LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
by
R.W. Bro. Errol Hinton
One of the most important and yet often overlooked aspects of
balanced Masonry
is the art of proper leadership. There are several hundreds of
books on leadership, all
varying in style from the very basic to advanced techniques from
eastern philosophers.
One common theme seems to be that leadership starts from within,
as a tiny seed that we
can either grow, or let sit dormant. Experts agree that while
some leaders posses the
skills that make it easier to lead, true leaders are not born,
they are developed.
So what makes a great Masonic leader? It starts with that small seed within us.
First and foremost, we need to honestly love and care about what
we do. It is an honest
desire to do well that starts the seed growing. Someone wrote
that true Masonic leaders
don’t relay the message, they are the message. Wanting to
succeed and do a good job is
the very basis for successful leadership. That is why the men
who we choose to lead our
lodges must want to sit in the chair of Worshipful Master. The
mentality of drawing
straws to see whose turn it is to sit in the East is recipe for
disaster. The lesson of the
lesser lights in the first degree illustrates the personal
growth that is the foundation of all
future leadership skills. In “The Meaning of Masonry”, William
Wilmhurst writes that
the three lesser lights represent the sun, moon, and Master of
the lodge. “The Master of
the lodge,” Wilmhurst writes, “is the candidate himself and the
lodge is his personal
temple and well being.” The lesser lights illuminate the Holy
Bible, Square and
Compasses. The sunlight rules the day, the moonlight governs the
night. The Mason
therefore, is to govern his personal temple with the same zeal
and fervor, enlightening
and growing that seed of personal growth that lies within. That
these lesser lights
illuminate our three great lights, shows the importance of
personal development.
The next important step in leadership development is that of education.
Education in this sense is not that of the deep philosophies of
Masonry or even the
admission ceremonies of the three degrees. A newly elected
Master of his lodge, or even
the line officers as they progress through the chairs, should
have a great working
knowledge of his jurisdiction’s Masonic code, and of the customs
of the lodge. It is
important to have a working knowledge of Masonic law so that
when the occasion arises,
all issues are handled in a timely manner. The customs of the
lodge are important to
know as well. Knowing who to turn to in handling key events such
as dinners and paying
the taxes, will give the leader the extra time to focus on the
important things in Masonry.
All Masonic leaders should be able to flawlessly open and close
the Masonic lodge equal
to the position that they hold in the lodge. This will ensure
that when a brother is elected
to the office of Worshipful Master, he can not only open and
close his lodge flawlessly,
but will be able to coach his junior officers so that in turn
when they progress through the
chairs, they may do the same.
The last and perhaps most important aspect of leadership is that of the personal
interaction with the brethren. It is important to remember that
if we lead and no one
follows we are doing nothing more than going for a walk. A
leadership position is first
and foremost responsibility not to be taken lightly. Every
brother wants to feel that their
position on issues are wanted and respected, whether they are
agreed with or not. Simply
put, brethren who do not feel valued will not turn out for lodge
functions and events. Be
assured that for every brother that will voice his concerns for
an uncaring leader, there
will be several silent complainers who will simply stay home.
When an overzealous
leader starts strutting his stuff, because it is his year, and
the gavel drops to end his
meeting, and the apron and jewel come off, he will no longer
lead his men. They simply
will not allow it. A good leader will be in charge whether he is
sitting in the big chair or
slicing potatoes. A good example of this is the string test. Lay
a string in a table. With
the string laid out push one end of it with towards the other
end. The result will be a
crumpled up pile of string. Going the other way however, the
string extended will follow
your finger wherever it is moved on the table. Are we pushing or
leading? Are we
leading using the working tools of a Mason, or are we prodding
our men along with the
Tyler’s sword?
There is no simple way towards leadership development, but with these simple
steps, our leaders will have the desire to do the job well, the
knowledge to communicate
and share their vision, and the tact and compassion towards
their brethren to get the
results. A great entrepreneur of the 20 th
century, Ray Kroc said it best. “None of us is a
good as all of us”
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