"He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that." - John Stuart Mill
The Guild has elected a governing body, The Table of Twelve. The Table of Twelve is now forming a conflict resolution Team of Three mediators. Brian Bock, of West Virginia has stepped forward to lead the Mediation Team. Any Guild members that have a complaint or any guild members that have a business dispute can submit their situation to this team for productive resolution. That process will be much more productive than random complaints, angry statements and accusations.
When only the two sides of a dispute each voice their own position, a full perspective is not available because each side in a conflict has a built in bias. A conflict resolution team provides a very important objective third view. This third view provides reliable data to work with. Mediation provides an intelligent total view of all facts. That informed perspective can lead to productive resolution.
As a principle of membership, active Guild Members will agree to first submit all conflicts and complaints to this Team of Three. A set time of 60 days will be provided for a formal conflict resolution process within the Guild. The Team of Three will use conflict resolution methods developed by professional mediators. If both parties do not agree to the proposed resolution, of course they can then pursue conventional legal remedy in external legal systems.
This new service to Guild members will prove to be of great value as Chandler Guild grows. We now have more than one hundred Chandlers in 28 states and 2 provinces in Canada. With all of the interest in this Guild we expect to have members in all 50 states and in many nations by the time of the Second Chandler Congress next August. With hundreds and eventually thousands of global guild members selling goods and services to each other, the conflict resolution team of the Table of Twelve will prove to be a very valuable asset of this Guild. What we create now in the seedling of the Guild will guide the growth of the Guild. The mediation team will provide a process for productive communication. This will have a very positive long term effect for this Guild.
On behalf of all Guild participants, Thank you Brian for being willing to accept this very important responsibility. This is an important step forward for a Guild that can grow in a positive and strong direction.