Mentoring Lessons- Handling Conflictsনমুনা
Organisational policy
Have you been part of a team or board that has asked someone in senior leadership to resign?
On one occasion, the board of directors of a significant sports ministry asked the board chairperson to resign. The issue was around divorce. It took two long, tension-filled years to try to resolve. The board agreed that the chairperson should disqualify himself from leadership or step aside for a period. They believed having a divorced chairperson was a wrong model for this ministry. (We are not arguing that divorce is right or wrong here.)
The problem could have been resolved quickly if a resignation policy had been written into the sports organization’s by-laws. Unfortunately, the by-laws didn’t address the issue and the chairperson wasn't willing to resign, so it became a very disruptive issue.
What next? Considering the situation, you would think that the immediate action would have been to add a divorce policy to the by-laws. Wrong! Nothing was added.
Tragically, the chairperson went through a second divorce, and despite not having a written policy, the board removed the chairperson. The chairperson didn't go quietly or peacefully which led to a very unhappy board for a long time.
The failure to think thoroughly through the by-laws was a painful mistake. It also cost my long-term friendship with this board chairman.
Scripture to ponder – 1 Corinthians 16:14
Everything you do should be done in love.
Key Lesson: Organization policy should help you in messy and painful times when things go wrong. Could there be gaps in your policies? Ask leaders of other agencies or a church if you can review their by-laws to see what your board may have missed.
Scripture
About this Plan
Working with different people groups, teams and cultures across the globe, the sports movement is not averse to handling conflicts. This study is a collection of experiences on handling conflict within a christian disciple making movement.
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