Interactive Leadership

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

WB. Ken Baril

Identifying and developing successful candidates for line positions within the lodge is one of the greatest challenges confronting our fraternity today. Furthermore, given the breadth of interest in the continuing goal of achieving, more pressure is being placed on Masters to identify capable Brothers, and to accelerate their development to fulfill these positions with greater responsibilities and leadership.

A Masters challenge is to ensure the capable brothers are identified and receive aggressive Masonic training in leadership skills, responsive monitoring in role attainment, and initial guidance for role performance. This is apparent. Masters will need assistance in order to add this challenge to their list of top priorities.

An organization is a relatively permanent interaction system to coordinate the placement and development of the membership from the common good of task accomplishment. To the extent that Masters assume responsibility in getting new officers to thoroughly understand their role and its relationship to organizational goals, the officers will internalize the need for role competency, task accomplishment and personal commitment.

Masters and their officers need not to be in conflict, but rather on a continuing path for growth. Our fraternity has purposes, aspirations and values. These dictate the manner in which individual capacities are developed and used for task accomplishment. Some newly appointed officers will need to develop their strengths, others to learn to use unused talents, yet others will need to acquire new approaches. In contrast to a conflict model, the values associated with changes such as these will dictate that Masters be directed toward using experiential-learning tools in exploring the capacities and expectations of Brothers being considered for line positions.

Whether the emphasis is on the tasks associated with getting things done, or on human relationships associated with interpersonal growth, the process of interactive leadership must reflect task and personal growth as simultaneous attributes of leadership excellence. This is imperative if we are to influence effectively our Brothers opportunity to grow and to develop, and just as important, use the rich resources and talents within our fraternity.

~KB

WB Ken Baril was born in New Haven, CT. and moved to the Cincinnati area in 1999. He is a three time Master of his lodge, Temple Lodge No. 16. AF & AM, 1982-1983-1995, located in Cheshire, CT. While living in Connecticut and prior to his moving to Cincinnati, Ohio, Ken has been the featured speaker at many public schools and Veterans organizations. Ken is a published author who has written a book focusing on members of the Masonic Fraternity who have been recipients of our nation’s highest award for bravery, the prestigious Medal of Honor called " The Medal of Honor - The Letter G in Valor". Ken has dedicated his time and effort to researching and developing various programs including, “The Medal of Honor Program,” “The Immortal Four Chaplains,” as well as many others. His programs are dedicated to the preservation of an important portion of American history, contributions, and sacrifices, in the defense of the United States, and to the memory of all those who have given their lives in the pursuit of that objective. He also writes articles for various Masonic publications. He served his country during the Korean War in the United States Air Force. He currently resides in Hudson, FL. with his wife, Marion.