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Leading Through Conflict: How Successful Leaders Transform Differences into Opportunities

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Leading Through Conflict: How Successful Leaders Transform Differences Into Opportunities is an outstanding presentation of the business leadership ideas of Mark Gerzon (President of Mediators Foundation). Showcasing his experience-based approaches to creating a more productive and confluent environment throughout for corporate managers and administrators engaged in an organizational struggle or situational conflict, Leading Through Conflict offers an expert commentary on the three principle forms of leadership (demagogue, manager, mediator), and eight principle tools used in mediation for conflict resolution, Leading Through Conflict is very highly recommended as an expert study into handling conflict any business or any other type of organizational setting.

Mark Gerzon's Leading Through Conflict is a primer for leaders interested in developing eight clearly-defined competencies that are required for effective leadership in any situation. Because of Gerzon's international consciousness and life experience, he is able to crisply distill the essential factors a leader must grapple with in order to get agreement. While you may have heard some of these competencies before--such as systems thinking, inquiry, or bridging--it is the way Gerzon positions and integrates these concepts that gives this book its unique value add. Moreover, the author includes and explicitly describes five to six tips for actually practicing each of these competencies. This book is so valuable that I not only use it in all of my leadership development classes, but I also provide it to every executive and leader I coach. Despite its depth of insight, this book is easy to read, but it is the type of book a leader will want to read several times. The book's numerous embedded pearls of wisdom, due in part to Gerzon's anecdotes ranging from local school board meetings to the World Economic Forum, are points that leaders will want to remember as they face conflicts every day.

We highly recommend this outstanding contribution to the literature of leadership. Author Mark Gerzon offers not just a how-to guide for resolving conflict, but a handbook for changing the way leaders think about it. The author doesn't fear being opinionated and is clearly an idealist. Yet, his idealism is strongly grounded in, though not limited by, the practical. This is a guide to action, not a theoretical discourse. Many of the tools Gerzon identifies and describes have much broader application than just organizational conflict management. Indeed, leaders who thoroughly master such mental dispositions as "integral vision" and "presence" can do more than solve conflicts; they can help prevent them.

In this work, Mark Gerzon presents what he views as the three faces of leadership (the demagogue, the manager, and the mediator), followed by a discussion of eight leadership tools for the mediator: integral vision, systems thinking, presence, inquiry, conscious conversation, dialogue, bridging, and innovation. The author states at the outset in his introduction that he wrote this book because "although conflict is built into our commercial and civic institutions, the skills for dealing with it are rarely taught". According to Gerzon, the demagogue "leads through fear, threats, and intimidation", "turns opponents into scapegoats", "uses lies and propaganda to dehumanize the other", and "resorts to violence to dominate or destroy the other". The author admittedly refers to extreme demagogues in order that this archetype be contrasted with the other two within the discussion, and although some of the individuals chosen are a bit tiresome, he makes his points well. The manager "operates based on an exclusive, limited definition of 'us'", "defines purpose in terms of the self-interest of his or her own group", "cannot or will not deal with issues, decisions, or conflicts that cross boundaries", and "is productive and effective only on home turf". It is within his discussion on managers that Gerzon starts to introduce small case study scenarios to illustrate the concepts being presented, and the remaining chapters follow this instructive pattern. The mediator "strives to act on behalf of the whole, not just a part", "thinks systematically and is committed to ongoing learning", "builds trust by building bridges across the dividing lines", and "seeks innovation and opportunity in order to transform conflict". The remaining chapters that focus on the eight leadership tools each conclude with several pages of tips that discuss how to apply what the author presents. For example, the first tool chapter, on integral vision, presents the following tips: "check your vision", "don't replace one border with another", "watch your language", "go to the balcony", "develop maturity of mind", and "learn to see through walls". In my opinion, the chapter on conscious conversation is especially well written. Included in this chapter is Table 8-1 which presents the eight forms of discourse (verbal brawling, debate, presentation/Q&A, discussion, negotiation, council, dialogue, and reflective silence), Figure 8-3 which presents ground rules to create a safe environment for open conversation, and Figure 8-4 which maps the forms of discourse to the demagogue, manager, and mediator. The chapter on dialogue furthers the discussion on discourse by its inclusion of Table 9-1, which compares debate and dialogue. Interestingly enough, the appendix was included for "all of us who lose our tempers" and for "those calmer souls who have to deal with people like us". Essentially, the appendix provides, in just 9 pages, some succinct principles for situations where time is of the essence. My only real criticism of this book is that the author evidently is not concerned about sharing his political bias within a discussion where one would think such bias would be a little less transparent. After a while, this bias gets a bit tiresome, much like his examples in the first chapter, but because this text was so well thought out this quality does not detract from the substance of the book.

The book uses modern examples of how Leaders should think like Moderators.
Its a very quick read, and the examples give you real world ideas about how to apply the principles to your own situations.

A good skill set for any leader is how to manage conflict. It is something all leaders will face. The book helps in understanding how to lead through the challenges that often arise with conflict. One thing worth noting is conflict and leading is two different things. Readers might also value Leading Groups to Solutions: A Practical Guide for Facilitators and Team Members it also helps in harnessing the good that arises from differences of opinion.

Mr. Gerzon offers a lot of good information about leadership and how leaders deal with conflict. However, his political views are far too invasive and distract substantially from that otherwise valuable information. For that reason, I would recommend other books about leadership that tend to stick to the topic and not venture to express a certain perspective on an issue as controversial as the Iraqi War.

Subtitled "How Successful Leaders Transform Differences into Opportunites." A fascinating, in-depth, yet practical book on leadership and conflict. The author begins by describing the three main types of leaders: Demagogues (lead through fear, scapegoating and overwhelming others), Managers (use a limited definition of "we," typically protecting their home turf) and Mediators (seek to act on behalf of all to innovate and transform conflict).

According to Gerzon and his colleagues, the Mediator possesses and applies eight tools (each has a chapter dedicated to describing the tool with specific examples from business, industry, government, etc.). They are:
1. Integral Vision - holding all sides of the conflict in our minds and hearts.
2. Systems Thinking - identifying as many of significant elements in the conflict as possible and seeking to understand their interrelationships.
3. Presence - applying all mental, emotional and spiritual resources to witnessing the conflict.
4. Inquiry - asking questions to elicit essential information about the conflict.
5. Conscious Conversation - becoming fully aware of all of our choices for speaking and listening.
6. Dialogue - communicating to seek bridging and innovation between those involved.
7. Bridging - building partnerships and alliances across the borders that divide us.
8. Innovation - fostering social or entrepreneurial breakthroughs to create new options.

The book concludes with a short chapter suggesting specific actions that can and should be taken to improve all our abilities in managing and using conflict, as well as a short appendix (designed to be turned to right away if the reader is embroiled in a crisis and needs answers before spending time in theory) that describes 15 steps Gerzon calls "Guidelines in Times of Crisis. They are:
1. Make time your ally.
2. Breathe - and protect yourself.
3. Determine your goal and focus on it.
4. Speak to who is present.
5. Avoid name-calling and blaming.
6. Beware of self-righteousness.
7. Keep your shadow in front of you.
8. Listen to everything, but respond selectively.
9. First inquire, then fire.
10. Considering calling in a third side.
11. Take stock before you take sides.
12. Listen more, speak less.
13. Learn your adversary's "language."
14. Let your adversary know you.
15. Observe the sacred rules.

An extraordinary book, with significant insights on leadership and the impact of and opportunity in conflict. I DID NOT CARE FOR HIS POLITICS MUCH AT ALL, BUT REALLY APPRECIATED HIS INSIGHTS.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book after meeting Mark Gerzon and deciding that if he wrote a book it was worth reading. I was not disappointed. He covers subject matter that has been written about before with a fresh perspective, having practiced the art of leading through conflict with our national leaders, along with many international leaders who have made the world a better place for the rest of us. Conflict, as Mark says is inevitable, whether the hot or cold variety. You my as well learn how to constructively work through it.

All leaders need this book. And, at times, we are all leaders in one way or another throughout our lives. Mark Gerzon provides an accessible, practical handbook on how to transform the world of human relationships with 8 simple, yet profound tools. Mediating conflict at home, in one's community, in the boardroom, or on the global stage is our collective calling these days. This book provides structure and wisdom for the journey.