How a Mediator Can Be a Good Community Leader Mayo Mediation Solutions Marcus W. Mayo, B.S., A.A.S.

Resolution Skills Equals Strength The latest trend for leaders is conflict resolution skills Being people-oriented is just as useful as being task-oriented Lessons and metaphors have advanced to processes Conflict resolution now focuses on both people and tasks Disagreements offer opportunities for creativity Ideas are not limited to just people or just tasks (Simpson, 2010) A new outlook has replaced previous ideas of what a good leader is.

Therefore, a Leader is Mindful of Different Peoples’ Views of Common Tasks Waking up and preparing for a day Getting out of the front door Commuting in the morning Talking to acquaintances or cohorts Being at social events Making simple choices Falling Asleep (Flynn, 2015) Waking up may not be a problem based on one’s source of happiness. Getting out of the door to leave the house may not be a problem depending on what one has to face outside of the door or maybe deal with just to get out of the door. Commuting in the morning might not be a problem depending on if one is driving or walking or traveling a short way or a long one. Talking to acquaintances or cohorts may or may not be a problem depending on whether one feels inferior in status due to one’s downfalls or whether one would not like to be judged for one’s path to success. Making simple choices may or may not be a problem depending on how structured or focused one is or whether one cares about choices in comparison to other things one is dealing with. Falling asleep may or may not be a problem depending on what things one is worried about or avoiding instead of just deciding to get a good night’s sleep.

A Leader has Awareness of Self Can you understand qualities you have? This understanding helps you understand others Practicing self awareness changes beliefs and behaviors Self awareness masters life through focus Self awareness shows you the path of emotions and thoughts Without self awareness, changing direction is difficult (Pathway to Happiness, LLC., n.d.) If you can understand the qualities you have, such as where you are strong, weak, what you think, believe, are motivated by, and your feelings, you can sense these things about others as well. Through practicing to become self aware more so, we can get better at making necessary changes.

A Leader has an Ongoing Willingness to Learn Willingness to learn means desiring to learn and to improve oneself Desiring more learning is a highly sought characteristic Learning enables creativity Learning a lot enables innovation Stale knowledge limits success Learning helps solve problems in unexpected difficulties (Business Skills and Software, 2017)

A Leader Knows Why Willingness to Learn is Important Learning improves confidence in oneself Learning increases flexibility Learning makes dreams come true Learning is easier when surrounded by smarter people Learn from people competent in what you want to learn Learn from peoples’ success stories Learn all your weaknesses and plan to fix them (Business Skills and Software, 2017)

A Leader Can Try to Walk a Mile in Someone Else’s Shoes Imagine what someone else is going through Reflect someone else’s feelings Become stressed when someone else is scared or anxious Recognize others’ emotions (The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, 2017)

Be Honest and Have Integrity To be honest is to refuse to steal, lie, or be deceptive Be straightforward in judgment as well as conduct Avoid undisciplined outspokenness which gives negative or trivial unnecessary opinion (Audiopedia, 2016) Integrity means being consistent in honesty leading to accuracy in behavior Stability stems from consistently choosing integrity in favorable and unfavorable circumstances Choosing integrity is intentional and is developed by reading, being counseled, being coached, and leadership courses (Kang, 2016)

Have Dedication Community leadership benefits the leader Social change happens for the leader and the community The draining leadership role will be energized by dedication (Knowledge Translation Network Africa (KTNet), 2017)

References Audiopedia (Director). (2016). What is honesty? what does honesty mean? honesty meaning, definition, and explanation [Motion Picture]. YouTube . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPi5KfD2ypg Business Skills and Software. (2017). Willingness to learn: definition and guide to improve it. Retrieved from Businessphrases.net: Powerfully Effective Skills and Software that Make a Difference: http://www.businessphrases.net/willingness-to-learn/ Flynn, C. (2015). How 7 everyday tasks feel for someone with anxiety. Retrieved from Bustle: https://www.bustle.com/articles/105903-how-7-everyday-tasks-feel-for-someone-with-anxiety Kang, S.-Y. (2016). The true meaning of integrity. Retrieved from HuffPost: The Blog: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soyoung- kang/the-true-meaning-of-integ_b_11273420.html Knowledge Translation Network Africa (KTNet). (2017). The ten top qualities of great community leaders. by moses tetui. Retrieved from Knowledge Transition Network Africa: http://www.ktnetafrica.net/blog/ten-top-qualities-great-community-leaders-moses- tetui Pathway to Happiness, LLC. (n.d.). Self awareness. Retrieved from Pathway to Happiness: http://www.pathwaytohappiness.com/self-awareness.htm Simpson, M. (2010). Good leaders are good mediators. Retrieved from Mediate.com: http://www.mediate.com/articles/simpsonM2.cfm The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. (2017). What is empathy. Retrieved from Greater Good Magazine: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/empathy/definition