Partnership Agreements / Conflict / Dissolution
Co-founder disputes are a common business failure point. These conflicts can ruin friendships and are a major threat to your company’s success. When business is going up and to the right, it is easy to avoid addressing disputes. Inevitably, challenging times will trigger any unresolved conflict in the form of the four horseman that predict the demise of a relationship: defensiveness, criticism, contempt and stonewalling¹.
The success of your company depends on the strength of the partnerships at its roots. Professional mediation support will show a clear ROI by accelerating resolution and increasing conflict resiliency.
I can help you at each stage of your partnership lifecycle by:
• Facilitating partnership agreement establishment and modification
• Mediating point conflicts
• If necessary, facilitating graceful departure or dissolution
Mediation is an expedient way to target specific issues.
To build long term conflict resiliency, explore my training and coaching offerings.
Cross Functional Conflict / Employee Disputes
While every member of an organization has the same primary goal of promoting the bottom line, each business unit in a tech company has differing (and often conflicting) secondary priorities. Each role has different personality types that tend to succeed in those functions. No matter how much an engineer wants to see conflict as algorithms, emotions confound the issues. Add the pressure of tight deadlines and conflict is bound to erupt. In an organization that lacks conflict competence, this leads to wasted time, lower motivation and increased turnover.
When co-worker conflict surfaces, mediation is an expedient way to target specific issues.
To build long term conflict resiliency, explore my training and coaching offerings.
With over a decade of global cross-functional leadership as a senior product manager at Cisco, I have the skills and experience to help your company accelerate resolution and increase conflict competence.
Customer Relationships / Contract Negotiation and Disputes
Customers are the lifeblood of any company. It is imperative that your customers are delighted with your products and services. The price for failure is high - customer acquisition cost, negative press, and resource hours spent righting the ship instead of sailing it. Everyone says that the customer is their #1 priority, but words are cheap when things go sideways. Bringing in an impartial mediator demonstrates your commitment to your customer and accelerates critical issue resolution. Mediation is a quick and confidential way to help you resolve customer conflict and ensure that they are delighted with your products and services.
I have 30 years experience resolving complex customer satisfaction issues from consumer to the Fortune 50. I sold and negotiated multimillion-dollar contracts. I have created and managed services that have driven over $500M in revenue. I have the skills and experience to help you mediate complex satisfaction issues and to consistently delight your customers.
Work From Home
Prior to Covid-19, only 10% of US tech workers were 100% remote. Some startups are remote-only, but they are a small minority. Remote work offers clear benefits to employee morale, retention and productivity¹, but there are also risks to mitigate. It is imperative that companies rapidly pivot to tap the benefits and avoid the pitfalls. Covid-19 has forced the WFH transition on many unprepared companies and it is likely that a larger percentage of WFH will become the new normal. Such a large and sudden change will aggravate unresolved conflict and will trigger new conflicts. When co-worker conflict surfaces, mediation is an expedient way to target specific remote worker issues.
To build an overall business culture that avoids the pitfalls and capitalizes on the benefits of remote work, explore my coaching offerings.
I was a remote worker for 17 years at Cisco. I have managed widely dispersed teams and driven cross functional excellence with global programs. I know the risks and I know what it takes to succeed.
Technology & Startup Mediation Services
Conflict can be a driver for innovation or an expensive distraction from mission.
Conflict is the nervous system of any technology company. Innovation is fueled by the disruption of existing business models. Common conflicts in tech are well worn tropes: co-founder vs. co-founder, business vs. IT, sales vs. development, and support vs. product. The health and success of your business is directly related to how well each element of your business manages conflict.
With 30 years experience in technology—from startup to megacorp—I know how to effectively navigate these conflicts wearing each hat. I understand the interests, needs and communication style of each player. I am an effective communicator in the boardroom and on the whiteboard. I am especially skilled at quickly understanding business and technical models. I can speed your time to resolution and set you on the path of creating a culture of conflict resiliency. See below for the specific areas where I can help:
Employee & Volunteer Disputes
It is imperative that disagreements are resolved quickly to prevent them from escalating. In a nonprofit, unresolved conflict can have a major impact on mission fulfillment in the form of wasted time, lower motivation and increased turnover. In some cases, poorly managed conflict can lead to litigation. The costs are incredibly high. Some nonprofits will sink from the holes caused by unresolved conflict. Imagine if you could spend more time fulfilling mission instead of desperately patching the leaks.
With 30 years of business management experience, I can quickly understand your interpersonal dynamics and help your employees and volunteers resolve their disputes.
Mediation is an expedient way to target specific issues.
To build long term conflict competency, explore my training and coaching offerings.
Covid-19 Issues / Work From Home
The virus is putting tremendous pressure on nonprofits. It raises many workplace issues that can escalate into conflict. Physical distancing requirements, protective gear and sterilization protocols have all been hastily implemented. Some nonprofits have no choice but to have employees work from home. While remote work can have benefits to employee morale, retention and productivity¹, doing it right requires proper diligence and planning. Covid-19 has forced transition on many unprepared nonprofits. Such large and sudden changes will will trigger new conflicts and reveal existing unresolved issues.
I have managed remote teams, led major change initiatives and driven cross functional excellence with global programs. When the inevitable conflict surfaces, mediation is an expedient way to target specific issues. To build an overall organizational culture that avoids the pitfalls and capitalizes on the benefits of remote work, explore my coaching offerings.
Nonprofit Mediation Services
People choose nonprofit careers and volunteerism out of passion for a cause and purpose. That passion can be harnessed to fulfill mission, but it can also fuel heated emotions when conflict arises. Expectations for self-sacrifice and the ethic of service may conflict with the need for financial sustainability. In nonprofit organizations you are trying to accomplish much with scarce resources. Breakdowns in communication and trust can lead to non-cooperation and frequently escalate to a major distraction from mission.
I am a volunteer director for the nonprofit Conflict Resolution Center, where I serve as a mediator for the local Supreme Court. I have provided business and technical consulting services for several nonprofits. I am driven by a passion to use my skills to empower nonprofits to overcome conflicts so they can put more energy into mission. I can help you resolve conflicts in ways that take account of realities while staying true to core values and enabling staff to work together effectively in serving the mission.
See below for the specific areas where I can help:
Partnership Agreements / Conflict / Dissolution
A business partnership is a complex relationship and partner disputes are a common business failure point. These conflicts ruin friendships and are a major threat to your company’s success. When business is good and everyone’s busy, it is easy to overlook unresolved issues. Inevitably, challenging times will trigger unresolved conflict in the form of the four horseman that predict the demise of a relationship: defensiveness, criticism, contempt and stonewalling¹.
The success of your company depends on the strength of the partnerships at its roots. Professional support in the form of negotiation facilitation and conflict mediation will show a clear ROI by accelerating resolution and increasing conflict resiliency.
I can help you at each stage of your partnership lifecycle by:
• Facilitating partnership agreement establishment and modification
• Mediating point conflicts
• If necessary, facilitating graceful departure or dissolution
Mediation is an expedient way to target specific issues.
To build long term conflict competency, explore my training and coaching offerings.
Employee Disputes
It is imperative that employee disagreements are resolved quickly to prevent them from escalating. In a small business, unresolved conflict between co-workers can have a major impact on the bottom line in the form of wasted time, lower motivation and increased turnover. In some cases, poorly managed conflict can lead to litigation. The costs are incredibly high. Some companies will sink from the holes caused by unresolved conflict. Imagine if you could spend more time growing your business instead of desperately patching the leaks.
When co-worker conflict surfaces, mediation is an expedient way to target specific issues.
To build long term conflict competency, explore my training and coaching services.
With 30 years of business management experience, I can quickly understand your business and help your employees resolve their disputes.
Customer Relationships / Contract Negotiation and Disputes
Customers are the lifeblood of a small business. It is imperative that your customers are delighted with your products and services. The price for failure is high - customer acquisition cost, negative press, and hours spent righting the ship instead of sailing it. Everyone says that the customer is their #1 priority, but words are cheap when things go sideways. Bringing in an impartial mediator demonstrates your commitment to your customer and accelerates critical issue resolution. Mediation is a quick and confidential way to help you resolve customer issues and ensure that they are delighted with your products and services.
I have 30 years experience resolving complex customer satisfaction issues from consumers to the Fortune 500. I’ve sold and negotiated multimillion-dollar contracts.
Covid-19 Issues / Work From Home
The virus is putting tremendous pressure on small businesses. Unfortunately, many will not survive. It raises many workplace issues that can escalate into conflict. Physical distancing requirements, protective gear and sterilization protocols have all been hastily implemented. Some businesses have no choice but to have employees work from home. While remote work can have benefits to employee morale, retention and productivity¹, doing it right requires proper diligence and planning. Covid-19 has forced transition on many unprepared businesses. Such large and sudden changes will will trigger new conflicts and reveal existing unresolved issues.
I have managed remote teams, led major change initiatives and driven cross functional excellence with global programs. When the inevitable conflict surfaces, mediation is an expedient way to target specific issues. To build an overall company culture that avoids the pitfalls and capitalizes on the benefits of remote work, explore my training and coaching offerings.
Small Business Mediation Services
Conflict is especially damaging to small businesses. When worker or partner conflict escalates, the productivity of two or more resources is reduced. The smaller the company, the larger the impact of unresolved conflict as each employee makes up a larger percentage of the business. The health and success of your business is directly related to how well your company manages conflict.
With 30 years of entrepreneurial experience consulting for all types of business, I know how to quickly assess and effectively navigate small business conflicts. See below for the specific areas where I can help: