Success Quote by Joan Blades

"I'm a mediator by training and inclination" is a quiet power move disguised as modest self-description. Joan Blades isn’t claiming to be the loudest voice in the room; she’s claiming to be the person who can keep the room from exploding. In business culture, where "disruptor" is treated like a personality type, calling yourself a mediator signals a different kind of authority: the ability to translate conflict into decisions without pretending conflict isn’t there.

The line works because it splits competence into two layers. "Training" is credentialed legitimacy, the professional infrastructure: I have the tools, I know the process, I can run the room. "Inclination" is character, almost temperament: I’m not just capable of mediation, I’m drawn to it. That second word matters. It implies steadiness under pressure, an instinct for de-escalation, and a preference for coalition over conquest. It also preemptively defends against cynicism: this isn’t a tactic I deploy when it benefits me; it’s how I’m wired.

Coming from a business figure, the subtext is cultural as much as personal. Mediation is a counter-language to the winner-take-all mythology of entrepreneurship. It suggests leadership as facilitation, not domination, and frames negotiation as an ethical practice rather than a zero-sum game. In a polarized era, it’s also brand positioning: trust me, I’m the bridge. The real flex is implying that the bridge-builder can still steer where the bridge goes.