role emotion plays in decision making, well-being, and leadership. Increasingly grounded in neuroscience with each passing year.
- Behavioral Economics and Unconscious BiasHuman decision-making is not nearly as rational as we once assumed. The work of Kahneman and Tversky, Greenwald and Banaji demonstrates that unless we work to consciously disrupt unhelpful habits of perception and behavior, we unintentionally make poor decisions and sabotage our best efforts.
- The Restorative Justice Movement, in particular the work of Ted Wachtel and the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP)Restorative processes repair harm in a manner that meets the needs of those harmed (as well as of the responsible party, their organization, and the wider community). I worked as a consulting trainer for IIRP for over a decade.
- Humanistic Psychology and the Mindfulness MovementI was trained as a gestalt therapist in my twenties, have practiced meditation for many years, and marvel at how well we do despite how wounded we all are.