Leadership and Management in a Royal Arch Chapter

RE Comp Gary Kerkin G Lec.

First presented in Te Marama Royal Arch Chapter No 54

16 June 2009

Do you recall a Saatchi and Saatchi television advertisement which showed how geese assist each other when flying in formation? If I recall correctly it was probably presented as an advertisement for their multi-media advertising services, but it was originally made as a training video emphasizing the importance of team work.

Among other things it shows that the leader of the formation changes periodically to ensure that each bird takes its fair share of the work and is spelled to enable it to recuperate. It also shows the importance of supporting those who, through their efforts, are stressed into some sort of failure. The leader of the formation is, therefore, showing leadership by taking the lead. The flock manages its formation by changing the leader from time-to-time.

Do you think this has any significance to a Royal Arch Chapter? Do you see an analogy with a Chapter?

How then do we define “leadership” and “management”? Is there a difference?

Curiously, in the light of the geese advertisement, a number of years ago I heard Kevin Roberts, world-wide CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi (a New Zealander) interviewed by Chris Laidlaw on the Sunday morning program on National Radio. At one point after Roberts had responded to a question, Laidlaw commented that “that is leadership”. Roberts said “No, it’s not. It’s management.” When Laidlaw questioned him further he stated that “leadership” was “doing the right thing” whereas “management” was “doing things right”.

There is an enormous difference between these two definitions.

What does it mean to a Royal Arch Chapter?

What are the “right things”? And how do we “do them right”?

When we joined Freemasonry in a series of Obligations and other Charges we “signed up to” a number of personal and collective obligations. Not forgetting those related to Secrets, Signs and the Principles of the Order, these include:

1. To practice Charity and benevolence

2. To work with Care and diligence

3. To extend our Education (including the VSL, Masonic knowledge and the Liberal Arts and Sciences)

4. To respect our Civil duties

5. To promote Equality and Justice

6. To behave with decorum

7. To provide instruction and assistance for inferiors

8. To improve morals

9. To lead by precept and example

Each of these constitutes some aspect of leadership. If we were able to practice every one of them to a high standard we would find ourselves, possibly, one of the important and dominant leaders in our society.

Each of us has something of each of these in us to greater and lesser extents.

How are they manifested in a Royal Arch Chapter?

What “leadership” do we need? What are the minimum aspects of leadership we need for our Chapters?

I suggest the very minimum for which leadership is required is:

• The direction in which the Chapter is heading.

  • Membership – is it attracting new members? Or is it losing members?

  • Can it sustain its overheads?

• The presentation of the Chapter.

  • Is the condition of its furniture, robes and accoutrements attractive?

  • Are the candles kept clean and safe?

  • Is the “gold work” polished and bright?

  • Are the veils in good condition?

  • Is the Volume falling apart?

• Is the ritual and ceremonial of the highest possible standard?

  • Is reading of ritual actively discouraged?

  • Do those with ability spend time encouraging others to achieve?

  • Do you feel good after a ceremony? Or do you cringe (especially when praised by visitors)?

• Are your refectory proceedings enjoyable?

• Do you engage in other activities for the enjoyment and participation of your members?

Who can provide the leadership for such? Is it the responsibility of one Companion? Is it the responsibility of just a few Companions? Or is it the responsibility of all of us?

The “Geese assist each other” video I played at the beginning is about teamwork, about working together to achieve common objectives. It is about assisting each other particularly when one is under stress. It is about contributing to the common cause to the best of our individual ability. In our context this means that we can all contribute to the leadership of the Chapter in a variety of ways limited only by our knowledge, experience, abilities, age, deafness, and vigour.

Who provides the leadership in your Chapter? Is it your Principals? Is it your Scribe? Is it your Preceptor?

Who determines your programmes?

Who is directing the search for new members?

Who allocates duties for ceremonials?

Who suggests the lines of succession?

Who helps them accomplish these things?

How do you manage it all?

What management do you have in the Chapter? How is it achieved? Who accomplishes it?

For each of the objectives you wish to establish through your collective leadership you need a management plan to assist you in your progress and to monitor your success.

For example, do you have a plan for increasing your membership? If you don’t have such a plan, is it because you don’t consider it necessary, or is that you don’t care? If you do, who directs the plan, who assists him and what sort of guidelines do they have and what objectives have been established for them? How do you measure the success of your plan (or lack thereof)?

The records of the Chapter are important and invaluable. Who keeps them? Is it left just to your Scribe, or does he have assistance? What form does that assistance take? Does he have a minute “secretary”? Does someone prepare your summons to assist him? Do you have a Chapter magazine or some form of communication which supplements your summons?

Who sets your budgets? Is it just your Treasurer? Is he also the Scribe? Does anyone help him?

Do you have a plan in place to manage your ceremonial? Do you ask your Companions to step out of their comfort zones to take on ritual with which they are not familiar? Do you have Companions who are prepared to mentor those endeavouring to learn new ritual? Do you encourage Companions to understudy those who are entrusted with the most difficult, or longer passages of ritual? Do you have regular training in ritual and its presentation – outside of particular rehearsals, that is? Do you actively discourage the reading of ritual in a “live” situation, or are you prepared to let your Companions muddle their way through the ritual? Do you share the training among those with experience and encourage them to take less experienced Companions under their wings?

Do you have a plan for the management of the business sessions of your Chapter? Or do you think that the business part of a meeting is an encumbrance that should be got out of the way so that the “real” business of the evening, a ceremony, say, can be got on with as expeditiously as possible? Do you ensure that every Companion is given an opportunity to speak up on matters which may be of importance to him? Do you seek the opinion of those with some knowledge in a particular area when planning the business session?

Do you have an education plan for your Chapter? Or do you think that the most important aspect of a Chapter’s programme is ritual and that time devoted to other things is wasted? Do you think you would rather process Candidates than provide education to reinforce the lessons of the Degree Ceremonies? If you do, how do you think they are ever going to receive such education?

What I have done here is pose a number of questions regarding the leadership in and management of your Chapter. I cannot tell you how to run your Chapter, or how to present your ritual. In fact I am specifically forbidden so to do.

But I can make suggestions which may assist you.

I can suggest that every Companion of your Chapter can contribute to the Leadership of your Chapter by making himself available to assist those who are invested with certain leadership offices. Don’t cry that you are too old, infirm, or tired. Make an effort! Your experience and abilities may well be invaluable.

The First Principal, for example, far from having to determine the programme for your Chapter on his own could, instead, chair a programme planning group. Each of the other Principals could be allocated responsibilities either in this area or in some other area of management.

The Scribe could chair a communication group which produces the summons and other publications. If you don’t already have one, it could develop a web page, or site, for your Chapter. You probably have Companions amongst you who have graphic, writing, and other communication skills. Talk them into assisting the Scribe so that he doesn’t feel bogged down. From personal experience I know that such offices are lonely and someone offering to assist is like the sun breaking through dark cloud.

One of the other Principals, say, could take responsibility for chairing an education programme. Don’t let your new Companions have to rely on mental osmosis to learn about the Order. You could, for example, introduce a programme in which every Companion undertakes to provide 5 minutes or so of enlightenment.

Someone needs to take responsibility for a membership drive. But he can’t achieve it on his own – he will need as much assistance as he can get. Establish who you could approach and how you might approach them. Target likely Candidates and try to set them thinking about where, as Master Masons, they stand in their Masonic progress. Ask them if they are satisfied with Substituted Secrets. Ask them if they know why the loss of just one man of three caused the loss of the Secrets. Establish a plan to promote Rule 71 of the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand.

A group of you need to establish a plan for improving the standard of performance of ritual in your Chapter. Develop training and mentoring plans. Find out who can help you. There are many Companions in the District who would be delighted to assist you.

You also probably need to establish a “social group” which has as a brief to look at functions, guest speakers, barbecues and the like, so that the enjoyment you get all get from your Chapter is enhanced. Word of such things gets around and may attract others to your Chapter.

At the beginning I gave you a definition of leadership as being “doing the right thing.”

So, what are the right things to do for the good of your Chapter?

• A plan to improve membership

• A plan to improve the standard of ritual

• A plan to improve communication both between Companions and with others outside the Order

• A plan to improve the knowledge and understanding of your Companions

• A plan to increase the enjoyment you get from your meetings

And I defined management as “doing things right”. You need to establish, therefore, management processes which will enable you to achieve the items I’ve listed. You need to be able to assess how far you have managed to achieve them. How can you achieve this? By finding the best methods to achieve them and getting your Companions to assist to the best of their abilities in any and all of them.

I never cease to be amazed at the number of our Companions who have no idea just how much time the governance of a Chapter takes. There are some who seem to think that they can sit back, rest on their laurels (if they have any) and let others do the work. They seem to think that they can leave it to the First Principal, Scribe/Treasurer and Director of Ceremonies, all of whom may be relatively inexperienced. Is that fair? Is it reasonable? Is it just? I think not.

If you are one of those who think like that, I have some very nasty news for you. Continue to think in that vein and in the foreseeable future you will not have a Chapter to be concerned about. You might recall some very famous words from John F Kennedy. I’ll paraphrase them as: ask not what your Chapter can do for you, but what you can do for your Chapter.

The future of your Chapter is in your hands. You ignore its leadership and management, and deny your participation in it, at your peril.

Copyright © Gary N Kerkin, SGRACNZ, 2009

SGRACNZ
royalarch.org.nz