‘The Square: Recruitment is Dead’

    

I close July by directing you to this month’s The Square magazine, brought to my attention by longtime reader Edward, who also saw Wednesday’s Magpie (see post below) about the story in Metro. “Recruitment is Dead,” by Sam Masteron, relates the elements of persuasion articulated by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology and marketing, and author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

There are six precepts in the theory: Reciprocity, Scarcity, Authority, Consistency, Liking, and Consensus.

“These principles are not a marketing gimmick,” Masteron writes, “they are the operating system of human influence. Let us be unequivocally clear: this is not about manipulation. These are not tools to trick men into joining; they are a lens to understand human nature so we can better connect with the good men who are already searching for Light. Our goal remains what it has always been: To Make Good Men Better. That sacred process must begin with absolute integrity.”

Read all about it here.

I always appreciate hearing new thinking about old Masonic concerns, but I’m still neutral on what I’ve read here. Cialdini’s source material is a business text, and I will say I’m wary of Masons trying to mix business ideas into the Craft. I’ve never seen that work. (I’m reminded of an ineffectual leader of the Scottish Rite NMJ from years ago who never was a businessman, but kept reading business self-help books for ideas to shape his accidental tenure as Grand Poobah. Every other month brought a new weird non-sequitur.) But, again, read for yourself.