Can You Make any Money in Mediation?

I'm tired of people saying you can't make a living at mediation. You can. You can make money in this profession. I've fed my family, and you can feed yours, too.

Think of the mediation world as a pyramid. At the very tip are the stars of mediation. Those highly successful, highly sought-after, highly paid professionals are at the pinnacle of their careers for a reason. (They are also mostly men but I won't start that rant now.)

Let's take a slightly closer look at Eric Green's career for clues as to why he's been so successful. (In case you don't know, Eric serves as mediator in high visibility cases like the Microsoft antitrust case and Enron.)

Eric Green is an innovator. He's constantly looking to move the profession and himself forward. Eric developed the first 'mini-trial' (a mock trial used for settlement purposes) in 1977 which changed the face of litigation. He founded two ADR firms- JAMS/Endispute and Resolutions, which offered new business models for mediators. As an innovator, he's at the front of the pack, setting the pace for everyone else to follow.

Take you and your mediation practice to new, unusual areas by inventing something, or formulating new practice methods. Being an innovator can lead to a prosperous career, so why not take the chance and put your unique spin on things?

Because if you're not at the front, you're at the back of the pack. And, from there the view doesn't change much, if you catch my drift.

More on innovators like Diane Levin and ::blush:: me soon. Ciao, Dina

PS. Bravo, Michael! He wrote in to the comment area and suggested www.zeromillion.com as another good business resource portal. I write for Zeromillion it's terrific.