Great Reads: Peter Adler, Calming the Storm: A Leader’s Handbook for Managing Unproductive Conflicts

A September 20, 2024 “Great Reads” book club event from Mediate.com with Peter Adler discussing his new book Calming the Storm: A Leader’s Handbook for Managing Unproductive Conflicts.

"If you are a leader—in any sense of the word—or aspire to be an effective one, the world desperately needs you. Perhaps you are an elected or appointed official. Or you run a library. Or you coach a Little League team. While leaders do many things, a major cornerstone of effective leadership is conflict management.

Filled with many engaging stories and examples, Calming the Storm: A Leader’s Handbook for Managing Unproductive Conflicts presents seventy-five short and quick guidelines for getting past useless arguments and taming cranky issues. Conflict management expert Peter S. Adler brings decades of national and international experience that will be useful for all types of leaders in the public, private, and civil sectors who need to negotiate considerations, calm frictions, mend fences, and facilitate cooperation. This practical book provides a reservoir of ideas that can be used and adapted for diverse, individual situations.

Peter S. Adler, Ph.D. is a partner in GUILD Consulting and the former president and CEO of The Keystone Center (www.keystone.org). Adler’s specialty is multi-party problem-solving for policy and governance disputes and for enterprises seeking operational alignment, excellence, and strategy. He has extensive national and international experience with business and policy negotiations and writes, trains, and teaches in areas of conflict management. Adler is a former Peace Corps volunteer and has held executive positions with the Hawai‘i Supreme Court, Hawai‘i Justice Foundation, and the Neighborhood Justice Center and served as president of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution. He has authored five books and other publications in the field of conflict management."