Page 13 - 2018 Spring
P. 13

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
                                           g 2017-18   I
                                         rin
                                         p
                               ume X
                                                  u
                                                 ss
                                      .2 - S
                                      o
                                  CIX N
                                                       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
                                                   13
   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18