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Grand Lodge of Washington
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on
Masonic Tribune
Masonic T r ibune
Vol Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3e - Page 13
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Deputies of the Grand Master
REPORTS
(Continued from page 12)
District No. 5
to funding and budget. I have been given corporate
responsibilities, promotions and awards based on It is perhaps a red flag of cynicism that as I grow older I find my-
my performance and as my career comes to a close self paying less and less attention to the words of others. One
with retirement, I feel amply qualified to take the reins could argue in good faith whether this is indicative of despair or
of our beloved Fraternity. simply learning from experience. I’m not particularly proud to
feel this way, but neither am I especially ashamed. Being raised
My experience has taught me that the team takes its in a southern family where quiet stoicism as thought admirable, I
cues from its leader. Communication is paramount suppose I have always been predisposed
with every member of the team and that responsibil- to feel this way.
ity is best when shared. It isn’t the role of the Grand On the other hand, I find myself becom-
Master to micro manage or dictate but rather to en- ing increasingly interested in the actions
liven his team with enthusiasm, vision and decisive- of my fellow man. Observing a person’s
ness, guiding with a trusting hand, his officers and conduct, the way they speak to the waiter
deputies with a belief that everyone in the Fraternity or the way they treat old people, lets me
is working towards common goals, yet acting deci- know with precision and speed what sort
sively with any member or circumstance if they be- of person I’m dealing with. Dave Berry,
come an impediment to reaching those goals. I was of all people, taught me something invalu-
trained early on that there were three major objec- able about the human condition when he
tives to managing a team; wrote “someone who’s nice to you but not
1. Painting the target so clearly that no one can miss the waiter is not a nice person.” Some
might be tempted to write all this off as a
it, rehash of the old “actions speak louder than words” platitude,
2. Providing the tools necessary to hit that target and but in my mind this is idea is far more insightful than it seems on
3. Working your plan within a well-planned frame- the surface.
work and budget. When we are admonished to “communicate to educate”, we are
reminded that our actions will speak volumes to others. Ev-
erything we do can and will be noted by the young, whether
My career focuses on interpreting complex ideas that be in the literal sense of children or in the more speculative
and systems to a wide range of employees inside sense of young members of our Fraternity. The way we perform
the company, its client/stakeholders outside, and the our ritual, conduct ourselves in or out of Lodge, and go about
general public. The skill in which I communicate to our daily lives will have a surprisingly educational effect on the
each unique group, along with the methods I use to young. Whether that is a positive or negative effect is a choice
communicate those ideas, is arguably the most dy- you will make, whether explicitly or tacitly.
namic factor in our future success. I have a strong This December, I had the pleasure of attending an installation
background in the strategic use of demographics with MWB Warren Schoeben. After the ceremonies, I joined
and in marketing analysis which gives me valuable him in a conversation that was already in progress. Our Grand
insights that we will employ to better understand our- Master was bemoaning the lack of respect and decorum visible
selves and our audience, helping to reclaim our nar- in too many of our Lodges. Brothers come to Lodge dressed
rative and making our powerful and uncompromised shabbily and in clothes that are sometimes not even clean. Rit-
message to resonate with both. I am enthusiastic, uals punctuated by cat-calls, loud joking, and general clowning
optimistic and confident about the work ahead and around from the sidelines are regrettably common in Lodge. I
that will show in everything I do. was encouraged to see that I was not the only person who found
this conduct disturbing, yet this is not a misery I had hoped to
share.
Most fraternally,
WB John Lawson Many of our Lodges are experiencing a delightful spike in the
number of young men expressing interest in our Craft. Last
month I attended four Lodge meetings, none of which opened
on the Third Degree due to the presence of younger Masons.
Every single one had at least one-- and often several-- prospec-
tive members at dinner. These men are looking for something,
something moving and deep and ennobling. While there is yet
some element of mystery, I don’t fear that they will lose interest
and in fact I am hopeful that we will at initiate many of them if
they are found worthy. My concern is rather for what happens
once they’re passed the West Gate. They will see us through
beginners’ eyes and will form a first impression that will never
(Continued in page 14) Table of Contents
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