Mediation is a confidential, voluntary process where a neutral third party (the mediator) helps people in conflict have the conversation they have been avoiding and reach an agreement they both choose. The mediator does not decide anything. The mediator does not take sides. The mediator does not give legal advice or tell anyone what to do. What the mediator does is create the conditions where people can hear each other, understand what is actually at stake, and find a path fo

Labels have always terrified me. Not the words themselves, but what comes with them: the fear of being mis-seen. Of having someone look at me and see the label instead of me. Of being reduced to a word I never fully agreed to.

U.S. companies spend more than $160 billion a year on leadership development. The global number exceeds $366 billion. That buys a lot of workshops, executive retreats, and 360-degree assessments. And yet, Development Dimensions International's (DDI) 2024 assessment of more than 70,000 manager candidates found that 49 percent cannot demonstrate effective conflict management skills. Only 12 percent showed high proficiency. That's not a "people problem." That's a skills gap on a

Research shows email tone is misread nearly half the time. Kimberly Best of Best Conflict Solutions, based in St. Louis and working nationwide, explores 20 years of studies on how text, email, phone, and face-to-face communication affect workplace conflict and relationships.