"Disinterested Parties?"

Recently, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been under fire for accepting lavish gifts from a wealthy friend. It’s worth noting that neither Moses nor the prophet Samuel ever asked to borrow a donkey on the slim chance that it might be perceived as leveraging their authority and prestige for personal gain.

Our Special guest this week, Sam Ardery, Mediator, Negotiator, Professor, Speaker and Consultant, will present on: The Justice Gene and the Problem of Righteousness

Sam opens up about his journey to sobriety and recovery.

"Meditating"

Sam talks with Max Bevilacqua and Gwen Krause, two international negotiation practitioners, about his experience as a mediator along with best practices for negotiation.

Craig and Sam discuss the importance of accepting yourself and how it will benefit you personally and professionally.

In this episode, Sam offers a look into the psychology that may be blocking us from reaching resolution in our cases, pulling back the curtain on what may be unknowingly preventing resolution. Do you believe trust is integral to a successful resolution?

Why is the next thing you’re going to say probably a mistake?
Why is conflict a mixed blessing?
Why do you double-down when you know you’re wrong?

These and other critical challenges to conflict resolution were discussed on the revered podcast “The Rabbi and the Shrink.”

Being right is really expensive and way overrated.  No matter how many times I chase or proclaim rightness, it often turns out to be a leaky vessel.

Years ago, while standing and arguing heatedly with my wife, Patty, in our living room, she paused, looked me squarely in the eye and slowly asked, “Would you rather be right, or would you rather be married?”

Not every conflict ends in resolution, and not every negotiation results in a deal. 

A young woman suffered an injury when she was a teenager, but we were mediating her case, after she was an adult. She was represented by two lawyers, and she also asked her parents to attend.  Over the course of the day, everyone was talking except for the woman who had been injured.

Driving around a packed parking lot at the YMCA one evening, I saw that someone was walking to their car to leave.  Stopping just behind them, I put on my turn signal to make it clear that I was waiting for the spot. I left room for them to comfortably back out.  When they did, just as I started to turn-in, another car swept past me on the left and took the space I was waiting for.  We nearly collided.