CH 7 - PLANNING FOR PROGRESS
"BRETHREN, I spent over 60 hours researching this speech. Now I'm too tired to give it, and you're too tired to listen. I'll just say that your Lodge had a glorious 150 years. I hope the next 150 will be just as glorious. Thanks for inviting me. Good night."
It was 11 p.m. when a Past Grand Master made this declaration. The festivities had started with dinner at six. The dinner was over in 45 minutes, but the Lodge wasn't opened until 8:05, 35 minutes past the scheduled time. Then the Master had gone through the whole gambit - opening, reading the minutes of previous meetings, reading of petitions, balloting, introduction of numerous guests, all of whom had been invited to "say a few words."
Few speakers have the courage of this Past Grand Master. No matter how carelessly they are treated, they will give the speech they have prepared. And Masonic speakers are generally polite and considerate. In spite of the suffering they may be subjected to, they attempt to make the leadership look good.
A few years ago I was invited to speak at the 200th anniversary banquet of a Lodge in another jurisdiction. I spent many hours researching the history of the Lodge and the jurisdiction. Then I put my notes together, not an easy task. The audience was to be mixed. Ladies just don't like dry, factual presentations.
The day before the event my wife and I drove through a snow storm to the hotel where the banquet was to be held. No one was present to meet us; there was no note awaiting us; no one called during the evening. We were completely ignored.
Over 500 were present for the festivities on the following evening. The serving of the meal was delayed. The hotel staff had goofed. The remains of a wedding reception had to be cleared away before the guests of the Lodge could be seated. The service was slow. The schedule, if there was one, was off by well over an hour.
The Grand Master was introduced and spoke briefly. Then all the Grand Lodge officers, the
Lodge officers, committeemen, and other dignitaries were introduced. Two young girls, under the direction of their mother, danced. A comedy team consisting of a man and woman entertained the group with smutty jokes. The laughter from the audience was sparse. I shuddered I could feel my stories being buried. A lump formed in my stomach. It grew larger as the evening wore on.
A magician followed the vaudeville team. The audience squirmed noticeably; many left the room.
Some never returned. At 11:35 I was introduced. My wife whispered, "Don't say what you're thinking, please!" I didn't. I merely hit the highlights and was through in ten minutes. Even so, there was no dancing. The affair had to end at midnight.
Another Lodge honored one of its members - its only living Past Grand Master. A dinner preceded the meeting. The Lodge was opened 30 minutes late. The "program" dragged and dragged. A Grand Lodge officer turned to me and said, "What a golden opportunity for Masonry is being lost. I'll bet that over 300 of those present haven't been in a Lodge for ten years. It'll be another ten before they'll attend another. " The speaker for the occasion was the Grand Master. It was almost 11 p.m. when he was called on to speak. I don't know what the honored guest had to say. I was gone long before he was presented. So were many others who had been there to honor him.
All of us can relate other examples of poor planning. That is the main reason so many members are staying away from Masonic meetings. Even when the Lodge has a good program, improper

planning can ruin it. So, let's look at the first principle of leadership - PLANNING. We'll return to speakers later.
Planning is difficult. It's easier to work with our hands. Planning involves things that we don't like to do. We have to think; we have to do paper work; we have to follow orderly procedures. The average Masonic leader would rather work with the ritual - confer degrees, teach catechisms or lectures - because these are familiar areas. They have become second nature to him. From the first day of his entrance into Masonry he has had to work with them. This can be likened to the doctor, plumber, bricklayer, and accountant who have become proficient in their trade or profession through long usage. This becomes their operative work, and is much easier to perform than is planning, or managing - using the principles of leadership.
We have determined that the principles of leadership are: PLANNING, ORGANIZING,
STAFFING, COMMUNICATING, and CONTROLLING, with GOAL SETTING an all-important part of planning. This was discussed at some length earlier. We must set goals, then constructively plan to reach them.
In the book on Masonic leadership, Key to Freemasonry's Growth, we read: "With more and more materialistic things vying for the time of man, planning has become more a necessity than ever for fraternal organizations. The lack of goals, or goals not clearly defined, and then no plans to reach them, will not be tolerated by the busy men of today. They have become used to efficiency and this is what they expect to find in the leaders of the organization. "
That's a whole series of reasons for planning, but let's enumerate some other concrete
REASONS FOR PLANNING:
For Change
To Build for the Future
For Improvement
To Stimulate Growth
To Increase Efficiency
To Build Morale
To Improve Human Relations
To Grow Leaders
Change, we've said before, is all around us. Some of it is good; some bad. Nothing can or does remain static. Change can be chaotic, or it can be smooth. Proper planning makes the difference.
Planning is a necessity - not a luxury. Planning becomes a tool, when properly used to produce desired change and transform the organization into a vibrant structure. It takes us from the present into the future in an orderly manner. And it must be orderly if we are to improve the future. The planning we do today will affect the lives of countless individuals until the end of time.
If that sounds melodramatic, think about the Holy Bible, Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras, and other individuals of centuries ago.
We want our planning to produce improvements in what we do, to stimulate the growth of the organization and the individual. We want our Lodges, our districts, our Grand Lodges to become more efficient in meeting the needs of their members.
Planning, unquestionably, builds the morale of the members. It gives them a feeling of security, makes them more confident in the leadership. Along with this morale-booster, it improves human relations. It improves the way the members work together in Teams, becoming one great Team that works for the benefit of the organization as a whole.

In this way it grows leaders for today, tomorrow, and the future. It stimulates these leaders to work with the members in selecting even tougher goals for the organization - goals that will cause them to reach for the stars - and through participation, reach those stars more often than not.
This participation is all important. Always keep in mind that IT TAKES PEOPLE TO MAKE
PLANS WORK. One way to get this participation is to hold informal "bull sessions" with those who will be affected. Bring out everyone's ideas. Kick them around as you follow these PLANNING
STEPS:
Determine the Purpose of the Organization
Set the Goal
Gather Information
Analyze Factors
Formulate Assumptions
Determine the Budget
Set a Timetable
Establish Measurements
Take Corrective Action
Few management consultants agree on the actual order of the steps to be taken in planning, but most management experts agree that setting goals to enhance the purpose of the organization is the next critical step in the planning process. Before anything can be accomplished, there must be a goal to aim for.
This must be emphasized or there be confusion when you work with others in establishing goals.
There is much honest disagreement about what the goals should be called. Some believe they are "objectives" and should be called that. Others say they should be termed "roles and missions." And there is other terminology. If we know what we are looking for, we won't let the differing terms confuse us. We'll put up the target, then aim to hit it.
You won't always use the planning steps in the order in which they are enumerated. You will use other steps as well. In fact, you will use all the principles of leadership that have been discussed so far in this book.
An excellent plan to follow can be found in Guide 7 from Key to Freemasonry's Growth. The
Planning Guide on the opposite page, taken from the film, Planning Unlocks the Door, supplements Guide 7. Its arrows point out the importance of continually reviewing, reconciling, and modifying the goals and objectives that have been established. We will follow these planning steps in a practical example, one that you can put into action immediately.
We have established as our PURPOSE FOR EXISTENCE - To Make Good Men Better. One of our GENERAL OBJECTIVES will be a well-rounded program of Masonic Education. We have decided on this because we know that THERE CAN BE NO DEDICATION WITHOUT
EDUCATION. We want to make our members Master Masons in every sense. One of our GOALS is set. We want an excellent MASONIC speaker. Our Team gets together and it will GATHER
INFORMATION about speakers throughout the area - or the country, if the budget will stand it.
The Team will ANALYZE the credentials of several speakers. It will FORM ASSUMPTIONS about the availability of the one finally chosen, such as what he will charge or what we will offer as a fee and his expenses. Here we must recognize that it costs money to travel, to eat, for loss of time to attend the meeting and the preparation beforehand. We'll look at the BUDGET and determine the funds available. We'll know then if we can afford the speaker we want. The Team will decide
WHEN he is wanted. It will ESTABLISH MEASUREMENTS for the speaker, such as what subject it wants him to stress, and how long it wants him to speak.

Each step along the way the Team will REVIEW, RECONCILE, and MODIFY the plans for the achievement of the goal. As this is done, CORRECTIVE ACTION will be taken to come up with the best possible plan. Such action may mean that the second or third choice for a speaker may be the answer. If so, don't let the final choice know it.
As we go along in the planning process, we will be aiming for the target - to ACHIEVE THE
OBJECTIVE. By following these steps, and modifying them as necessary, we will achieve our objective more often than we will fail.
This planning process should be followed for every objective we set. But because Masonic speakers will always be important to the educational program at every Lodge, let's establish some simple considerations for them.
Give your prospective speaker a choice of dates. This will give you a much better opportunity of obtaining him.
Give him a choice of subjects, or leave it up to him. No matter how good a speaker may be, he is better with some phases of Freemasonry than others.
Let him know how long you want him to speak, but don't make this too rigid. Some subjects can be covered in five minutes; others may take an hour or more. You will find, however, that the better speakers will try to stay within 20 minutes.
Tell your speaker to whom he will be talking. If it's a tiled Lodge, you will need to say no more. If it's for a dinner meeting, he will need to know the type of audience - ladies. children, or only men.
Make sure that you both understand whether he is to receive an honorarium, and whether or not that figure includes expenses. A speaker's out-of-pocket expenses, like travel, lodging, meals enroute, etc., should always be paid.
Confirm all arrangements in writing. This will take away the chance of error. Give him the date and hour, allotted speaking time, the subject, expenses and/or fee, how to get to and from your locality.
Get a biographical sketch for publicity and introduction purposes. Get a recent photograph if you plan to give the information to the newspapers.
Let your members and all the Masons in the area know about your program! Put out a bulletin that will be an "eye-stopper. " If you can, get the story in the newspapers, on radio and television.
Use a Telephone Team.
Above all - sell your speaker on his merits - NOT on your members' obligation to attend. And this should be your plan regardless of your program - sell it on its own merits.
To be courteous is something we all learn in Freemasonry. Sometimes we fail to put it into practice. We invite speakers, or groups such as Masonic thespians, degree teams, Grand Lodge officers, members to serve on panels, then do not see to their comfort. Before and after your speaker (or group) arrives:
If he is to stay overnight, be certain that lodging has been arranged for him. He deserves the same consideration as does your house guest. 'hake care of his transportation from the hotel to the meeting.

Give him some time to himself. If you don't meet him (as you should), call him on the phone and welcome him. Ask him if there is anything he needs. You should always leave a copy of the program of the activities at the hotel for his arrival.
Let him know who will join him at the head table, if it is to be a dinner meeting.
Be certain the public address system (if used) is working.
Provide a lighted lectern. This will be appreciated, even if he doesn't use it.
Position the head table away from the main entrance to minimize the distraction of late arrivals and early leavers.
Arrange to have the tables cleared before introducing the speaker. See that he has water to drink if he wants it.
DON'T "DUMP" THE SPEAKER WHEN HE'S THROUGH. Stay with him. Introduce him to others. Let him visit if he wants to. See that the financial agreement is promptly taken care of.
Take care of his transportation after the meeting.
Send him a thank you note, even if he wasn't what you expected! Send him any news clippings available, particularly the favorable ones.
Will your program be a success? It will be, if the planning steps outlined are followed. These detailed suggestions about only one phase in planning and achieving a good Masonic meeting may seem "elementary"; but they illustrate the "nitty gritty" of planning for progress.
Planning isn't easy. Being a Constructive Leader isn't easy. It's tough. But the satisfaction you will get in carrying through a plan to achievement is something that cannot be described. You have to experience it to enjoy it.
One thing is certain. Where there is meaningful planning, there is progress; where there is no planning, there is only dissatisfaction and failure.

CH 7 QUESTIONS - PLANNING FOR PROGRESS
1. Was the Past Grand Master who refused to give his speech right or was he wrong? Why?
2. Can you recall any episodes similar to the three mentioned by the speaker? If so, what was your reaction? Make a list of the reasons why things went wrong. Use a separate sheet of paper.
3. Improper can ruin a good program.
4. is difficult; it's easier to work with our
5. Operative (ritual, floor) work is much easier to perform than is
6. What are the principles of leadership (or management)?
.
7. Planning isn't necessary for fraternal organizations.
True False
8. The lack of , or them, will not be tolerated by busy men. not clearly defined, and then no plans to reach
9. What are some of the reasons for planning?
10. Change is all us; some of it is , some of it is bad.
11. Planning becomes a , when properly used to produce desired transforms the organization into a vibrant structure.
12. The planning we do today will affect the lives of others for many years to come. and
True False
13. We want our planning to produce
14. Planning builds the in what we do. of the members.
15. is all important, because it takes to make plans work.

16. What are some of the planning steps that should be followed?
17. Before anything can be accomplished, there must be a to reach for.
18. In addition to the planning steps enumerated in this lesson, you will use all the of we have discussed in previous lessons.
19. Freemasonry's purpose for existence is
20. There can be no without education.
.
21. As we go along in the planning process, we'll be aiming for the .
22. If we follow these planning steps, we will achieve our fail.
23. List some of the simple considerations to give speakers. more often than we will
24. You should provide lodging for the speaker, if he is to stay overnight.
True False
25. You should always meet, or call, a visiting speaker to welcome him.
True False
26. It's not necessary to leave a copy of the program with the speaker at the hotel, or when you meet him.
True False
27. The head table should be close to the main entrance.
True False
28. You should see that transportation is provided for the speaker.
True False
29. The public address system should be checked.

True
30. A lighted lectern should always be provided.
False
True False
31. It's permissible for the tables to be cleared while the speaker is being introduced.
True False
32. What should you do after the speaker has finished?
33. Shortly after the meeting, the speaker should be sent a "thank you" note.
True False
34. How can you help make certain your program is successful?
35. Planning isn't ; being a Constructive Leader isn't
36. Where there is meaningful planning, there is ; where there is is only dissatisfaction and .
. no planning, there
OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT
Set a goal of bringing to your Lodge, from another Jurisdiction, a Degree Team, a speaker, a
Masonic dramatic group, or a Grand Lodge officer, then make the necessary plans for the success of this visitation. If you are the leader, form a Team and let it set the goal and make the plans.