Today is a Red Letter Day! It's special because today is the first edition of the Trailblazer Interviews.
You'll meet some of the most fascinating, talented folks in the ADR world who I call Trailblazers. These women and men have taken mediation and other ADR tools in directions no one ever thought about before. They've enhanced the profession, and our world, with their ground-breaking work. The Trailblazer Interview Series is my way to do a double mitzvah: honor them and bring their wisdom to you.
Today's Trailblazer: Diane J. Levin
Diane J. Levin is a founding principal of Partnering Solutions, LLC, a dispute resolution firm based in the Greater Boston area.
I'm curious. What did you do before your ADR work?
I was a litigator. I worked in a busy general practice firm and handled everything from personal injury to employment discrimination to municipal and public education law, with some probate and family stuff thrown in just to mix it up a little. People who know me now find it hard to believe, but I loved to litigate. I was highly competitive and enjoyed the intellectual challenge of constructing an airtight case, the performance art which constitutes oral argument, and beating the pants off the competition.
I was also fortunate to have a great role model-the attorney who mentored me in those early days. She not only taught me the importance of sound legal reasoning to win the day in court, but she also taught me the value of settlement and the importance of being a skilled negotiator. I learned from her that clients want to get on with their lives. If you can settle a case without going to court, people get results faster-they get to put their past behind them, focus on their future, and move on.
Without realizing it at the time, she taught me the principles of "Getting to Yes"-focusing on interests, using objective criteria in quantifying the value of a claim, creating options for mutual gain. She also reminded me often of how important the people stuff is-that everyone-your own client, opposing counsel and their client-are human beings deserving of respect. Those things have served me in good stead.
What best describes your title and what you do now?
My title these days is "Principal". Nope, I don't work in an elementary school. I'm the founding partner of Partnering Solutions, LLC. My company provides mediation, arbitration, and conflict resolution training services to individuals, families, and organizations.
My own focus is on mediation and training, working primarily with businesses and families, although I'll take virtually any kind of case. Basically if it moves, I'll mediate it. My kids have learned to put up with that. It's the training stuff that really gets me fired up. I love teaching at mediation trainings. It's a blast. I get to hang out with my fellow mediation trainers (who tend to be a fun bunch of folks) and turn people on to valuable life skills that can improve their work, civic and family relationships. How great is that?
What did you do to get your first 5 clients? How did you market then?
I got my first five clients entirely by accident. I had no plan. It just happened. (Kids, don't try this at home-I recommend having a coherent business and marketing plan in place. Don't expect that stuff will just fall into your lap.)
One day I got a phone call out of the blue from a friend of a friend who asked if I was "into that mediation stuff". A nonprofit group she knew of needed conflict resolution training, and she thought of me. At that time I was involved in a lot of volunteer community and nonprofit work. I got to know a lot of people and make contacts. If you do something unusual like mediation, people remember that. Referrals came from those sources. Networking and joining organizations does pay off.
Getting down to brass tacks, what were your initial fees?
My initial fees? Well, when I was a teenager, my mother used to tell me that no one "will buy the cow if they can get the milk for free". I think she was trying to give me advice about men and dating, but since we lived in a rural area when I was growing up, it's equally possible she was trying to give me advice on how to run a dairy.
At any rate, in my very early days I gave away the milk. Sometimes the cow, too. That's not a good business strategy. The problem was that I was known for my nonprofit, community-oriented work. The work that came to me initially was from nonprofits or individuals in dire financial straits. I did the work for nothing or for virtually nothing ($100 as an honorarium for a day of training in one case) to gain experience, build my resume, and increase my network of contacts.
At that time, too, I was only charging $50 an hour for mediation services-and I actually felt guilty about charging that much. I had been so focused on helping people and doing good, and so filled with notions of altruism and social change, that I completely undervalued myself and my services. Not a smart move. Learn from me. Don't ever undervalue yourself as an ADR practitioner. The work we do is valuable and you deserve to get paid for it. Repeat that to yourself each morning twenty times. I have to say though that those good deeds did pay off. I have a great referral network in place, and cultivating those contacts has made a difference.
Which books, websites, organizations helped you get your foot in the door?
Mediation Works, Incorporated; New England Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution. The Internet has been tremendously helpful.
Mistakes, I've made a few. What do you wish you knew when you started out?
Take your basic mediation training with an established and respected program, which offers supervised mediation opportunities for individuals who successfully complete the training program, and is taught by qualified, experienced mediators who are employed in the field. It gives you a leg up over the competition-you have available to you mentoring and guidance by experienced practitioners, the chance to get mediation experience right away, and the first credentials that you'll need to begin your career.
The first mediation training I took was taught by a professional mediator in a community setting, but this was not a "brand name" training, and the organization which sponsored the training had no existing mediation program. Although I made great friends and invaluable contacts taking this program, I didn't get the boost I needed at the time because the support and opportunity to mediate was simply not there. At the end of the training we were all told not to quit our day jobs, and that was it.
This was over a decade ago, in the days before the Internet made finding information easy. I simply didn't know enough to ask the right questions before signing up for this or any training. My advice to anyone is to become an educated consumer and do your homework before you take any mediation training program. To help make you an educated consumer when it comes to selecting a mediation training program, please check out "What to Look for in a Basic Mediation Training", an article of mine published at Mediate.com at http://mediate.com/articles/levind1.cfm.
Dina Beach Lynch is a Mediator and Workplace Strategist who owns workwelltogether.com. Her blog, workwelltogether.com offers guidance about launching a mediation practice.
When is advice free and when should you charge for... Read More
Most businesses accept checks as form of payment for goods... Read More
It's a commonly quoted statistic: 80% of all small businesses... Read More
Back when I owned an inventory-based business, one of my... Read More
The following are six essential skills to business success. You... Read More
A Brilliant Marketing Idea... sounds great but what is it?... Read More
Many smaller businesses choose niche markets for various reasons and... Read More
If you own a small business, then you know the... Read More
Do you promote yourself as offering prompt, reliable and quality... Read More
Q: I really want to start my own business, but... Read More
Start thinking about buying an established business if you want... Read More
Let's face it, we all tend to get stuck in... Read More
Have Some Time to Yourself One of the most important... Read More
Buying a franchise is not for everyone. This guide will... Read More
The life cycle of the typical small business is short... Read More
So you think you're not justified in taking time away... Read More
You're a small business owner with a hot new product... Read More
How careful are you with the data you collect from... Read More
Starting a business? For many people, the bravery to venture... Read More
Treat your business as a serious, full-time business and be... Read More
How many hours do you work a week? When was... Read More
There is a Batting Cages Business for those people who... Read More
No matter what kind of small business you have, you... Read More
Habit: A consistent behavior you perform so frequently that it... Read More
You'd like to go into business for yourself, and believe... Read More
If I had $1.00 every time I heard someone say... Read More
There were only an estimated 1800 active franchisors in this... Read More
If you're like me, you love accounting. It's so fascinating... Read More
Looking for ways to boost your cash flow? As a... Read More
As a successful small business owner,you're accustomed to long hours;... Read More
Manufactured and Mobile Home owners know that the weather this... Read More
I frequently give presentations at small business gatherings, providing me... Read More
In the heavy equipment cleaning business you can make good... Read More
Cleaning concrete is tough and there is an easy way... Read More
The last time I spoke and went into a bit... Read More
We visited Lexus USA, home of the Lexus North America... Read More
Small Business, Big Business ? What's the Diff?Well a lot... Read More
There is a great deal of abuse going on in... Read More
Do you operate your business as a series of projects,... Read More
Most small businesses simply go about their daily business and... Read More
Entrepreneurs are hardy stock. But sometimes hardiness can get you... Read More
Many ventures are faced with the challenging task of raising... Read More
To have one of the popular in home daycare businesses.... Read More
If an organization lacks a mission statement, it is worthwhile... Read More
When working properly, computers enable small businesses to make big... Read More
For the employees, payday is the brightest day; they finally... Read More
When we speak of branding most of the time people... Read More
How much is your time really worth? Is it worth... Read More
It is not surprising that some people may perceive Six... Read More
The modern Franchise business model and the much different business... Read More
Small Business |