A man is elected Master of his Lodge, and just isn’t good at it. Perhaps he can’t keep a meeting on track so they drag on for hours with nothing being accomplished. Perhaps he seems unable or unwilling to provide opportunities for education or fellowship. Perhaps he allows anger or stubbornness to overwhelm his good judgement.
Whatever it is, sometimes there is a problem in the East.
When this happens, what is the best way we can seek to influence the Master to improve whatever he might be doing incorrectly? How can we help him to improve, without causing further disharmony in the Lodge?
From my new lodge recruitment letter: There will be no progressive line. In fact, the very idea of the progressive line will be forbidden in the bylaws. Men shall run for office with a clear vision of what they want to accomplish, and why they are adequately suited to accomplish their goals. For example, a candidates for master should have plans for 12 educational topics for their term, the candidates for Junior warden should have 12 outside of lodge refreshment activities. Ultimately the brethren aren't voting for the man, but rather his plan. A particularly good officer might occupy that post for a decade, but that shouldn't prevent someone else from entering a higher lodge position. A good junior warden won't necessarily make a good master, and a man who would be a perfect master, might make a terrible junior warden.
Each office has certain responsibilities and a man should run for the position most suited to his unique talents rather than feel obligated to hit every office from the bottom. The time involved to be an officer of this lodge will be substantial, and likely take several hours a week, and appropriate compensation is part of the purpose of dues which will be adjusted to account for the officer's efforts. Though it is ultimately a labor of love, and a man can expect less per hour for being an officer of this lodge than he would make at his day job in most professions, but all officer positions will have a budget.
Leadership incompetence is at the very heart of organizational dysfunction and failures. This is so important in the 21st Century when people are balancing busy lives, busy families and intense competition for attention. We cannot afford to have leadership incompetence in Masonry.
Research shows competent leaders cause high levels of trust, engagement, and productivity, incompetent ones result in anxious, alienated people who practice counterproductive behaviors and spread toxicity throughout an organization. The economic impact of avoiding a toxic leader is two times higher than that of selecting a good one.
I have advocated that we should have committees to certify the leadership and educational competence of those who wish to become Masters before they are even allowed to run. This would require a multi-step leadership development program as well as competencies in ritual, motivation and education. We cannot afford to have anything less. I recently sat in on a Zoom call where a candidate for the grand line was commiserating about the incompetence of some lodges and as a result, we should let those lodges fail. What a crime it is to have failure on our hands.
Membership retention is one of our key issues and I would argue that a high degree of membership failures is due to leadership incompetence; the failure to implement a strong value proposition for remaining with a lodge, the failure to provide good and wholesome education and the failure to bring people together working for a common goal.
The world is full of problems in need of good people like Masons. We cannot afford to bring those problems into the Lodge in the form of bad leaders.
Someone once said “Great leaders don’t set out to be leaders. They set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role and always about the goal.”
How to influence the Master... The other two pillared officers are on their way to the East, thus are studying their parts, and may have some apprehension with regard to influencing the Master. The one man in the Lodge who knows everything that is going on is the Secretary. Chances are he has been in the position for a number of years, and should be able to gently "steer" the Master. It should be a cooperative effort between Master and Secretary. When I was Master, I relied heavily on my Secretary for advice and guidance. Thankfully, he was (and remains) a great mentor and counsellor!
What is the best way we can seek to influence the Master to improve whatever he might be doing incorrectly? How can we help him to improve, without causing further disharmony in the Lodge?
At this point we are already in a state of organizational dysfunction and failure, therefore in a reactive mode. How we can help is by being proactive in the training and grooming of a Brother that is on the path to the East. To answer the question of influencing the Master to improve whatever he might be doing incorrectly has to be specific to the Brother and Lodge. In a global holistic view, we need to reinvent our Image, Code of Conduct and create Proactive Bench Marks of Progress. I intensely studied 5 days a week under Grand Master Morris Mack over 3 years ShudoKan Karate-Do. Each level of rank had to be performed and tested, the test of Character (Code of Conduct & Etiquette ) was strictly observed and passed before the next Belt Rank was awarded. In the Marine Corps Boot camp we had to earn the right to qualify to be "Made" (Initiated) a Marine. It has also being my personal experience that I was not properly prepared to take on the East in Blue Lodge, Red Chapter, Purple Council and Black Commandery. I believe the huge reason is the State of our Masonic Membership. WE do not have the membership quantity of quality mature Brothers to teach, model and train junior Brothers. I am not casting blame, I am stating what I have personally seen and experienced in the last 5+ years... In the last 2 years I have avoided and dodged elected positions in the YR Grand Lines, so that I can relearn our Masonic Education as an Entered Apprentice and grow from there. In essence I have become conscious I am part of this problem and starting to work on the proactive solution. My gratitude's for letting me share my thoughts.
“A man is elected Master of his Lodge, and just isn’t good at it.” Some might think, “why the heck did the Lodge elect him as the Master, then???” Some might point out the progressive line issue, that has been discussed extensively in this post and many previous ones. Also, some might note that nobody else is willing to take the position, and the Worshipful Master preceding him did not wish to repeat another year. I’ve seen this happen first-hand several times, and indeed, it should never get to the point where Brethren are telling each other to hold out; it’s only one year, and a better Brother will be available next time… we hope. It’s also not fair to the Brother who’s not prepared to be the Master to get elected into that position before he’s ready.
“Perhaps he can’t keep a meeting on track so they drag on for hours with nothing being accomplished.” I know of a couple of great Brothers who have this issue. They indeed have the vision to lead a Lodge to a great future, and can assign committees, make phone calls, etc. to make that vision happen. However, when they’re running the Stated Communication, they get up to the microphone and just go around in circles. The meeting ends up going past 10:00, things are already done, but the Master just keeps talking about it. And it can be a challenge to bump the Master along without sounding rude. Good counseling by a Brother, and good listening skills by the Worshipful Master, can be key in resolving this problem.
“Perhaps he seems unable or unwilling to provide opportunities for education or fellowship.” One of the key facets of a good leader is the ability to get your Lodge to buy into your vision. This is where your work in the “quarries” helps you become part of your Lodge’s leadership, and would more likely prompt the membership to elect you Worshipful Master.
“Perhaps he allows anger or stubbornness to overwhelm his good judgment.” This is one of the potential pitfalls of not having a progressive line, in a manner. As Jack mentioned here, “A particularly good officer might occupy that post for a decade, but that shouldn't prevent someone else from entering a higher lodge position.” But it could. Anger and stubbornness might provoke fear in the membership, and you might have a Worshipful Master occupy that post for a decade or more, not because he’s a good leader, but because nobody has the fortitude to make themselves available for the position, out of fear of creating a rift in the Lodge. Your Lodge would essentially become a small “kingdom” with the Master as the “King.” I’ve heard stories of this happening in Lodges of other Fraternal Societies. I’ve also heard that the only way the problem can be solved is either the passing of the Master, or someone putting their foot down and straightening things out, and acknowledging the rift might indeed occur, and they’d have to work also to patch the rift. But how do you prevent such a situation from happening in the first place? I know of many good men and Masons who are excellent members, Brothers, and friends… when they aren’t in a leadership position. I remember one Past Master who was a quiet, meek little guy when he was a sideliner, but erupted into a dictator when he was the Worshipful Master or the Chairman of a Board. But as soon as his term was up as the leader, he immediately became the quiet, passive sideliner again. It was almost like flipping a switch. (This Brother has since passed.) It’d be almost impossible to know what would happen unless you had prior knowledge of how he handles leadership positions. Indeed, this could very well be a solution to this problem! Give the new member a chairman position on one of your Lodge committees, see how he handles it. If he gets dictatorial, assure that his issue is addressed before appointing him to another leadership position.
VWB Tig mentioned, “The one man in the Lodge who knows everything that is going on is the Secretary. Chances are he has been in the position for a number of years, and should be able to gently "steer" the Master.” Having been Secretary of my home Lodge for a few years, I know where he’s coming from. And indeed, I have been able to assist the Worshipful Masters in many ways. But as I mentioned above about Brothers holding positions for years, it can turn the position of Worshipful Master into a “puppet” for the Secretary if the Secretary is given too much latitude in how the Lodge is run. I’ve seen that, too. It was a good lesson for me when I was installed Secretary of Tenino Lodge to self-check myself to assure I didn’t fall into that trap.
Leadership training. It’s a very important part of our Fraternity, and it should also be a very prominent part of our Masonic Education.
Yep, i have been there. I'd say that if we are looking at influencing the Master, to correct issues, we are looking at the wrong end of the process. If manufacturers of cars waited until the car was sold to correct flaws, that manufacturer would not sell many cars. Likewise, a Master should be, well, a Master of our Craft. Many Lodges, for reasons we have discussed previously, (membership retention, membership participation, etc )struggles to fill the chairs, and I have seen men go from EA to Master in a handful of years. Its not good for the Lodge and its not fair to the Master. I know that we have lost Brethren who quit after their year as a Master, in part due to the frustrations of being unprepared. The simple mathmatics of a Lodge that is waning, with aging members makes rapid advancement in Lodge leadership the only way to operate. The only solution is to create Lodges with more men, men with experience, and a pool of over qualified brethren. Right now the quickest way to do that is merge the membership of lodges in decline, to create Lodges with enough active members to creat a pool of worthy Masters. We also need to have higher expectations of our officers, and that means education in ritual, law and landmarks. And finally we need to once again guard the west gate, to improve the quality of the men available to move into leadership.....
From my new lodge recruitment letter: There will be no progressive line. In fact, the very idea of the progressive line will be forbidden in the bylaws. Men shall run for office with a clear vision of what they want to accomplish, and why they are adequately suited to accomplish their goals. For example, a candidates for master should have plans for 12 educational topics for their term, the candidates for Junior warden should have 12 outside of lodge refreshment activities. Ultimately the brethren aren't voting for the man, but rather his plan. A particularly good officer might occupy that post for a decade, but that shouldn't prevent someone else from entering a higher lodge position. A good junior warden won't necessarily make a good master, and a man who would be a perfect master, might make a terrible junior warden.
Each office has certain responsibilities and a man should run for the position most suited to his unique talents rather than feel obligated to hit every office from the bottom. The time involved to be an officer of this lodge will be substantial, and likely take several hours a week, and appropriate compensation is part of the purpose of dues which will be adjusted to account for the officer's efforts. Though it is ultimately a labor of love, and a man can expect less per hour for being an officer of this lodge than he would make at his day job in most professions, but all officer positions will have a budget.
Leadership incompetence is at the very heart of organizational dysfunction and failures. This is so important in the 21st Century when people are balancing busy lives, busy families and intense competition for attention. We cannot afford to have leadership incompetence in Masonry.
Research shows competent leaders cause high levels of trust, engagement, and productivity, incompetent ones result in anxious, alienated people who practice counterproductive behaviors and spread toxicity throughout an organization. The economic impact of avoiding a toxic leader is two times higher than that of selecting a good one.
I have advocated that we should have committees to certify the leadership and educational competence of those who wish to become Masters before they are even allowed to run. This would require a multi-step leadership development program as well as competencies in ritual, motivation and education. We cannot afford to have anything less. I recently sat in on a Zoom call where a candidate for the grand line was commiserating about the incompetence of some lodges and as a result, we should let those lodges fail. What a crime it is to have failure on our hands.
Membership retention is one of our key issues and I would argue that a high degree of membership failures is due to leadership incompetence; the failure to implement a strong value proposition for remaining with a lodge, the failure to provide good and wholesome education and the failure to bring people together working for a common goal.
The world is full of problems in need of good people like Masons. We cannot afford to bring those problems into the Lodge in the form of bad leaders.
Someone once said “Great leaders don’t set out to be leaders. They set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role and always about the goal.”
How to influence the Master... The other two pillared officers are on their way to the East, thus are studying their parts, and may have some apprehension with regard to influencing the Master. The one man in the Lodge who knows everything that is going on is the Secretary. Chances are he has been in the position for a number of years, and should be able to gently "steer" the Master. It should be a cooperative effort between Master and Secretary. When I was Master, I relied heavily on my Secretary for advice and guidance. Thankfully, he was (and remains) a great mentor and counsellor!
What is the best way we can seek to influence the Master to improve whatever he might be doing incorrectly? How can we help him to improve, without causing further disharmony in the Lodge?
At this point we are already in a state of organizational dysfunction and failure, therefore in a reactive mode. How we can help is by being proactive in the training and grooming of a Brother that is on the path to the East. To answer the question of influencing the Master to improve whatever he might be doing incorrectly has to be specific to the Brother and Lodge. In a global holistic view, we need to reinvent our Image, Code of Conduct and create Proactive Bench Marks of Progress. I intensely studied 5 days a week under Grand Master Morris Mack over 3 years ShudoKan Karate-Do. Each level of rank had to be performed and tested, the test of Character (Code of Conduct & Etiquette ) was strictly observed and passed before the next Belt Rank was awarded. In the Marine Corps Boot camp we had to earn the right to qualify to be "Made" (Initiated) a Marine. It has also being my personal experience that I was not properly prepared to take on the East in Blue Lodge, Red Chapter, Purple Council and Black Commandery. I believe the huge reason is the State of our Masonic Membership. WE do not have the membership quantity of quality mature Brothers to teach, model and train junior Brothers. I am not casting blame, I am stating what I have personally seen and experienced in the last 5+ years... In the last 2 years I have avoided and dodged elected positions in the YR Grand Lines, so that I can relearn our Masonic Education as an Entered Apprentice and grow from there. In essence I have become conscious I am part of this problem and starting to work on the proactive solution. My gratitude's for letting me share my thoughts.
“A man is elected Master of his Lodge, and just isn’t good at it.” Some might think, “why the heck did the Lodge elect him as the Master, then???” Some might point out the progressive line issue, that has been discussed extensively in this post and many previous ones. Also, some might note that nobody else is willing to take the position, and the Worshipful Master preceding him did not wish to repeat another year. I’ve seen this happen first-hand several times, and indeed, it should never get to the point where Brethren are telling each other to hold out; it’s only one year, and a better Brother will be available next time… we hope. It’s also not fair to the Brother who’s not prepared to be the Master to get elected into that position before he’s ready.
“Perhaps he can’t keep a meeting on track so they drag on for hours with nothing being accomplished.” I know of a couple of great Brothers who have this issue. They indeed have the vision to lead a Lodge to a great future, and can assign committees, make phone calls, etc. to make that vision happen. However, when they’re running the Stated Communication, they get up to the microphone and just go around in circles. The meeting ends up going past 10:00, things are already done, but the Master just keeps talking about it. And it can be a challenge to bump the Master along without sounding rude. Good counseling by a Brother, and good listening skills by the Worshipful Master, can be key in resolving this problem.
“Perhaps he seems unable or unwilling to provide opportunities for education or fellowship.” One of the key facets of a good leader is the ability to get your Lodge to buy into your vision. This is where your work in the “quarries” helps you become part of your Lodge’s leadership, and would more likely prompt the membership to elect you Worshipful Master.
“Perhaps he allows anger or stubbornness to overwhelm his good judgment.” This is one of the potential pitfalls of not having a progressive line, in a manner. As Jack mentioned here, “A particularly good officer might occupy that post for a decade, but that shouldn't prevent someone else from entering a higher lodge position.” But it could. Anger and stubbornness might provoke fear in the membership, and you might have a Worshipful Master occupy that post for a decade or more, not because he’s a good leader, but because nobody has the fortitude to make themselves available for the position, out of fear of creating a rift in the Lodge. Your Lodge would essentially become a small “kingdom” with the Master as the “King.” I’ve heard stories of this happening in Lodges of other Fraternal Societies. I’ve also heard that the only way the problem can be solved is either the passing of the Master, or someone putting their foot down and straightening things out, and acknowledging the rift might indeed occur, and they’d have to work also to patch the rift. But how do you prevent such a situation from happening in the first place? I know of many good men and Masons who are excellent members, Brothers, and friends… when they aren’t in a leadership position. I remember one Past Master who was a quiet, meek little guy when he was a sideliner, but erupted into a dictator when he was the Worshipful Master or the Chairman of a Board. But as soon as his term was up as the leader, he immediately became the quiet, passive sideliner again. It was almost like flipping a switch. (This Brother has since passed.) It’d be almost impossible to know what would happen unless you had prior knowledge of how he handles leadership positions. Indeed, this could very well be a solution to this problem! Give the new member a chairman position on one of your Lodge committees, see how he handles it. If he gets dictatorial, assure that his issue is addressed before appointing him to another leadership position.
VWB Tig mentioned, “The one man in the Lodge who knows everything that is going on is the Secretary. Chances are he has been in the position for a number of years, and should be able to gently "steer" the Master.” Having been Secretary of my home Lodge for a few years, I know where he’s coming from. And indeed, I have been able to assist the Worshipful Masters in many ways. But as I mentioned above about Brothers holding positions for years, it can turn the position of Worshipful Master into a “puppet” for the Secretary if the Secretary is given too much latitude in how the Lodge is run. I’ve seen that, too. It was a good lesson for me when I was installed Secretary of Tenino Lodge to self-check myself to assure I didn’t fall into that trap.
Leadership training. It’s a very important part of our Fraternity, and it should also be a very prominent part of our Masonic Education.
Yep, i have been there. I'd say that if we are looking at influencing the Master, to correct issues, we are looking at the wrong end of the process. If manufacturers of cars waited until the car was sold to correct flaws, that manufacturer would not sell many cars. Likewise, a Master should be, well, a Master of our Craft. Many Lodges, for reasons we have discussed previously, (membership retention, membership participation, etc )struggles to fill the chairs, and I have seen men go from EA to Master in a handful of years. Its not good for the Lodge and its not fair to the Master. I know that we have lost Brethren who quit after their year as a Master, in part due to the frustrations of being unprepared. The simple mathmatics of a Lodge that is waning, with aging members makes rapid advancement in Lodge leadership the only way to operate. The only solution is to create Lodges with more men, men with experience, and a pool of over qualified brethren. Right now the quickest way to do that is merge the membership of lodges in decline, to create Lodges with enough active members to creat a pool of worthy Masters. We also need to have higher expectations of our officers, and that means education in ritual, law and landmarks. And finally we need to once again guard the west gate, to improve the quality of the men available to move into leadership.....