Building a Legacy (03/08/2018)
When I was a 15-year-old kid preparing to serve as Master Councilor, a pivotal conversation with my grandpa -who was a DeMolay advisor in the 80s- transformed my term as MC. He told me what DeMolay was like in those days, and in that discussion mentioned how everyone who wanted to win a ritual or sports competition knew going into it that they had to find a way to beat the DeMolays from my chapter. Learning about the competitive drive of my predecessors led to the addition of several extra practices on the term plan.
Moments like that reinforce the fact that chapters build upon the effort of their past members, and each decision has an effect on future DeMolays who you may never meet.
Answer this question for yourself:
What is my chapter's legacy?
Think about the personnel you have and the activities that light a fire in your group. What is it that makes you different from all the other chapters?
There are many things a chapter can hang their hat on. Maybe that's being perennial basketball champions, or able ritualists, or you travel the most, or you’re just starting, but your members return their obligations quickly.
If you don’t have an answer for the above question, or your legacy isn’t one you are proud of, then the follow up is:
What do we want our legacy to be?
Collectively, your chapter should have a pretty good idea of what they want to do, beyond fulfilling the basic requirements of a functioning chapter. Now is as good a time as any to plan for the future.
I believe that, to do this, you need to have in mind the legacy you want to leave (whether it’s one you create or it's adopted from previous generations). Then, identify the goal that you will use to measure your success. Finally, pinpoint the specific activities that lead to reaching your goal.
Below is a real-world example of this in action, with a summary of results at the end.
Desired Legacy: Remembered as a strong ritualistic Chapter
Goal: Can perform the full initiation without help (~8 active members)
Objectives: Win Chapter Proficiency, DeMolay Degree, & 4th section at conclave
What happened step by step:
- 1. Discussed chapter goals & set a deadline to prepare
- 2. Decided parts
- 3. Planned ritual practices
- 4. Competed at Conclave- [won none of those competitions]
- 5. Discuss where we went wrong (not enough individual practice)
- 6. Plan to try again next year
- 7. Year of ritual focus
- 8. New members come in and immediately start picking up the smaller parts
- 9. Lose best ritualist to majority
- 10. Almost everyone’s role is shuffled to compensate
- 11. Conclave comes around again- [Win Chapter pro, narrowly miss minimum in DeMolay Degree, lose 4th section]
- 12. Lose 4 guys to majority in next 6 months
- 13. Younger members want to be able to try again
- 14. Chapter’s “veterans” are 14-year-old’s who begin picking up the bigger parts
- 15. New members continue to learn ritual quickly to keep up with the other guys
Did the chapter achieve its goal? Not yet, but they have something to work for, and their drive helps new members become involved as they latch on to the chapters desire for improvement. In those first two years that chapter established their identity moving forward, and even without the older guys around to carry the load, they haven't lowered their expectations, and outshine many of their peers.
Success as a chapter doesn't always mean achieving your goals. If your members try their hardest and come up short, let the dust settle, then look at what's left behind. Chances are -through passion and determination- you've forged a legacy worthy of emulation for generations to come.
Josh Starnes, PSMC, Advisor (Kentucky)
Success starts when you believe you can succeed!