Subordinate Lodge
Officer Training
22 September 2001
Roger M. Firestone, PM—Education Officer, District Four
and James D. Hawkins, PM
Agenda
0845
Breakfast (fund raiser for Fairfax Assembly #3 IORG) and fellowship
0930
Manage ment concep ts as applied to the Masonic Lodge (R. M. Fir estone, DEO )
1015
Perspective and expe rience of the small busines s man (J. D. Hawk ins, PM)
1045
Open discussion, que stion-and -answer, Masonic educa tion
1130
(and no later!) Departure…or lunch at a nea rby restaurant if anyone wishes to form a group
22 Sep 2001
2
Who is the Audience?
• The Junior Warden, most of all
– It’s too late for the Master
– And almost too late for the Sr. Warden
• It’s not too soon for the Sr. Deacon
– And we’ll see that the Jr. Deacon should be a
part of the process from early on
• The Secretary—everyone knows who runs
the Lodge!
• And anyone else who wants to earn wages!
22 Sep 2001
3
Elements of management
• Planning
• Organizing
• Staffing
• Directing
• Controlling
22 Sep 2001
4
Planning
• You’ve heard about this ad infinitum and
ad nauseam!
• But how do you do it?
• Important question not asked:
Is it your plan or a Lodge plan?
• Where to start?
22 Sep 2001
5
Your Plan or a Lodge Plan?
• Some (many? most?) Masters have a plan
for their year
• A Lodge plan is a plan for multiple years
– Must co-ordinate with your predecessors and
your successors
– Must also satisfy the 95% of Lodge members
who are not officers
22 Sep 2001
6
The Lodge Plan
• Begin by reaching an agreement among
Lodge leadership to create a Lodge plan
– Line officers + Secretary + Treasurer
– Any others who show desire to lead (LEO,
LIW, etc.)
• Work towards unified long-term plan that
accommodates short-term needs
– All line officers incorporate Lodge plan for
their years
22 Sep 2001
7
Plans Begin With Ideas
• Anyone can have an idea
– Be open and welcoming; listen!
– Newest Master Mason may have much to offer
– Take advantage of special abilities of members
• Share ideas—communicate!
• Ideas become goals
– Although some ideas are methods...
22 Sep 2001
What’s unique about
your Lodge?
8
Goals
• Goals are concrete objectives
– Earn the James Noah Hillman Award
– Increase Lodge endowment by $10,000
– Hold programs on each of 7 LA&S
• Goals must be achievable, under the control
of those who are to do the work
– “10 new petitions” is not a good goal
22 Sep 2001
9
From Goals to Plans
• Once you have set your goals, work
backward to your starting point
– Five M’s approach: Men, materials, money, machines,
methods
• Identify any sub-goals
– Also called milestones, these can help by giving a sense
of accomplishment to the workers as things proceed—
and let you know if you’re off track!
22 Sep 2001
10
Plan Around a Mission
• An overall plan may be seen as composed
of a number of missions
• A mission has a defined objective
(what/when), but not necessarily every
detail specified
• Leave room for initiative and innovation
– People want to feel that they have contributed
22 Sep 2001
11
Adopting the Plan
• Are your Five M’s available? Discard a
plan that is not feasible (the earlier, the
better)
• Be sure your plan isn’t in conflict with
Masonic law (Methodical Digest)
• Be sure your plan has “buy-in”
– From the leadership team
– From the Lodge members (95% of the Lodge)
22 Sep 2001
12
Organizing
• Organizing is creating a structure to
accomplish the plan
– EA’s in quarry, FC’s at building site, each MM
oversees work of 50 craftsmen…
• The Lodge has a defined organization
– The Master’s tool to augment this for a specific
purpose is the committee
22 Sep 2001
13
Committees
• Most Lodges have standing committees
– Work, funerals, sick & distressed, etc.
– Be sure you have the ones you need—and only
those! Don’t waste time on pointless committees
• Committees must have at least three members
in most Masonic jurisdictions
– The Master is ex officio a member of all
committees
22 Sep 2001
14
Committees (cont.)
• If a standing committee (by By-law or
custom) doesn’t fit the need, the Master
should appoint an ad hoc committee
– Give a definite purpose or mission
– Appoint those apposite to the task
• Don’t let it become a perpetuity
– But if its job is > 1 year, the SW/JW/etc. should
agree to re-appoint to carry on the task
22 Sep 2001
15
Committees (cont.)
• Rt \ Wor \ Bro\ Allen Roberts inveighed
against committees
• He preferred “teams”
– Call them teams or task forces, they are the
same thing
– What’s important is to make sure that they act
• You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t
make him drink
– You can, however, put salt in his oats...
22 Sep 2001
16
Staffing
• Masonry is a volunteer organization
– Men volunteer to join (“own free will and accord”)
– Men volunteer to participate after they become
Master Masons
– In these times, far fewer men volunteer than
used to
• Must work with what staff is available
22 Sep 2001
17
Staffing (cont.)
• Don’t be afraid to ask!
– Many Brothers are too shy to offer, really!
– Fear of rejection, of doing the wrong thing, etc.
• Ask early—men have many commitments
• Know your Brothers
– Know what skills are available
– Pick the right man for the task
22 Sep 2001
18
Longer-term Staffing
• Identify candidates for Jr. Deacon more than
just six weeks before annual elections
– Perhaps two or three years ahead—build a
strong line
– Consider a seven- or eight-year line, even
• Identify what you will do for the Lodge as a
Past Master
– Keep the PMs involved
– Prepare for replacement of Sec’y, Treasurer,...
22 Sep 2001
19
Staffing Problems Challenges
• What everyone says is our biggest problem:
membership
• But also participation
– King Solomon had 153,302 people helping him
– People don’t want to do all the work themselves
– If everyone pitched in, there would be fewer big
jobs!
– It’s amazing what can be accomplished if you
don’t care who gets the credit...
22 Sep 2001
20
Directing
• Directing is the process of seeing that the
details of the task are carried out
• Directing is not solely giving orders and
watching others do the work
• It is also a matter of giving reinforcement—
compliments and corrections
• And it is vital to know what the parts of the
task are
22 Sep 2001
21
Coaching
• If “directing” were called coaching, there
would be a lot less bossing people around
• The optimum leader is a coach
– A coach’s job is to get the best from his people
– A coach need not be able to do the job better
than the subordinate
– A coach should probably know the job better
than the subordinate, to give useful instruction
22 Sep 2001
22
Getting the Best From People
• Training (skills)
• Instruction (task-related)
• Positive reinforcement
• Team-building
– “A box of donuts: Two bucks.
Team bonding: Priceless”
22 Sep 2001
23
Actual
Controlling
Plan
• Controlling is the process of comparing
actual performance to the plan
• The purpose of controlling is to correct
deviations and reward success
– Note that deviations are corrected, not punished
• Must know what is expected
– That’s why plan goals are specific and there are
milestones along the way
22 Sep 2001
24
Controlling (cont.)
• “Management by walking around”
• Keep an eye on your leaders (committee
chairs)
• Look for the important things, right or wrong
• Quantifiable milestones are best, but not
always possible
• Know who’s responsible for what
22 Sep 2001
25
Other Management Functions
• Marketing and communications
– Make your Lodge visible!
• to its members
• to other Lodges
• to the community
• Finance (remember the long term!—Lodge Plan, right?)
• Facilities and maintenance, security
– Nothing uniquely Masonic here...
22 Sep 2001
26
What’s a Lodge Meeting About?
• Ritual (not covered further in this course)
• Necessary business
– Avoid unnecessary business!
– Do whatever it takes to make it brief!
• Program
• Fellowship
22 Sep 2001
27
Business
• Don’t have to read everything! Summarize!
• Have an annual budget approved
– Only have to vote on off-budget expenses
• Reports only from committees having some
info useful to the Lodge as a whole
• Have an agenda and follow it
• Let Brothers have reasonable opportunity
for input, but cut off rambling, repetition
22 Sep 2001
28
Programs
• Too many programs come from outside the
Lodge these days
– Some have been seen over and over...
• The L.E.O. is not the answer to the above
• Need to have individual Brothers participate
in the work
– This may take some jump starting
– Is the L.E.O. a committee head? Or just one
man?
22 Sep 2001
29
Fellowship
• This is why many men become Masons
• If your stated communication ends at 10:15
PM, there is no time for this afterwards
• Plan (Lodge Plan, remember?) social activities
– Involve families; involve youth groups, involve
EA’s and FC’s—and some just for MM’s, too
– Address age range of members (softball vs.
cribbage tournament)
22 Sep 2001
30
The Most Important Point
• Masonry is not a business or a religion
• Men become Masons without knowing very
much about it and may be easily disappointed
• Masonry is a pastime
– People want to enjoy their pastimes
– Even serious hobbies must provide
satisfaction
• Therefore: HAVE FUN!!!!
22 Sep 2001
31
Congratulations!!!
You have now received your
Worshipful Master
of
Business Administration
degree!
And now...
More light...
22 Sep 2001
From Wor. Bro.
James D. Hawkins
33