Thank You For Serving

On this special Veterans Day version of the blog, I'd like to just take the time to thank our Veterans who have served our country. Many of our DeMolay members and advisors, past and present, have served our country. Their efforts should not go unnoticed.

Patriotism is one of the seven core lessons we learn in DeMolay. We all have a special place in our hearts for our country, but some take it a step further and serve in some branch of military.  Members of the military sacrifice their lives everyday to make sure our families are safe here in America. They believe in our country and its principles. They continue to fight for their country because they know it's worth fighting for. We salute you for your dedication.

Do you have something in your life that is worth fighting for? I know for me, to answer that question, family is a big thing I would fight for. My mom, step dad, cousins, friends, they're very important to me. DeMolay to me is family, which is also worth fighting for. I believe in this organization and everything it teaches, so I would continue to work to improve it and make it better.

Take the time today to recognize those around you who have served in the military. I have a few friends overseas right now who I wish I could thank in person. Past or present, they all deserve a simple thank you for their service. On behalf of PA DeMolay, thank you for serving!

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Embrace Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day, which is a federal holiday dedicated to honoring those who have served our country in every field of sacrifice and service. Many communities are having Veteran's Day services and businesses are offering discounts to those who have served. This, however, isn't really the importance of Veteran's Day. Rather, we, as DeMolays, should seek to understand what Veteran's have done for us and work to bring those lessons into our daily life.

Yesterday, I was visiting an antique store in Eastern PA. I came across a booth that was fairly sparse, with just a couple of tables set up at the front. On the tables were a number of artifacts from WWII. Behind the tables stood an older gentleman, bundled up against the cold of the building. As I perused his items, we struck up a conversation. He explained that he was a WWII Veteran who served in Germany. He talked about meeting Russian soldiers and trading goods with them. His knowledge of military history was wonderful and I'm quite thankful he shared his stories with me.

At the end of our conversation I thanked him for his service to our Country. While I didn't purchase anything from him, I could tell that just being able to connect with a young person and share his story meant something. Today, I would encourage each and every DeMolay to talk to a Veteran and learn about their service. You'll be glad you did.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Are you being served?

Some people like to go to sleep while watching television, while others like to listen to the radio, and another group likes it absolutely quiet. I like to fall asleep while listening to podcasts. I currently subscribe to four different ones (a movie related one, a couple of geek news shows, and the Art of Manliness.) While listening to the latest episode of the Art of Manliness I was reminded of something I believe whole heartedly in but haven't yet discussed on the blog - servant leadership.

Before we take the big dive into this topic I'd like you to ask yourself a question. "Who am I serving?"

This question becomes very important when you take on a leadership role in any organization, be it in DeMolay, in your school, or in your community. When you set out to lead people, you are really setting out to serve them by offering your unique talents and vision to steer their organization in the right direction. When elected or appointed to a leadership role your job immediately becomes to do what is best for the organization and for its members, regardless of other motives. In some cases you have to do what is right even when the members don't want it (such as raising dues or changing a tradition.) In other cases you have to go against your own feelings and do something the members want (such as having an event you don't particularly like.) In either case, it's up to you to serve your members by providing stability and direction.

What does being a servant leader really mean? To relate it back to our theme for the year, it means "Taking Control!," but not in the way you probably expect. I'm not referring to control of the group or organization, but rather control of yourself, your will, and your motives. Any person that is in charge has to lead by example. Until you can take control of yourself and set the example you can hardly command an organization. You, as a leader, have to separate your values and wants as a person from the opinions and needs of the group. This is what we expect our Congressmen to do (although they rarely succeed.) If a person is elected to office and believes that the public library should be closed but his constituency (a fancy word for the people who elected him) don't want it to shut down then he should probably vote to keep it open (or else he'll face the issue during his next election.) While that was a simple example, it's what serving is all about - making things better for those who you lead, rather than making things better for yourself.

Let's relate this to the fraternity and to DeMolay. When you get elected Master Councilor you've been entrusted with the highest position of leadership in the Chapter. It means you've been elected as the highest servant in the group as well. Managing your time has just become more important because the Chapter is now relying on you to make time for it and to lead it in the right direction. No one wants to sit and stuff envelopes on a Sunday afternoon, but as the Master Councilor you might have to do this. It's part of serving your Chapter to the fullest extent possible.

Some of you may be familiar with the idea of an "Organization Chart." It's a graphic that businesses use to show who is charge and where everyone fits in the group. Generally, the "boss" is on top, with everyone else reporting to him / her in some way (whether it be to another person then to him / her or to him / her directly.) When all filled out, it kind of looks like a pyramid. However, in DeMolay our organization charts look a little different because of this servant leader idea. Let's take a look:
Well look at that. It kind of looks like an upside down pyramid, with the Master Councilor on the bottom level - and it's absolutely right. Your supervisor, boss, or whatever you want to call it, are your members, officers, PMC's, and others. You need to listen to and serve them to be effective. That's the real challenge of being in charge.

Who are you serving?

Frat!~"Dad" Seth Anthony