A Response

One of the qualities of a good Leader is to pick your replacement. From 1986 - 2006 I was Chairman of the Committee on Jurisprudence for the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. I chose my replacement and recommended Past Grand High Priest Tom Dean. Tom reads my blog and occasionally we have e-mail conversations. This morning he writes: (and I use this with his permission)

Okay, I read all your postings from yesterday, apparently from after lunch........

I am fired up again and writing..watch out.

The problem of leadership in Freemasonry is not limited to the York Rite!

The lack of “leadership” is affecting every organization that you can imagine! Lions Clubs, Rotary, Kiwanis, K of C, you name it, a lack of leadership is evident at some point or another.

I have had the pleasure of conducting hundreds of Leadership Development Seminars and Courses over the years. Some of these were with adults, while the majority was with college age students. I am STILL of the opinion that you can make a leader anymore than you can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear! Not everyone is a leader and not everyone wants to be a leader!

The York Rite of Freemasonry is not the only Masonic organization that has a shortage of leaders. It may well be the most apparent, especially to a few of us, at this critical stage in the Rite’s life. We need to look at the qualities that we look for in a leader and analyze them as to the importance we place on them!

In Freemasonry we tend to equate “Leader” with “Ritualist.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Not all football players are quarterbacks are they? Not all baseball players hit home runs do they? Each has their own pivotal role in the situation that they are involved. On rare occasions a “Leader” and a “Ritualist” are the same person and it tends to spoil us.

We have a tendency to push people through “lines” to be officers and then the “head” of our bodies. We assume, incorrectly, that if we elect them to the “head” position, then they will wake up and be a leader. Look around you, you know Brothers and Companions that have held leadership positions and couldn’t lead anyone.......anywhere. They are however, considered “leaders” in our organization. We even give them jewels and awards!

We spend too much time not thinking about good leadership. We are willing to tolerate a down year in our organizations cause “Joe Blow” was elected.

We KNOW that the year is not going to be a good one, because we really, deep down, KNOW he is not a leader. We forget that one down year leads to more down years and that is where the lack of leadership really shows.

Tom Peters, a management consultant of considerable note studied business and organizations for year, focusing primarily on business. He coined a phrase, and called it The Peter Principle.” Quite simply put, Peters believes that “given the opportunity, people rise to their level of incompetence. I fully agree with this idea. For the businessmen in our beloved Freemasonry, they need to ask them selves if they would hire some our leaders for pivotal positions in their organizations. I would doubt if they would. A good salesman does not necessarily make a good sales manager!

Freemasonry needs leaders, but we need members first and foremost. We need people to make coffee too! We need people who are will to cook a meal for the membership. We need members who are good ritualists. We need people who have computer skills. We need members that we are able to cultivate and let their skills, talents and abilities shine. We need leaders to do this. A good leader is able to help individual members grow and become better members. This is a very important part of being a leader. Running a good meeting is fine, but if no one is there and involved, what good is it?

We all have a role to play, a niche to fill and talents to share. We need to be honest with ourselves and determine through self-introspection what those talents are. We need to keep from putting our lights under the proverbial bushel! We need to examine the York Rite’s role and continue to press onward and search for leadership within and without our ranks.

I will get off my soapbox for now!

One other thing.......The York Rite pays rent at Masonic Temples across our state.........the York Rite leaving affects the financial picture of a lot of Masonic Temples!

Thanks, Tom, I agree with you. I also think that processes can be put into place to help the Rite. We can bring in people (such as yourself) to help us make decisions as to long range plans, goals and ways to implement them. We can develop "worker bees" out of which leaders may grow or be found. We can do it if we care. If not we are place holders...holding the place until ignorance apathy and complacency eventually bury the Rite. The Symbolic Lodge is realizing this and is actively working to overcome the situation. The Scottish Rite seemingly has a real leader at its helm and he will be there for several more years. The York Rite is floundering. Someone needs to throw it a life preserver. That is what this series of posts is about. Thanks for your thoughts. Hopefully someone will listen. jcs