How this recovering peacekeeper, utility player became known as the powerful harmony hero!

We were sitting at my kitchen table, three strong-willed women. We were in the middle of a heated discussion and two of the women were quite riled up. I sat there, listening to them state their cases, while one was getting quite emotional. I paused the conversation, began to speak to them both in a way that let them know they were both being heard, offered a solution that would benefit everyone and in that moment, my name was forever changed. As one of the ladies was leaving my house, she said “Goodbye, Switzerland” – and a new era was born for me. To this day – she still calls me Switzerland.

Now, what’s really funny is that Switzerland is a neutral country, they cannot engage in a war effort. But the very nature of peacemaking requires that you to get in the middle of the conflict and find a positive outcome for all involved. For many years, I have worn the spirit behind the reason I was given that name and applied what I have learned about the difference between peacekeeping and peacemaking in my relationships at work, home and everywhere I go.

So how did a former people pleaser change her stripes to become known as a peacemaker? Simple, but not easy.

Understanding my real worth

I was once told that 95% of what anyone does can be done by someone else, so you need to understand the 5% that sets you apart from everyone else on the planet.

I love words and colors, creativity and leading others. These became the catalyst to Most of my life I tried to keep the peace, bending over backwards to make someone else happy – often at the expense of my own happiness. This is not healthy. I was at a kickoff meeting one year for work, competing in a team building exercise (I am incredibly competitive too). We had all been given our DISC profile assessments and I found myself in a team full of “Ds” and I am a high “I”. We were struggling to complete the task at hand. Everyone had a different way to do things and were arguing or

Collecting the tools for my utility knife.

Practicing the skills to become a joyful and empowering leader

I no longer felt the need to keep the peace, but rather was willing to get into the middle of difficult circumstances to find a way for all parties to win.