John Ford & Associates

Testimonials

“Our organization has utilized John Ford on numerous occasions to assist with mediation between employees in conflict. I describe John as the “employee whisperer” for his innate ability to connect with staff and determine the best course of action to assist them in finding a way to move forward. John is able to connect employees where they can work together while respecting each other’s differences. He has worked with all levels of the organization and adjusts his approach as necessary. John is passionate about the work he does and it shows in his approach and desire to come to a resolution that meets the needs of everyone involved.”

-- Karen Taylor, Director of HR, Napa County

“I have worked with John on a number of engagements at Kaiser Permanente. John brings his deep expertise as a mediator, facilitator, and coach to any situation, whether dealing with an individual or in a team building environment. He approaches the complexities of the work place with integrity, wisdom, intuition, and heart. I highly recommend John for any assignment that requires a skilled collaborator to address individual and/or team dynamics. 

-- Denise Erickson, Chief of Staff to Chief HR Officer, Kaiser Permanente

“John's session on conflict resolution in the workplace was outstanding. An engaging presenter, John provided excellent content, offered opportunities for useful interactive exercises, and gave us tools we can continue to use going forward. He framed what could have been a difficult topic in a positive context. My colleagues and I were so inspired by the session that John has been invited to provide additional training for more people, and our staff is collectively working on sharing his methods more broadly throughout our workplace.”

-- Beverly Cherner, Director of Institutional Relations at Point Blue Conservation Science

“John Ford has worked with District staff on several occasions with excellent results. He not only helped teams resolve their conflict and get back to productive work, he also left them with improved skills that they can apply in the future..”

-- Donna Weiss, Union Sanitary District

“I worked over a year with John Ford as a consultant for developing a comprehensive Conflict Resolution Procedure for my company. I was consistently impressed with John Ford's clarity, skillful intervention, communication skills, and ease in working on very difficult, stressful problems. He is a remarkable asset.”
-- Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., Founder, Acupressure Institute

“John is a true professional in his field. He is competent and has a very natural way in how he works with people. He is insightful and very committed. I have great respect for him and his abilities.”
-- Maria Lishansky, Self-employed consultant

“At NCHRA, John worked with me several times as a speaker on the topic of workplace mediation. He presents this topic as a 2-day program, and each time it attracts many participants and always receives very high ratings. John presents the information in a very positive, fun and interesting manner that participants respond well to. I would strongly encourage anyone seeking assistance and direction in workplace mediation to work with John. His results are outstanding!”
-- Anthony Salas, Former Program Manager at Northern California Human Resource Association

“John is blessed with great equanimity and gentleness of spirit. He is a patient listener and insightful neutral, which enables him to look right into the heart of a conflict. I recommend John whole-heartedly. He's very good at what he does.”
-- Colin Rule, Director of Online Dispute Resolution, eBay

“John Ford has been conducting our conflict resolution training for years...he has that rare ability of being able to reach managers as well as front-line employees with a sincerity that helps deliver important messages in a believable and effective way. We'll continue to use John as long as he continues to offer training.”
-- Harriette Heibel, Communication Services Manager, Central Contra Costa Sanitary District

“John Ford is an exceptional trainer. He is very knowledgeable and has an excellent rapport with training participants as well as business clients. In completed program evaluations, John consistently receives an approval rating of 90% or better. I look forward to working with John in the years ahead.”
-- Judi Watkins, Program Coordinator, Regional Training Institute

“John was instrumental in helping us address a deep rift between two of our teams that needed to work together. He was able to gain the trust of some difficult personalities and worked with the teams both individually and collectively to gain commitments on how they would cooperate.”
-- Rich Cortes, Business Services Manager, Union Sanitary District

“John has handled several mediations involving students, faculty and staff. He is one of the most effective mediators I have worked with. He has a way of gaining the trust of the parties in a mediation setting and has a calming effect in even the most contentious of situations. He handles issues relating to diversity with skill and sensitivity. His ethics are above reproach, and his understanding of human nature is extraordinary. I always think of him first when I need a mediator.”
-- Teri Cannon, Dean, School of Law, JFK University

“John Ford is a highly ethical and inspiring teacher. He is most gracious and professional in practicing his trade and base it on in-depth understanding of conflict and resolution thereof. He can teach! In teaching he has helped numerous managers and others master the crucial skill of conflict resolution. Many lives are enriched by John's superb inputs. I strongly recommend John as trainer and as practitioner.”
-- Manie Spoelstra, Director at International Negotiation Academy

“John makes conflict management real and understandable. We all have to deal with difficult situations, learning how to use them as learning experiences is what is important. John helps people and organizations achieve their potential even in the midst of conflict.”
-- Mark Thurman, President and CEO at CHRIMS, Inc. and Pari Global Solutions, Inc.

“John's commitment to providing an engaging, quality training is great. He customizes his trainings to best suit the needs of his audience, and he always gets excellent reviews.”
-- Julia Dozier, Community College Administrator

“Thank you for a great class. I learnt a lot from you. I will be sure to let others know of your classes. Take care and I hope that our paths will someday cross again.”
-- Dr. Cheong L. Chuah, Director of Music Technology, Los Medanos College

“John has presented classes for managers in Dealing with Difficult People in the Workplace, which I plan to have as part of my core curriculum requirements for management development.”
-- Christine Moore, Training Manager, John Muir Health System

“John Ford is an inspiring teacher with his deep knowledge and wide experience in conflict resolution. In my classes with John, he helped me to understand the definition of conflict and how to effectively utilize conflict resolution techniques. He guided me through the experience of resolving personal/professional conflicts. As a human resources manager, I can see that my work with John continues to inform my own techniques in leading work-place mediation. I strongly recommend John's classes, they are transformational.”
-- Nermin Soyalp, Principal / Organizational Consultant at Bring Your Passion to Work

“In John's coaching, he has a keen ability to listen to what is said and hone in on unspoken hopes and desires. He understands and supports the practical needs of his clients, while championing and encouraging them to pursue their greatest dreams. John is direct and tactful and provides the focus and structure necessary to target one's areas of greatest priority and importance.”
-- Nicole Lamb, Self Employed Trainer

“John and I worked together at the MA in Organization Psychology program at JFKU. John brought ideas and insights to the program. He had wonderful rapport with the students, faculty and administration. John has a warm and inviting manner that allows all levels of the organization to work easily with him. I highly recommend John for any faculty or educational administrative position.”
-- Jan Schmuckler, Professor at John F. Kennedy University

“John is insightful, thoughtful and a supportive colleague. He was well-liked by his students. He was willing to take on extra projects and to advocate on behalf of students. I would be happy to work with him again.”
-- Bev Scott, Writer, Author, Coach, Founder: The 3rd Act

“Sitting under a siege situation a whole day with my labour negotiator taken hostage by between one to two hundred disgruntled employees (mainly lobster fishermen), facing threats of guns and rampant violence, which only defused when the special armed police unit arrived from the capital eight hours later. It was a relief to learn that a labour dispute expert would be arriving with the Chairman of the board the day after, to help resolve the explosive situation at hand. During the following days John Ford proved to be the voice of reason able to get the labour union to the negotiating table, to find a constructive and peaceful resolution for the future of the company and the employees.”
-- Sigurdur Bogason, CEO, National Fishing Corporation of Namibia Ltd

“John is a phenomenal instructor! I had the privilege of having John as a professor at Golden Gate University's Conflict Resolution / Mediation course. John is a highly organized instructor with a very strong work ethic. I really appreciated John's hands on approach to teaching mediation, his in-class peer mediation sessions gave his students the opportunity to run their own sessions and experiment with various methodologies, John's techniques are not just applicable for the mediation profession, they are also transferable to various work/group related situations in practically any field. John is approachable, has an extensive knowledge, and his open-minded approach as an instructor could not be overestimated. I Highly recommend John as both a mediator and a professor.”
-- Yelena Gertsenshteyn, Human Resources at Walmart eCommerce

“From a “mature” students viewpoint I was always looking at my professors with a critical eye; how did they dress, how do they speak to the students, their organizational skills, just to name a few things needed in professionalism. If we, as students, could grade our Professors, John Ford would get an “A+. John is one of my most remembered Professors at Sonoma State University. He is informative and enlightening in the educational process of Conflict Resolution and Mediation. John’s skill in instruction coupled with his charismatic and energetic personality encouraged my desire to learn. He has an exceptional way to foresee into the other persons dilemma, seamlessly apply techniques that will bring a common ground to the surface during mediation, thus for the outcome to be successful to all concerned. I would highly recommend John as far as a professor of learning and as a professional in business matters especially where there is a need for wisdom and ethics.”
-- Linda Wootton, Mental Health Rehabilitation Specialist at ICMS

“John is a wonderful professor who greatly enhanced my time at Golden Gate University. I took his Structure, Theory, and Ethics of Conflict Resolution course in the 2013 spring trimester. John is incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about both the theory behind and effective methods of conflict resolution. He mixes active lecturing and in-class activities for a very interesting and insightful course. John organizes his class time very well and ensures every student understands the salient issues each class. John is extremely knowledgeable about the mediation process and is quite adept at using his experience to teach students effective mediation techniques. John is a very approachable professor who always makes time for any student questions. I highly recommend taking John’s class at Golden Gate University, you will learn quite a lot about mediation.”
-- Elizabeth Scheffler, Human Resources Generalist at The RealReal

“At Golden Gate University I had a great pleasure in studying under Professor John Ford, and learning about conflict resolution. He worked with Nobel Peace Prize laureate and noted for his international peace work Marti Ahtisaari on the Namibia crisis. Prof Ford is an excellent Mediator and instructor. He teaches the students how to clarify the on-the-table issues of conflict management to resolution. I recommend this class and should you have him as a Mediator you are extremely lucky to have such a rarified expert to resolve a dispute mutually.”
-- Theodora Caroline Krieble, Human Resource Management

“I had the opportunity to enroll in John Ford’s Organizational Collaborative Practice and Conflict class through the Werner Institute. John Ford is an exceptional and knowledgeable professor. I was incredibly impressed with his honesty, clarity, and communication skills. In addition to John Ford’s professionalism and expertise in subject material, he is very insightful and has the ability to guide his students toward invaluable revelations. It would be a wonderful experience and benefit for any individual to learn through John Ford’s instruction, on both a professional and personal level.”
-- Jennifer Kim, Human Resources Manager at Behavioral Health Works, Inc.

“I has the pleasure of attending John's class on Organizational Collaborative Practice and Conflict at the Werner Institute. Amidst the challenges of distance learning and hurdles associated with teaching difficult concepts in an online environment, John was able to keep me and my fellow classmates engaged in ways few other professors could. John taught several important concepts throughout this course but the one that stuck out most was to 'meet people where they are in conflict'. This has already become a new tool in my toolbox for managing conflict that I will take with me throughout my career. This was my favorite class and John made the content relevant, easy to understand, and fun to learn. John is an excellent professor and a valuable asset to the Werner Institute. Any organization would be lucky to have him.”
-- Brian Comperchio, Learning & Development Consultant

Random Student Comments

"Your strength is your understanding and familiarity with the theory of conflict resolution."

"John, I feel, is an amazingly soft-spoken man who emanates peace, tranquility, and a sweet spirit."

"John is a good facilitator. He enables active participation of the class."

"I will use what I’ve learned not only at work, but also at home. The class was very informative."

"John is a wonderful facilitator and I wouldn’t have gained such knowledge without his expert direction."

“Excellent presentation skills, excellent knowledge of materials and professional expertise.”

“Very informative, and well prepared!”

“John is a wonderful instructor/communicator. He helped me learn about conflict management and how I myself react to conflicts. Great course! Great instructor!”

“John makes learning fun and exciting. The time passed quickly!”

"John Ford is a wonderful facilitator and I wouldn't have gained such knowledge without his expert direction."

"John is a great speaker. I will apply the tools I learned today at work and at home."

Random Mediation Comments

“His style was very low key but effective in assisting the parties to see that a compromise was in their mutual best interest.”

“Mr. Ford was extremely professional and worked hard to resolve the dispute between the parties. Highly recommended.”

“Mr. Ford was an excellent mediator. I would and have recommended him to other attorneys in other cases.”

“In our employment dispute, in which I represented the employer, Mr. Ford did a very good job in assessing the personality of the plaintiff, and in making the plaintiff feel that she was getting the benefit of a fair proceeding. Without Mr. Ford's help, the plaintiff would likely have not agreed to a settlement.”