Creating Stronger Nations

BROOKLYN, NY- You don't know how many times we hear perplexing responses from Indian Country regarding our Brooklyn, New York base of operations. Trust me... as a Native from the Laguna Pueblo, I know first-hand how odd it sounds. When we think of Native-owned companies, we often think of them based in the heart of Indian Country--New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado or perhaps somewhere in the Great Plains. But the reality is, CSN could operate anywhere because of our on-site commitment to helping tribal governments succeed.

In January 2010 alone, CSN traveled thousands of miles across Indian Country, working with Alaska Native village councils and tribal governments in the Northwest and California. At the end of 2009, CSN also continued its long-standing work with the enrollment committee of the Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico. And in February, CSN will journey to RES 2010 in Las Vegas, NV where we plan to officially announce the company as "Native-Owned."

As the primary partner of CSN, it is with great honor to accept ownership of a company built upon two decades of outstanding performance and experience of working with tribal governments. This role also comes with great responsibility. In balancing this opportunity to work alongside CSN President, James Mills, I will continue providing marketing direction and support to the company while working towards future goals that help meet the needs of today's tribes. What will remain the same is CSN's unique and specialized technical support and leadership training that tribal governments have turned to time and again.

If you are heading to the RES 2010 conference, we hope you will pay us a visit at booth #505. James and I are looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and also to meet new people. We'll also be giving away a beautiful Pendleton blanket to one lucky soul. Stop by our booth to enter the contest and thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Jenni Monet

MALACATOYA, NICARAGUA-- This month on creatingstrongenations.com, we’re journeying throughout Central America to examine leadership in the link. We’re talking about the link between the North and the South—and also—the link to a dark political past that, only until recently, has begun to see signs of significant social change.

To understand how the seven small countries making up Central America have overcome decades of brutal repression and civil war, we’ll explore Guatemala’s indigenous struggles, Costa Rica’s economic vision and a nation in constant recovery, as we begin our exploration from a ferryboat in Nicaragua.

Just east of the capital city of Managua and an estimated 20 miles outside of the colonial center of Granada, we land on a road-less-traveled to L.A.—not the City of Angels that you are most familiar with in the US—but the indigenous village of Malacatoya, Nicaragua. Home to about 1,000 thousand residents, villagers here re-named their community “Los Angeles” when they were forced to re-build in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. Like many communities throughout the country, Malacatoya was hit hard by the 1998 storm. Fierce flooding left families homeless and hungry. The food supply was all but destroyed.

When the United Auto Workers (UAW) union struck a deal with Ford Motor Co. in late February for revised employee benefits, union President Ron Gettlefinger said members demonstrated “solidarity, understanding and patience,” throughout the bargaining process.

When the National Football League Player’s Association (NFLPA) held it’s annual press conference earlier this year, Jeffrey Kessler, a lawyer for the players union, made an interesting pitch for unity between active and retired players who, for generations, have been building a nasty internecine war over salaries and benefits within the football fraternity.

At the core of each of these disputes lives the process of negotiation—a dialogue intended to resolve long-standing debate, to produce agreement, or to craft outcomes that can satisfy the various interests of two opposing sides. Negotiation is comprised of three main elements: The Process, Behavior and Substance.