Page 39 - Jan 2019 MFM.indd

Does Your Lodge Measure Up?

R.W. Brother John Loayza, Assistant Grand Chancellor
Grand Lodge AF&AM of Illinois
In their attempts to determine the success and ultimate Finishing First
value of their Lodges, many Lodges have looked at only When evaluating task completion and abandonment rates,
one traditional viewpoint in evaluation or decision making. Lodges also need to look at how tasks are completed. Are
They may have focused only on member quantity, beating most issues being resolved by one offi cer or with the entire
other Lodges or organizations, and adherence to strict offi cer corps? First contact resolution measures how often
traditional methods of operation in a changing world as member issues are resolved on the fi rst try. It is the driver
their main guiding strategies for success. for excellence in any organization and has a powerful and
positive eff ect on all other performance and fi nancial Lodge
Unfortunately, strategies like these are out of step with evaluations or measurements. Not surprisingly, Lodge
current prevailing methods that shift to a member-centric loyalty and satisfaction drops signifi cantly if member ideas
one, from one-size fi ts all experiences to experiences or issues are being put off to some undetermined time or
that focus on giving members what they want, when and completely ignored.
how they want it, but not neglecting the principles of
Freemasonry. A Matter of Time
Member eff ort is also tied to some of the other methods,
Due to these modern changes, Lodge leaders should such as average time handling an issue of a member(s)
determine whether or not traditional member service or other offi cer(s) time. Average handling time takes into
strategies still serve them well today. Although there’s a consideration the total amount of time the member/offi cer
bottom line that Lodge offi cers have to manage, it can’t be spends from start to fi nish, is an indicator of overall Lodge
the only thing. “Lodge Leadership” today has to recognize effi ciency, and correlates highly with member satisfaction.
that member satisfaction is important and fi nd a happy If a Lodge keeps a member’s issue in limbo for a long time
medium between new fl exible and hard core unchanging or completely ignored, the Lodge will have real problems.
traditional methods that supposedly determine member If an issue is going to be considered, keep the member
satisfaction in any Lodge or other Masonic Bodies. advised as to its progress and the rational reasons that it
may or may not be acceptable. Valid reasons for acceptance
Progressive Lodges require measuring and goal setting or rejection are always better than no communication at all.
by Lodge offi cers who can inspire and move forward
aggressively. There’s always room for improvement in Recommending
focusing on measuring member experiences. Many Lodges Another important measurable statistic is how likely
don’t evaluate or conduct surveys regarding the relationship members are to recommend a Lodge to others. The essential
between experience quality and overall outcomes. They factor to explore is how likely it is that a current member
don’t use experience measurement methods to evaluate would recommend his Lodge to a friend or colleague. In
Lodge offi cer performance or share general experience measuring this factor, the member can respond to a simple
metrics and models with its members. This makes it harder survey by using a rating on a scale of 1 to 10.
for even well-meaning offi cers to tell if they’re doing the
right thing. Those ratings can be divided into three groups: Promoters
(rating of 9 or 10), Passives (7 or 8), and Detractors (0 to 6).
The Complete Picture The percentage of detractor responses is subtracted from
As more Lodges improve their quality of interactions, the percentage of promoters and gives a net promoter score.
offi cer task completion rates are emerging as a meaningful According to numerous marketing studies, this is a similar
guidepost for performance. Today, this type of evaluation business method used by about 69 percent of companies
indicates who were able to accomplish their goals through today.
various interactions, and is a driver of overall member/
offi cer satisfaction. If there are more detractors than promoters, it’s imperative
to fi nd out and list the reasons so corrections/improvements
Task completion also has a direct correlation with another can be made by the Lodge, as well as knowing its strengths.
important measurement, namely, Lodge abandonment rate.
It’s closely tied to how quickly possible progressive changes “Brethren, without evaluating or measuring opinions of
are made by the offi cers. The longer it takes to make modern our members, and acting on them in a timely manner, we
and positive changes, the higher the abandonment rate will do a disservice to ourselves, our Lodge, and are members in
be. I.E., lack of Lodge attendance and more potential Lodge general. We constantly need new ideas to become better at
mergers. This is because some offi cers tune out and fail to what we do, especially in making Masonry and our Lodges
hear or understand what the members want, thereby going more progressive in the future. Thus, don’t fall into the
down the wrong path. complacency trap of the Dark Ages, but continue into a
New Age of Enlightenment.”
Volume 95 Number 1 Montana Freemason Page 39