Hey! What’s the Big Idea?!

by Peter J. Samiec, 33˚ Sovereign Grand Commander

Evolve or die. That’s what we always hear, right? That said, the Scottish Rite, NMJ, has seen a massive evolution in the way that we do things—from mapping out a path forward with revitalized vigor for the future of our Fraternity to bringing degrees to our members’ living rooms and much more! And that’s just in the last six years!

Supreme Council is blessed with a devoted staff and an Active Member cadré that includes some extremely creative thinkers who are continually developing big ideas and even bigger goals for our organization. Our leaders come from all walks of life—from educators and attorneys to business owners and general contractors. What a great thing that is.

This diversity of backgrounds is the key to fostering innovation within our organization, and we are that much stronger for it. However, we must keep in mind that an entrepreneurial spirit needs to be evenly paired with a healthy dose of vigilance.

Big ideas are great, but they are also easy. The execution is truly the hard part; sometimes, risk is involved. Risky because too many remarkable ideas tend to overwhelm those whom the ideas are meant to assist! We should never downplay or shy away from an understanding of all the details and work that is involved in bringing our big ideas to fruition and the effect upon those charged with their implementation.

Picture, if you will, the Scottish Rite “landscape,” each big idea a tree within it.

For a recent Strategic Planning Committee session, one of our stalwart leaders had painstakingly gathered, then enumerated, the number of programs that Supreme Council has delivered to our members and presented that number to fellow stakeholders. That number unquestionably exceeded everyone’s expectations: Supreme Council currently has well in excess of 100 programs that our staff has developed and delivered to our members for implementation. That’s a lot of trees!!

Our leadership team is currently undertaking a top-down review of all the identified Supreme Council programs to reassess risks, opportunities, and rewards. That may involve sunsetting some of them. But if it’s a question of quality over quantity, we all agree that delivering a stellar program wins every time.

As Seth Godin says, “There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas.”

We just need to be mindful of the fact that every remarkable idea implemented will eventually become a single focal point, a tree in our Scottish Rite landscape. To keep that landscape “fresh,” we must select each tree for its ability to enhance our big picture before planting it. Conversely, when it no longer does, be willing to cull it out, thus keeping our Scottish Rite landscape both fresh and simple.

What a concept! Thanks to our Strategic Planning Committee for this eye-opening big idea and for the willingness to execute it.

Journey On, Brothers!