Collaborative Solutions to Everyday Problems
While the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in numerous negative ways, there have also been a few positives. Like my decision last fall to walk to work every day instead of driving and using that time to either listen to some tunes or a podcast.
One of my favourite podcasts is SmartLess, created and hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. Looking at those names it won’t come as a surprise that the podcast is funny, but I’ve also taken some sage words of wisdom from these three and their guests.
This week, they were interviewing Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos. They asked your typical questions, but I was intrigued when they asked what he attributes the enormous success at Netflix to. Mr. Sarandos explained that his belief is not to use a traditional approach of focus groups and market analysis before investing in a production, but rather leave it in the hands of the writers and creators. He later punctuated his process with these three words:
Mr. Sarandos’ believes that true creativity should be the guiding light for these tough decisions. His comment stood out to me because it’s the underlying reason dispute resolution, more specifically family mediation, is so effective. It bets on creative and the power of collaboration.
Mediation provides the opportunity for parties in conflict to explore new ways of thinking about problems and facilitates open discussion that helps to foster creative solutions. Solutions I have seen parents create are often things others may have never considered.
In my experience as a family mediator in Regina and across Western Canada, I will always bet on creative!
Every situation is different. This blog post is not intended to provide legal advice. Contact us for further help on your unique parental dispute.