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264Merriam Webster defines mediation as the intervention between conflicting parties to promote reconciliation settlement or compromise Mediation puts conflict at the center as a necessary test of leadership In his book Leading through Conflict Mark Gerzon proposes three archetypal faces of leadership Manager Demagogue and Mediator Manager Mark Gerzon posits that the Manager model is limited by its own identity and leaders who practice this model type are often imprisoned by their own job definition Managers he states can still solve the increasingly rare kind of conflict that requires nothing more than a unilateral decision Unfortunately for old style managers the set of problems they can fix this way is shrinking rapidly The reason is obvious there are rarely any problems or conflict in today's interconnected world that requires no input from other people Demagogue According to Mr Gerzon the leader who practices the demagogue model is the more dangerous kind of leader This kind of leader uses fear of difference as a lever with which to gain more power Gerzon establishes that people who use this approach wield their power in destructive ways in countless leadership contexts from dictatorial national leaders to corporate tyrants to classroom bullies This kind of leader has little to no regard for the views of others and this style of leadership usually results in catastrophic consequences Gerzon s third model of leadership is the Mediator Mediators are boundary crossers They move beyond whatever differences may be constraining them corporate civic national tribal etc in order to play a vital ground breaking stereotype shattering conflict transforming leadership role
Presence committing to applying all personal faculty resources in addressing all conflict situations tasked with Inquiry a mediator does not jump to conclusion he she asks questions that elicit essential information Conscious conversation being conscious of how we listen and speak to others goes a long way in diffusing conflict Dialogue awareness that more can be achieved through dialogue Bridging building relationships partnerships and alliances that stand the test of time and create new options for moving through conflicts From department to department the County of Los Angeles has empowered the mediator style of leadership and has become the proverbial city on a hill In the words of Admiral Joe Dryer of the U S Navy mediators are the stewards of the whole rather than owners of the parts That statement accurately depicts the caliber of persons employed by the County of Los Angeles and is a testament for why the County and her employees will continue to be the foremost leaders of this and future generations