Mediation as a Facilitator
AGMs, Boards, Agribusiness
The stakes can be high in any business. I specialize in Agribusiness, however, I work with any and all industries. Navigating contracts, making major sales or purchases is challenging in any industry that is always growing and changing while being impacted by world markets. I offer services as a neutral third party during negotiations, business or partnership agreements, contracts, division of assets, or through any issues that need discussion.
Mediation often prevents escalation or misunderstandings when navigating through contracts, when assessing the impacts of financial or planning business decisions and measuring them against your personal, business or family goals. It can even be helpful during annual general meetings or any situation with your team where it is important to ask the right questions.
Why a neutral third party?
Asking tough questions is difficult and they can also be necessary to grow an operation or business. Do you have dispute resolution clauses, time frames for agreements and interpreting contracts? How do you manage unexpected events with your business or business relationships and differing interpretations of the same document?
Wherever there are existing relationships, there are also existing dynamics. We are constantly making assumptions with the language we use and the conversations we have. With another person in the room offering mutual respect and asking good questions to facilitate a discussion, we can find common ground and identify the issues that may be blocking a positive way through conflict or to create a general understanding that is a path forward for everyone.
When facilitating meetings as a neutral, I encourage professionalism, accountability, participation and forward momentum. In any large, small or family business time is money. A facilitator offers structure and meaning to the conversation and stays focused on the topic of discussion to ensure follow through or an agreement on what next steps might look like.
You Have the Final Say
My clients have the autonomy to understand, offer, challenge and decide on resolution. This is your business, and your decision. My role helps to understand the dynamics that are working and where more conversation could offer more clarity.
I can help:
With contractual issues between businesses, individuals and corporations, employees and employers
When professionals need to maintain their neutrality and integrity in corporate conflicts
When one or more parties perceives an imbalance (power, gender or otherwise) in their representation
Facilitating meetings such as AGMs or with teams of professionals who are integral to structure, consent and information in an organization
Sometimes resolutions aren’t possible. Once we’ve exhausted every other option, we may have to consider that possibility. While my focus is mediation and finding resolution to conflict, I am also an arbitrator which allows me to offer med-arb dispute resolution or to agree on what next steps will be taken beyond resolution, if required.
What to Expect
When I am approached by a client, we have a verbal discussion regarding what the conflict is, what steps have been taken to resolve the conflict and what the hope is to come to a resolution or an interim working arrangement. Mediation is a voluntary process, so both parties must be interested in mediation and all parties need to agree that they would like to work with me.
Once I have talked to all parties, confirmed interest and commitment to a meeting and agreed on our service contract, my clients make a deposit based on the service contract, and I work with all parties to book a meeting within a reasonable time frame.
I will look at what process will work for each unique situation, and what information to gather to best suit the needs of my clients and ask for a collection of information needed to proceed. I will have individual client meetings in advance of our joint meeting. My goal is to make sure that clients are ready to go into a space that will have conflict present and be able to speak and participate in a space that will allow all parties to participate and move forward toward resolution.
When everyone gathers at the table with a neutral third-party mediator, you can expect:
- Focused dialogue that follows a clear path from the pre-distributed agenda.
- Space for additional perspectives—you want your team to feel guided and heard, never stifled—and take every individual into account.
- To hear, respect and mitigate conflicting views
- A neutral, managed flow of discussion to keep the conversation moving.
- Reassurance that all opinions are heard, understood, validated, and considered.
- Keep your meeting’s end goal in sight, all while avoiding detours and waylaying non-sequitur discussion
- Finishing on time, on topic, and on good terms.
Collaborations
It is a strategic business approach to assemble your team of professionals to help your business grow, share and agree on common goals, assess performance. During these times, some professionals may need to maintain their neutrality to protect the relationship they have with their clients. I am able to work with the clients and allow all other professionals to step away from the conflict, preserve their relationship and have the confidence of their clients and others that the clients are working in their best interest and therefore the advisor or team member is also working in their client’s best interest.
Some of the professionals I have received referrals from or collaborated with include but are not limited to:
Financial advisors
Business Planners
Accountants
Investment advisors
Lawyers
Other Mediators
Consultants
** When people have concerns regarding gender bias to balance the table, I will respond with a co-mediator of the opposite gender.
“There are many roads to resolution, but it helps to be familiar with the terrain.”
— Michelle Bryan
I have worked in the agriculture sector as a business owner and as an arbitrator and mediator. I understand that agribusiness has unique cycles, systems and economic pressures. I feel it is necessary to understand these dynamics to successfully work in this industry.