Lodge Leadership Tools - Hawthorne-Fortitude Masonic Lodge No ...

Lodge LeadershipI have come to find that there are some lodges that are moresuccessful than others. The lodges that are run as if it was abusiness seem to have a greater chance of being active, obtainingand keeping new members and thriving as a central part ofthe community. To further this analogy, think of The WorshipfulMaster as the President or CEO, Senior Warden as theVice President, Junior Warden is a Manager and so on. Ofequal importance are the Brethren who attend the meetings,they can be seen as the employees (craftsman) who withouttheir hard work the company can not function and will go outof business.Masons worldwide for the most part all use the same ritual , opening and closing of lodge the sameway and manner, we follow the same tenants and follow the same rules but it’s the individual people whotake upon the duties of an officer that make the difference between success and failure. So why are somelodges run better than others? In my opinion it’s who is elected or asked to be a part of the officer line. Justbecause someone has a title doesn’t mean they have the tools to correctly do the job.The good news is that everyone can learn how to manage more effectively and efficiently. It’s neverto late to implement new tricks of the trade.When the lodge elects the Worshipful Master for the year they are choosing someone who possessesa certain quality. Someone they are confident will lead them on the way to achieving their goals, someonewho can delegate responsibilities not trying to do everything himself. This man needs to know how to findthe answers to questions he doesn’t have and not be afraid to ask for help getting there.Going forward I want to have a section in each issue dealing with the subject of running a successfullodge. The Worshipful Master is not the only one responsible for so great task like this. All the officers needto contribute and do their own part. The sideliners also have an important role so don’t think you are off thehook.The Following article is part of the Masonic Service Associations collection of Short Talk Bulletins.“THE ART OF PRESIDING”"Preside--to sit in authority over others." (Standard Dictionary.)The first principle of successful presiding is to use authority without any one being conscious, of it !The presiding officer elected by a secular organization is amenable to its dictates and may be removed by the(Continued on page 32)31 ON THE WEB AT WWW.TWTMAG.COM 31