Whoever can sum up both sides of an argument fairly usually ends up running the room.

Being able to state the other position without sneering at it is rarer than being clever, and it does something no amount of cleverness does: it makes both sides trust you. People who feel accurately described will listen to what you say next. That is how someone with no authority ends up being the one everybody looks at.

Next time two people you know are stuck, say each of their positions back until both agree you got it right. Resist adding your own view until then. You will often find the disagreement was smaller than it sounded, and you will be the one who found that out.