Summary: This is an episode of random thoughts, I'd love to hear your random thoughts as well.<br> <br> My first thought is regarding the discussion of disciplinary councils. Have you participated in such councils? Has your experience been good? Bad? Spiritual? I shared some thoughts on the subject over at This Week in Mormons in my article titled <a href="http://thisweekinmormons.com/2015/01/mormon-disciplinary-councils-arent-sin/" target="_blank">Mormon Disciplinary Councils Aren't About Sin</a>. <br> <br> Please give the article a read and then share your thoughts below. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but I'd love to have an open dialogue about the topic. I want to thank the <a href="http://www.thisweekinmormons.com" target="_blank">This Week in Mormons</a> team for allowing me to share my thoughts. They've been very good to me.<br> <br> I also received some fan mail this week! ;) I'm kidding, of course, but I did get an email from a faithful executive secretary that experienced an awkward ward council full of finger pointing and yelling.<br> <br> Here's what the email said:<br> Thanks for creating such a great site and resource for members of the church. I'm currently the executive secretary in my ward and not technically a leader, but I enjoy learning about it. I especially like your Saint Nicholas talk :)<br> <br> I have a question though... have you experienced any conflict or dislike among the auxiliary leaders in your ward? If so, how did you handle or help the situation.<br> <br> In our ward council a few weeks ago there was finger pointing and a screaming match over not having enough butter at the ward Christmas party and the Relief Society president ended up storming out of the room. I had never seen people lose it in a setting like that, and I thought it was an isolated situation in a unique ward. However, a friend in our last ward mentioned that there was a conflict in one of his ward councils recently, and ended with the ward mission leader walking out.<br> <br> From what I saw, in both cases the Bishop's handled it well, but I am not sure what was said behind close doors. These may be isolated situations, but I'm sure that it happens else where in the church. How would you counsel in a situation like that?<br> <br> I'll keep reading and listening. Thanks.<br> I give my response in the podcast episode, but in short, the solution to a situation like this comes from the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Accountability-Resolving-Expectations-Commitments-ebook/dp/B00C4BDRW6" target="_blank">Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior</a>. <br> <br> If you haven't read this book, GO. READ. IT. NOW. It has had a great impact on my communication as a leader and helped me diffuse awkward situations.<br> <br> I'd love to hear how others would have handled this situation or other stories of when ward council blows up! :) Please comment below.
