Mutual Ground Strategies, LLC

11/17/2025

As I like to say, if there was a rational answer to the problem, people wouldn’t be in conflict.

Most conflicts aren’t about logic. They’re about relationships, emotion, and trust.

So how do you recognize the signs before it blows up?

Don't wait for the shouting match or the big disagreement to tell you something’s wrong.

Look for:
Meetings that run smoothly but feel flat.
When people start saying “whatever you think.”
Subtle cues in body language and tone that point to disengagement.

I wrote about how to recognize these early signs and what to do once you start to notice them before frustration hardens into blame.

🔗 Read: How to Recognize the Early Signs of Workplace Conflict
https://www.mutual-ground.com/post/early-signs-of-workplace-conflict

Conflict rarely starts with an argument. It begins quietly, in subtle shifts that signal trust or communication is starting to fray. Learn how to recognize the early signs of workplace conflict before they grow into something harder to repair.

11/13/2025

When one business partner is ready to address the tension and the other keeps avoiding it, progress can feel impossible.

Avoidance doesn’t mean they don’t care, it usually means they don’t feel safe enough to talk or don’t know how to start.

The Mutual Conflict Map helps you see what’s really going on and prepare for productive conversations when the time is right.

Learn more or book a session here: www.mutual-ground.com/mutual-conflict-map

11/07/2025

Lately, I’ve been hearing the same thing from business partners who reach out about mediation.

One person is ready to talk, but the other isn’t there yet.

They know something’s off. Tension is creeping into meetings, decisions feel harder, and trust is slipping. But they can’t move forward because one person isn’t ready to sit down together.

That’s exactly why I created the Mutual Conflict Map.

It’s a guided, one-on-one process that helps you make sense of what’s really going on and create a clear map for how to lead future conversations in a more productive direction, even if the other person isn’t ready yet.

When you have clarity, you can navigate conflict with purpose instead of reacting to it.

If this sounds familiar, the Mutual Conflict Map can help you get clear and move conversations forward. Learn more here: https://resources.mutual-ground.com/mutual-conflict-map

10/29/2025

Most conflicts don’t start loud. They start quiet.

By the time things blow up, trust and time are already lost.

My new post explores how mapping conflict early can help you spot the warning signs and shift course before it costs more.

🧭 Read the full piece here: https://www.mutual-ground.com/post/conflict-mapping-before-it-costs-more

Conflict doesn’t erupt out of nowhere—it builds quietly. Learn how mapping conflict helps you see what’s really happening before it costs more in trust, time, and energy.

10/27/2025

There’s something that only happens when two people are fully present with each other, even through a screen.

In any conflict conversation, whether I’m mediating, coaching, or facilitating, so much of the work happens beyond words. It’s in tone, pacing, posture, the moment someone looks away or softens their voice.

Those moments of awareness help people reflect, recalibrate, and reconnect.

And while AI can analyze tone or generate words, it can’t build trust in real time. It can’t sense the moment when someone pulls back, or guide them toward re-engagement with empathy and care.

Conflict work, at its core, is human work. Because conflict itself is a human problem — one that requires people to get better at talking with each other, not relying on tools to communicate for them.

10/24/2025

10/23/2025

In the heat of conflict, it’s easy to react, to push harder, shut down, or pull away. We all do it.

But those quick reactions rarely help. The real shift happens in the pause, that small moment when you breathe, step back, and decide how to respond.

That’s where choice lives. Instead of reacting out of habit, you can choose to engage in ways that are more constructive than destructive.

That pause is where reflection happens. It’s where you move from defending yourself to actually understanding what’s going on. And that’s usually where resolution starts.

We'll talk more about this in my Workshop Today: Beyond Logic: Making Sense of Conflict

10/17/2025

Can't wait!

I'm excited for who I will meet, what I will learn, and to visit Salt Lake City for the first time.

Will I see you at the Dignity Leadership Summit?

10/15/2025

How inclusive are your meetings, really?

It’s easy to think we’re giving everyone a voice, but inclusion takes more than airtime. It’s about how we invite input, handle silence, and follow up after the meeting.

In my latest article, I share a few ways leaders can make meetings more inclusive and more effective — from “first draft questions” to how you circle back to ideas later.

Read it here: https://www.mutual-ground.com/post/inclusive-meetings-tips

10/09/2025

Most people only reach out for help once conflict has already blown up — when trust is frayed and options feel limited.

The real opportunity is earlier: building skills so everyday tensions don’t turn into crises.

Join me on October 23 at 4 PM CST for Beyond Logic: Making Sense of Conflict, hosted by Laura Comilla of Greatness Calls. We’ll practice simple ways to turn tension into clarity and make hard conversations easier.

👉 Register Here https://go.mutual-ground.com/sp/e4f47427a4e

10/03/2025

Do you approach conflict by holding tight to your position or by exploring what you truly need?

Most people start with demands. They come into conflict convinced that their position is the only way forward. It feels safer, more concrete, more defensible. But the truth is, positions only scratch the surface.

When you take the time to uncover what you actually need and want, everything changes. Needs are deeper than demands and they often overlap more than people expect. That overlap is where creativity lives.

When you move away from fixed positions, you open the door to fresh, unexpected solutions. Options that don’t just “settle the fight,” but create outcomes that genuinely serve everyone involved.

Conflict handled this way isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about stepping out of a rigid mindset so you can think bigger, connect better, and design agreements that last.

Will you stick to your demands or dig deeper to discover what’s really driving you?

09/30/2025

✨ Ever had someone say, “I just want respect” — and wondered what that really means?

At the request of my colleague Lisa Gavin, I wrote about the difference between dignity and respect.

💡 Dignity = inherent worth we’re all born with
🤲 Respect = the behavior that honors that dignity

When dignity isn’t honored, it often shows up as feeling “disrespected.” But the real question is: which part of someone’s dignity wasn’t seen or valued?

In this piece I share:
📖 Donna Hicks’ 10 Elements of Dignity
⚖️ Why contempt is rising in culture
🤝 How dignity and respect shape workplaces & relationships

🔗 🔗 Read the full article here:

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T / Find out what it means to me.”Aretha Franklin’s famous lyrics remind us that respect isn’t one-size-fits-all. In practice, it depends on context, relationships, and timing. So when someone says, “I just want respect,” the real question is: what are they asking for right ...