Well, this was tried in Pakistan. A fortuneteller who was friends with the Pakistani Chief Justice was brought into the mediation to help mend difference between his friend the Chief Justice and President Musharraf.
The fortuneteller should have known better.
Although the fortuneteller was successful in predicting when the Chief Justice would be removed from office, he had no such luck (?) in resolving the dispute between the Justice and President Musharraf.
There is a lesson to be learned in this, but one that is not often used in US mediations. The bringing in of a friend--or trusted advisor--to assist one of the parties in resolving the dispute. Having a trusted advisor, someone the party believes in and obviously trusts, can help break a log jam if the advisor will provide an independent assessment of the situation. The advisor can act as another neutral in the situation, but one with a track record that the party can rely upon for good advice.
Perhaps mediators should encourage stubborn parties to pick up the phone, call their friend (or other advisor) and see if the friend can throw a lifeline to rescue the resolution of the conflict.
The fortuneteller should have known better.
Although the fortuneteller was successful in predicting when the Chief Justice would be removed from office, he had no such luck (?) in resolving the dispute between the Justice and President Musharraf.
There is a lesson to be learned in this, but one that is not often used in US mediations. The bringing in of a friend--or trusted advisor--to assist one of the parties in resolving the dispute. Having a trusted advisor, someone the party believes in and obviously trusts, can help break a log jam if the advisor will provide an independent assessment of the situation. The advisor can act as another neutral in the situation, but one with a track record that the party can rely upon for good advice.
Perhaps mediators should encourage stubborn parties to pick up the phone, call their friend (or other advisor) and see if the friend can throw a lifeline to rescue the resolution of the conflict.
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