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A good local lodge begins with good leadership. Good leadership means officers who know
their duties - presidents who understand how rules of order contribute to better meetings,
recording secretaries who know how to keep minutes and handle correspondence, financial
secretaries who understand the need for accurate, up-to-date financial records.
Good leadership means teamwork in planning meetings, staffing committees, making
assignments, preparing reports and carrying out all the other duties required by a local
lodge.
The
Executive Board is the most important Committee in a Lodge.
"Teamwork" among officers is the key to a strong and
successful union. Teamwork is possible only if the Lodge
officers meet together as an Executive Board to discuss the
needs, policies and programs of the Lodge and to reach
agreement on recommendations which are then reported to the
Lodge meeting for membership action, after any necessary
further discussion.
This means that a Lodge Executive Board should meet regularly in advance of the regular
membership meeting to review the correspondence, to plan the meeting agenda, to take note
of Lodge finances and to recommend action by the membership which will carry out the
responsibilities and programs of the Lodge.
As chief executive officer of the Lodge, the President is both Lodge leader and
"quarterback" of the "team" of elected officers. He provides
leadership to the Lodge, not as a dictator, but through and with the cooperation of the
entire Executive Board. Decisions and recommendations of the Executive Board become the
President's decisions and recommendations.
The team must also include the stewards, who are the Lodge representatives in the
workplace. Stewards are in closer contact with the membership on a day to day basis than
officers. Lodge officers must work through the stewards for increased membership
participation at meetings, on committees and in Local Lodge activities.
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