What makes a good mediator? Patience. Listening skills. Negotiation skills. More patience. An ability to connect with different types of people from diverse backgrounds. And most of all, an ability to help push the parties across the finish line.

A good mediator doesn’t mediate in a vacuum. Rather, he or she brings life experience to the mediation room and uses that experience to help parties resolve their disputes. As a mediator, I certainly draw on my experience as a football and lacrosse coach, and I have found there are many parallels between a successful team and a successful mediation.