Mediating is a demanding and brutal battle. Conflict is moving all around, hiding behind chairs, under tables, in files and at times presenting itself as the ally, but then sneaking up on the mediator. The Great Mediator is hired because she has the training and experience in facing the enemy and has been in the field for a long time. Conflict is understood and the mediator recognizes how it captures and takes hold of the litigants and attorneys.

After the reconnaissance is completed, the mediator straps on her shoes, puts on her plume and leads the way knowing that the litigant and attorney troops are there to battle conflict.

The mediator has her arsenal of weapons with her similar to the Roman Centurion consisting of the evaluative spear, the joint session catapult, the empathetic shield, and the Onager individual caucuses. Battle begins with the mediator being opened minded and sizing up the conflict enemy and making a determination as to which skills and weapons she should use to begin the battle, a joint session or individual caucuses. The mediator proceeds cautiously and does not have a strict adherence to her battle plan. She is always open to the unexpected.

With each fracas, she adeptly and quickly processes a substantial amount of information and moves swiftly using the appropriate weapons of empathy, listening, intuitiveness and may finish with the evaluative spear to deflate the conflict enemy. In all the fracases, the mediator is continuously using her interpersonal skills to woo away and draw out the conflict enemy.

Conflict can be very persistent. In certain mediations, the mediator will have no other choice but cut off supply lines of each side to wear them down.

Great Mediators Never Walk Away From Mediation and Do Not Take Any Prisoners.

Mediators protect their litigant and attorney troops from being captured as a prisoner of the conflict. The dedicated mark of a centurion is that they do not walk away from the battle and leave the enemy to gain strength. A mediator may retreat to review her battle plan, to strategize and allow the litigants to review their casualties and to rethink their position. A mediator never collects her fee and walks away from an ongoing battle. She will charge back in and continue the fight against conflict with displaying skill and courage. She will use her additional weapons of follow up, gather additional reconnaissance to see how the enemy has changed its position and will proceed with additional fracases. At the end the Mediator, like a centurion, causes the conflict enemy to surrender and sign a settlement treaty. As we all know, conflict is never eradicated. The conflict can be silenced and put to rest in a particular battle, but the war against conflict will always continue.

To a centurion the army was truly his life and Centurions did not seek a discharge. Great mediators follow in the steps of centurions and are the most hard-working and committed to the profession of mediation. If a Mediator has not strapped on her shoes, she does not fight the conflict battle with skill, experience and courage of a Roman centurion. Great mediators strap on their shoes, find, lead and join professional mediation associations, publish, teach and stay in the field for a long time, never leaving and in the end, just fade away.

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