NEWS

Greetings, everyone and Welcome to the North District, we’ve come a long way since this journey started in May.

Since our last meeting Denise and I have been to Farmington and received my coveted jacket, attended a wonderful prom experience in Brunswick, entertained the Grand Exalted Ruler and his wife, gone to the veterans ball in Bangor, been to a Jingle Jam in Bath.  We participated in a lodge hoop shoot in Sebasticook Valley and the North District hoop shoot in Bangor.  As always there are detailed reports of each of these visits on Maineelks.org and pictures from them playing on the screen.  In the interest of time, as I know we have a lot of important information to distribute I encourage you to check them out.
Part of my role as President, I believe, is to provide some thoughts at least on leadership. In particular leadership when things aren’t going their best.  If your Lodge is anything like my Lodge when I was E.R. this is the time of year that can be one of the most difficult, which at first seems a little odd.  After all we have just gotten through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.  Likely the busiest times of year in the Lodge and demanding the most help from what seems like a shallow pool of volunteers.  As we get into the deep of winter, with its shortened days, nasty weather, and the realization that you are almost as far from your installation as you’ll ever be as an E.R. things can look bleak.  Life, as the saying goes, has “swiftly changing scenes that mark the action of the play.”  Not only have these scenes changed for you, but for your helpers as well, and with those changes, some of which were in our control and others not so much, have made many of those people who in April were ready willing and able to go all in, feel like they have already gone all in. Unfortunately, as their leader you know the year isn’t all over. In my experience, all too often E.R.s, like teachers, upon reaching this time of year feel as though they are drowning in a pit of apathy.
But take heart, spring is coming and an important role for a leader is to be able to rally people when things look bleak – to build up camaraderie and to remind everyone of how much more good work there is to do.  Great leaders are forged from times of strife, Roosevelt had fireside chats to get the country through the depression, Churchill rallied Londoners during the blitz, Bush 43 united our country after 9/11. Such leadership should be the norm, but at this time of year it can be particularly important.
Unfortunately, some E.R.s get caught in the trap of I’ll just do it myself.  It may seem like the easiest answer with only a couple of months left and being tired of looking for volunteers, however I urge you not to get caught in this trap, it is a sure plan for burn out.  On top of that, now not only are your volunteers burning out but you are as well.  In its worst case, it leads to a scenario in Lodges that by the time February and March role around nobody in the Lodge wants to do much, except bring on a complete change in leadership.  While their intentions are good; to get the Lodge back to the way they remember it is more often detrimental. Wouldn’t it be much better if the officers and volunteers all worked together so that April was seen as a continuation of great work, and not an annual coup.
Part of making all this work is that the E.R., the officers, and those who volunteer must continually see that among their responsibilities is to train those who will take their place. Remember “we by each other oft may be aided in our part, or from each other catch inspiration for a high resolve”. No one can do it alone, at least not for long.
Thanks for listening, keep up the good work and continue to show Maine through thought word and deed that Elkdom is the heart of America.