Inspired Jewish Leadership

Forwarding Address

2010-09-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

Hey all you followers out there - we have moved the blog to the shalomdc website. You can find me there every week. Just go to www.shalomdc.org and there is a link on the homepage to the blog. As soon as we can hook up the automatic notification we will let you know. You can always RSS feed the blog if you like.
Thanks for following!
Orlee

Reinvent

2010-08-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Even though I tend to buy my coffee more at Panera these days, Starbucks always provides a source of inspiration for me. Yesterday, my son and I stopped in a Starbucks on our way to the dentist (you always have to balance the "yucky" responsibilities with a little "yummy" fun). While we were waiting for our drinks I saw a pile of mugs on the counter. Now, admittedly, the last thing I need is another mug, but this one caught my eye as the only word on it was "REINVENT". I thought, yes, this is something to look at every morning.

What would happen if every day I thought about the need to reinvent? Not reinvent the wheel - reinvent my world, my work, my self. What is an impetus for reinvention? The realization that things can be even better than they are. Life does not have to be dysfunctional to want to start it anew. In fact, many times it is those of us who are happy with the way things are going that desire reivention. Why start over if you don't like the thing in the first place? It is the recognition of the good that allows us to make it even better. But incremental change isn't always enough. Our world is moving at lightning speed (or at least internet speed). The sands under us are shifting - and that's not a bad thing - only a recognition of different. So let's reinvent.

Our Jewish tradition gives us ample opportunity for reinvention. Our religion changes over time. The practices that any one of us keep are vastly different from those of our ancestors like Abraham and Isaac. This time of year is the pinnacle of reinvention. We are entering the High Holy Days in just a few short weeks. No need to wait until we are standing in Synagogue to start thinking about what we would change in our lives. Let's start re-imagining, re-inventing and re-committing.

Now every morning I come to work and look at my mug reminding me to start my day creatively. And the best part? The mug was on sale! See, sometimes the best ideas can be the bargain ones.

Leadership Lesson: Start every day thinking about what you need to reinvent today. What area needs your attention? What isn't getting you the desired results? Maybe it needs an overhaul. Invention is about trial and error -- so try and evaluate. Maybe you'll strike upon the million dollar idea.

Arrogance: Friend or Foe?

2010-08-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

As the race heats up for DC mayor, people are pulling out all the stops. In this morning's Washington Post Courtney Milloy ran an article entitled "Arrogance has cost Fenty the support of this wise woman." While I have no horse in the mayor's race, I found it interesting that Milloy chose arrogance as his weapon of choice.

For leaders there is a fine line between "arrogance" and "confidence." When I say "we will get this done," am I being cocky? Determined? Inspiring?

We all need the confidence to do what needs to be done. How can we make changes and hard decisions if we don't believe in ourselves and our vision?

So what is "arrogance" that turns people off and does the opposite of inspire? This woman from Milloy's article proves her wisdom when she states, "[Arrogance] keeps you from admitting your mistakes and makes it impossible for you to learn from them." Arrogance, then, is more like "infallibility."

Leadership lesson: None of us are supermen. We are not God. As Miley Cyrus sings "everybody makes mistakes." To think that somehow our confidence indicates that we will not make a misstep is the critical flaw that leads to arrogance. We will get this done. But it might not be as I originally envisioned. Possibilities exist that might mean I have to rethink, accept criticism, retool, debate and recommit. I might have to apologize and change my actions. This is all part of the confidence that comes with leadership. The confidence to admit when you are wrong -- and that it does not detract from your leadership ability, it enhances it. This is the humility of Moses. In the Bible he does wrong and thinks wrong, and he admits it, apologizes for it and takes his consequences for it. But he never loses his confidence to lead.

Burnt Leaders

2010-08-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

I happened to catch the biopic on the Beach Boys last night. The screenwriter spins an almost apologetic tale of the meteoric rise of the singing group in the 60's from the point of view of Brian Wilson. Brian was the musical genius behind the group. His ear for music, arrangement, writing and producing put the Beach Boys on the map. No one would question his place in musical history. What isn't so clear is what happened to him. Brian Wilson turned into a recluse who could not continue writing, refused to tour with the band, turned to drugs and suffered from psychological trauma.

His story left me pondering the burdens of leadership. In the movie, Mrs. Wilson tells Brian when he feels that he can never meet the expectations of the group, the record company and his father, "You have a God given gift. It's no wonder people want to share in it."

How many times do we stop to question the expectations we place upon our leaders? Once we have evidence of a talent or gift, we want to suck it dry. We feel, sometimes unspoken, that the person who was granted the gift has a responsibility to share it with us. A responsibility to lead. A responsibility to fulfill the vision. Our appetite is unsatiable.

This is the trap the children of Israel fell into with Moses. How many times do they complain in the book of Numbers? One complaint after another. Hasn't Moses done enough? He led them out of slavery. He provided food and shelter in the desert. He brought them close to God. Dayenu! It should have been enough. But it never was.

We need to seriously consider how we treat our leaders. It is our obligation as followers to protect and nurture our leaders. We cannot allow them to burn out. More to the point, we cannot cause them to burn out. Even Moses got burnt out. (Maybe that's why he starts his leadership journey with a bush on fire that never burns out?)

Leadership lesson: Take care of your leaders. Take care of yourself if you are a leader. Recognize that our natural instinct is to keep asking for more until the person yells uncle. Only most people won't recognize that they should cry uncle. Instead, people turn to drugs, alcohol reclusiveness, "out of the public arena" and other actions that harm themselves or deprive the world of their gifts. How are we going to ensure they and their gifts are treasured and taken care of?

Resisting Change

2010-08-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

While on vacation with my family, I watched a DVD which struck a soulful chord with me. Many times movies move me, and this one really upset me. The movie, Whale Rider, is about a tribe in New Zealand who is searching for their next leader. At first blush there is much to get upset about: the complete disregard for women, the father's abandonment of his daughter, the grandfather's cruelty to his granddaughter. But this disturbance ran deeper.

The movie really explores the difficulties all of us have with letting go of our expectations and the damage we can do when we cling to them. The grandfather expected that the new leader of the tribe would be a boy and no matter what circumstances and evidence proclaimed differently, he was stuck so much in this dream that he almost sacrifices his entire tribe. All the while the "savior" was right under his nose.

As the story is written, the girl doesn't ever give up. She tries time and again. Is beaten down and derided. But she still follows her destiny. In the face of all odds. I kept thinking, what if she just gave up on them? Then where would they be?

Leadership Lesson: How many times have we been trapped by our own expectations? Not seeing that there are solutions right in front of us if we would only follow them. They might look different than what we pictured, but can we adapt? I suppose this is the crux of Heifetz and Linsky's "adapative leadership." Not only do we have to be on the constant lookout for change that needs to be made, but we must accept that change might come in different form than expected. Or maybe we can not set up expectations of the form of change for fear of missing solutions right under our noses.

Failed Leadership

2010-06-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

Last night I sat down and watched three hours of Gandhi. It was a fast day and I figured this movie was a win-win. Gandhi leads through hunger strikes and we would be very hungry at the end of the longest fast day of the year (Jews fast 5 times a year - winter ones being the best!). Plus it is a three hour plus long movie which would take us right to the end of the fast at 9:30pm if I timed it right. The last hours are always the hardest. So here we were gathered, me and three of my children, watching the tale of a leader who fought two countries for the rights and equality of his Indian people.

Although I had last seen the movie back in the 1990's (remember the intermission in the middle?), I was watching through a very different lens this time. I am putting together a leadership book and movie club and thought that Gandhi would be a wonderful addition to this offering.

There is no question that Gandhi was a strong leader who had many followers. He accomplished a great deal - no small part of it Indian rights in South Africa and the independent India as part of the British Commonwealth. And he did it all while staying true to his authentic self - non-violence as the means of change.

But, as I asked my kids over our break-fast, was he successful? We should not confuse accomplishment with success. Gandhi was very accomplished. He brought about much needed change. Yet toward the end of the movie Gandhi says, "I failed." He is referring to his dream of a united India where religious differences do not affect social treatment, where Hindus and Muslims live and rule together. This does not happen. India is split into India and Pakistan and people are forced from one country to the other depending on their religion. This dream is unfinished. And in truth, this was Gandhi's fight all along - equality and tolerance for all under the same flag.

Leadership Lesson: When we reach for the BHAG, the Big Hairy Audacious Goal (from Jim Collins), it is very possible that we will come up short. We will hopefully accomplish a great deal along the way. We can become great people, great leaders and even revered. We can also fail in our leadership mission. It will happen. Not everyone can succeed. Just like in the Bible we learn from great leaders that we will not always succeed, but we must make the quest. Aim really high - some of us will succeed.

I'm Not Afraid

2010-06-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not afraid to take a stand
Everybody come take my hand
We'll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just let you know that, you're not alone
Holla if you feel that you've been down the same road

Now I have to admit I am the furthest thing from an Eminem fan. As a protective mother of four, I hear his voice on the radio and immediately reach for the button to change channels. It was only after some incessant pleading from my teenager that this was "honestly" a great song that I would like, did I even give it my cynical half ear.

Let me also say that while I think this is a great message to kids and adults alike, I am only recommending the clean version. I guess it was too much to think that this rapper would clean up both his message and his language. But with the bleeping or silent skipping of offensive words, this song does has a lot of heart.

And I just can't keep living this way
So starting today, I'm breaking out of this cage
I'm standing up, Imma face my demons
I'm manning up, Imma hold my ground
I've had enough, now I'm so fed up
Time to put my life back together right now

Change. Hope. This is the real message. These are not words to be bantered about in a political campaign. These are words to live by. We can change. We all have hope. Today things can be different.

The real poignant point of this song, though, is that in order to change, you cannot be afraid. How many times do we look around and think I would like to change, but...
We list fear after fear that keep us from changing. Our nature is to be afraid.

The Israelites in the desert kept running into their fear even as they were under the aegis of God. How many times did they fear for their lives? In this week's Torah portion, another version of the same fear is recorded. There was no water and the people gathered against Moses and Aaron. "Why have you brought us into this wilderness that we and our cattle should die here?" (Deut. 20, 4) Our most basic fear of death.

The Israelites needed to change. They had to cease being slaves and grow into citizens. But their fear kept them from realizing their dream. No one of this generation entered the land of Israel. The fear was too overwhelming. And it cost them.

What would it look like to change our sentence from "I would like to change, but..." to "I would like to change, and..." I recognize my fear. It is a natural part of me - and - I am going to choose to be fearless - to forge ahead without dwelling on the risk.

Leadership lesson: Tackle your own demons, challenges and goals without fear. You will feel the fear. Turn it into adrenaline to keep you moving toward your objective. Notice the fear creeping in. And, as Eminem sings, take confidence from knowing that others have faced down their fears as well. Find support - holla if you feel you've been down the same road.

Looking in the Mirror

2010-06-08T10:13:00.001-07:00

I almost hit a man with my car today. I was waiting at a light in a three lane road. As usual while waiting for the green I was checking my email. I sensed the car to my left begin to move. I quickly put down my phone and took my foot off the brake, beginning to move. My eyes looked up at the same time but only sharply gained focus a few seconds later when I saw a man crossing in front of my car. Well, more like jumping a few feet in the air, arms flailing, screeching, in front of my car. I had scared him as my car jumped toward him walking across the street. Immediately, my blink reaction was to stop the car and glance a t the light. It was green.

My first thought, 'OMG! I almost hit that guy!" was quickly followed by "He was totally crossing on my green light - what was he thinking?" I could have stopped there. And truth be told, most days I probably would have. He was clearly in the wrong. Today, I thought, would it have mattered that he was wrong if I had hit him? Maybe it would have assuaged some guilt, but clearly I would have been devastated by hurting someone. So, instead I thought about what I could have done differently to avoid even coming close to this tragedy again.

My commitment to not looking at my email lasted two more red lights but I did retain the conviction to put the phone down and fully look at the street before venturing out.

Leadership Lesson: Sure many times other people are to blame for bad situations. But it does us no good to stop there. Great leaders ask: What did I do to contribute to the outcome? How can I act differently next time that might make a difference? The emphasis is on the outcome not the blame.

Inflated Times

2010-06-02T19:50:00.001-07:00

Over a lovely Memorial Day weekend I happened to spend some time at the Asbury Park boardwalk. There is this really cool place (both cool interesting, and cool air conditioned) on the corner right next to the Stone Pony, early stage of Bruce Springsteen. It is the Silverball Pinball museum - a free play museum of pinball machines from the 1960's to today. You pay a flat fee and then play as much as you want for the hour purchased.

Here's what I noticed while the bells were ringing all around me racking up points. On the 1960's machines scores were recorded in 10,000's. By the time you got to the 1980's, scores were regularly in the 100,000's with high scores around 250,000. The 1990's, however, were posting scores in the millions. Hundreds of millions if you were up on the leader board.

What happened?

I dare say the games looked more flashy but the essential pinball was the same in 1960 as in 1990. You just earned a lot more for each hit. What is it about our culture that so defines ourselves by numbers that our games reflect the inflated worth of generations?

Interestingly, we have just started reading the Book of Numbers. Our Jewish tradition chose to call this book "numbers" in English, not "Desert" or even "wanderings" which would be much closer to the Hebrew name of the book - bamidbar.

Numbers are a way to define ourselves - a millionaire, one in a million, he looks like a million bucks. To many, although not to me I must confess, the aura of a million has lost its luster. What can you do with a million now - it's the billionaires who are really awed. (I'd still be ecstatic with the million) So if I want you to feel special, I'd better say you are one in a billion. And honey, you look like a billion bucks.

The number of Jews is a way of measuring ourselves not only physically but spiritually. (Many people object to numbering Jews due to Germany's branding of numbers on Jews in WW2. I graciously respect this opinion and would like to focus on the biblical concept of numbering through coins and other means to ascertain a population) We are succeeding when our numbers are high. Abraham was only one man, yet he and Sarah started something that now numbers in the tens of millions. Is it enough? Do we need to stretch for billions? Will that mean more?

We are playing a numbers game. We are losing more and more Jews to assimilation and disinterest. Where are those boundaries? When do the numbers scream out to us -- beware! The ship is sinking.

These are some good questions. I'd love to hear your opinions. What do you think?

"Idol"izing

2010-05-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

I know I just wrote yesterday, but I had to comment on the American Idol finale last night.

Lee DeWyze won. OK. Everyone knows this season was a yawner. But in the results last night the American Idol pattern reared its head again. As Lisa de Moraes of the Washington Post put it, "DeWyze follows the Super Safe Kinda Beige Rocker Boy winner" of Kris Allen and David Cook. In fact most of the winners have been the plain vanilla type. Of course many can sing wonderfully, but they are not "entertainers." And there have been mega stars hitting the stage of Idol for years. Remember Tamyra Gray? She was the first victim of the "you might be incredibly talented, but we won't vote for you" syndrome. Jennifer Hudson? Daughtry? Lambert? Even more interesting is the phenomenon of people voting to catapult someone to victory on Idol but then not buying their albums. What's going on here?

There is something about a contest at work here I believe. When we pit people against each other we tend to make the "safe" choices. And the contestants understand that. The judges kept asking the singers to be "true to themselves" and "make it your own." Many times "our own" is pretty boring. Sure, we get it - but who else does? Crystal was "her own." Lampert certainly was his "own." And yet they were so different in every meaningful way in entertaining. Lampert's "own" was a carefully crafted persona - yes it reflects his personality but it is so much more than that. He amplifies his version of the world a la Lady Gaga. In music we want to be entertained. There has to be something in it for us - not just to admire someone else's voice.

So there are really two lessons here. First, contests will not get us to the "right" answer. It becomes the most popular answer. And as Idol beautifully illustrates, the consensus is usually too safe to make a splash.

Second, someone who wants to inspire others, whether through singing or in leadership capacities, needs to be "out there." There needs to be something dynamic, something for people to hang on to. Even the Idol winners who now have successful careers learned how to entertain. Kelly Clarkson has incredible pipes. But only when she was listening to great music producers was she seeing success in the public domain. One look at her attempt to go it alone, to "own" her self and music proved that she doesn't quite "get it" yet. Carrie Underwood "owns" it and amplifies it. She is country, but so much more.

Leadership Lesson: To lead in a big way, you have to "bring it". You need to take who you are and what you stand for and amplify it for inspiration. Leaders are always on stage. And don't try to lead by consensus. Decisions will be too safe to be successful. Listen to everyone. Get all inputs and opinions. There is a difference between voting and building. Use your team to build. Build an idea to make it strong. Don't turn your important decisions into a contest. The greatest ideas will lose.

The people on the bus go round and round

2010-05-25T10:53:00.001-07:00

First Who. One of the very first principles of Jim Collins' leadership book Good to Great. Collins agrues that the very first job of a great leader is to get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus. Only then can the group together figure out where to drive the bus.

Too often these days I hear of organizations losing the "right" people. Many excuses are offered up for these layoffs or missed opportunities. We can't afford him. She is being paid beyond her rank. And the one that really gets my juice flowing, we don't have a spot for him right now.

In Good to Great Collins talk about Wells Fargo's CEO Dick Cooley who saw change in the air but didn't know which way the wind would blow. So he began recruiting "one of the most talented management teams in the industry." "They hired outstanding people whenever and wherever they found them, often without any specific job in mind."

Once people are on the bus, then you can find the right seats.

We shoot ourselves in the foot when we wait for opportunities to open up before we will hire great people. Are you truly going to say that your organization is better off with "good" people occupying the seats than if you had "great" people in the seats? How do you get the great people? Are they magically coming along just as one of your spots open up? Who believes that life works so cleanly?

And what of those you let off the bus? I am reminded of the curse of the bambino (I guess I have lived with Yankee fans too long). Who thinks that the Red Sox trade of Babe Ruth was a good idea? Once you have a star -- keep him -- or her. It's a matter of cost? What is it going to cost you when your organization declines? It's a matter of fit? Great people are flexible. They have great talents that lie beyond the square peg. Find a place they can shine and bring light to the organization.

The book of Genesis is a study in getting the right people on the bus. God tries over and over again to find the right people to be his servants. God first seeks out all mankind in Adam through Noah's generation. When Abraham appears in the Bible he is selected as the "right" man for the job. His children and grandchildren aren't all so lucky, though. God chooses some of the family members to carry on the servant mission but not all. I am not one who believes that Lot, Ishmael, and Esav were "bad" people. The just weren't the "right" people for this job. Ishmael and Esav founded great nations of their own. But this particular task called for a particular type of greatness and that was found in Isaac and Jacob. Neither one had an easy entry into their "jobs." However, once chosen by God, God would not let them fail.

Sometimes it is true that there are two forces at work here - the worker and the organization. Not every time will there be a win-win. But as John Maxwell says in Leadership 101, you must always try for win-win. Put your best effort into it. Finding the next great person will take a whole lot more work.

Leadership Lesson: Search for great people. Recruit them to your cause. Find/Make room for them. Have their back. Don't lose them. (You can apply this for great friends just as well)

Learning Anew

2010-05-18T07:06:00.001-07:00

I have just spent an awful lot of time reconfiguring our blog to bring it into the new "point & click" era. Please note the amazon links now available in our "on our bookshelf" section to the right. (for those of you on email hit http://inspiredjewishleadership.blogspot.com/. )

Adding this widget took an awful lot of learning, processing, trial and error and time! Sometimes we forget how much work goes into learning new things. I was just discussing this with my youngest son as he tried to make his way through "Take me out to the ballgame" on his guitar. He did not want to hear that it was an unreasonable expectation that he would just pick up the guitar and play the song correctly the first time he tried. We cannot learn that way. If it is too easy, that means we already knew it. Nothing new. And it's not limited to intellectual or musical learning. I am having the same struggle with my exercise routine. If I work out for an hour and my muscles do not feel tight the next day, have I really introduced them to something harder? If I can make it through an entire workout the first time I try doesn't that mean that I did not push myself enough?

Learning should be and needs to be a process. We are now at Erev Shavuot - the dawning of the holiday where we celebrate the acceptance of the Torah and the Jewish way of life. Judaism is all about constant learning. The system is set up so that there is always more to learn, more to do, ways to improve. Some people have the custom to stay up all night the first night of Shavuot (Tikun Lail Shavuot) learning. Why? Because we were given such an enormous gift that we typically squander our opportunities to learn from it. There is never enough time in the day to devote to learning about our Jewish values and heritage and how that then impacts our lives.

Learning takes a lot of time, energy and resources (mental and physical). We make mistakes along the way. We re-learn. (I think I have forgotten an entire curriculum already) Don't get frustrated. It is all part of the process. What does Miley Cyrus say? "Ain't about what's waiting on the other side...It's the climb."

Leadership Lesson: Leaders need to learn. Challenge yourself constantly. Go to classes. Try new things on the web. Constantly ask yourself: How can I use this? Reflect. What will I do with this new learning? What impact will it make upon me? How will I use it to impact the world? Stretch yourself and you will stretch the world.

Jerusalem of Gold

2010-05-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

On this Yom Yerushalayim, Day of Jerusalem, I, like many other Jews, am focusing on the import of this capital city. I have been fortunate to visit Jerusalem many times and even lived for a year within the hustle and bustle of this inspiring mix of an ancient and modern city.

Jerusalem has many names. I have mentioned in a prior blog that I view names as carrying more significance than just a title. One of the more intriguing names of the city is "Jerusalem of Gold." This descriptor became commonplace after the Naomi Shemer song of 1967 prior to the reunification of Jerusalem. Although many believe the name relates to the color of the ancient walls at sunset, Shemer based this appelation on the romantic Talmudic story of the gift Rabbi Akiva gave to his wife for giving up her inheritance and supporting his many years of learning. The gift was a gold replication of the city.

What is the significance of gold? Why is this such a powerful and meaningful connection with Jerusalem in our modern times?

Ever hear of the "gold standard?" While gold used to be an active currency it now forms the backbone of our financial system. Somewhere, we imagine, in the bowels of Fort Knox, is a gleaming stash of gold bullions. We might not feel it, we might not see it, but we know it is there. What would happen if it disappeared one day? Would our economy stand strong without its presence? While our financial transactions occur through dollars of paper and even wires these days, I think we would all agree that it would not. We are having enough trouble keeping economies strong even with a gold standard.

This, to me, is the place of Jerusalem as well. It is our gold standard. Without Jerusalem, our peoplehood falters. It is our backbone. Sure we have moved on to the modern wonders of Tel Aviv and Haifa. We, who live outside Israel, might be more interested in DC, New York , LA, London, Paris. Yet, we all pray for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the heart. And we all yearn for a heart of gold.

Leadership lesson: Every leader, organization, company, institution has a backbone. Find it. What is at your heart? What keeps the people focused on the task at hand? What is that center, sometimes deep in the foundation, without which your house will crumble? Locate it and treasure it. Never let anyone or anything distract you from its significance.

Start Off Right

2010-05-05T05:50:00.000-07:00

What a bad morning. You know there are those days when your alarm doesn't go off, you get a late start, no one wants to get out of bed, there's no milk in the house....

After coaxing a teenager out of bed, refereeing two tired kids taking their grumpiness out on each other, searching high and low for pink dance tights, inventing new lunch meals, and somehow trying to straighten my hair and get out the door in some presentable fashion for work, I took a breather in my car while waiting for a red light.

As I practiced my "deep breathing" I looked up and saw a man on the island a few cars ahead of me. Increasingly people are appearing on these islands asking for anything someone can spare. I know that this is a common sight in places like New York, Philadelphia, LA and it used to be very common in DC as well, but we had a long time where a homeless person on the street was a rare sighting. Unfortunately, our economy has reversed this trend. So I looked over at him and thought to myself, "let me start my day with a Mitzvah."

I reached into my purse, pulled out a dollar, and rolled down my window. The fellow came over and I said, "Good morning!" His face lit up. He thanked me for my dollar, complimented my nail color and told me I should be a cosmotologist. This morning I was feeling like that might be a way for me to go. Then he told me I should be blessed.

Honestly, I thought I already was. What a lucky person I am to have a construct with which to turn my day around. A one minute interaction, spurred by the thought that maybe doing a mitzvah - giving charity - had changed my whole outlook on the day. Honestly, my impetus was completely selfish. I wanted to give more than I wanted him to receive. Is this bad? In the end we both won. I hope that he uses the money wisely, but the money was almost beside the point. The interaction was the key. The mitzah opened the door to that interaction.

Leadership lesson: It doesn't take a lot to turn things around. Don't get stuck. Meet people where they are. If you see someone having a hard time, talk to them for a few minutes. Show some interest in them. Do this informally and formally. Many people have supervision time with subordinates. How many instances that does that time turn into work? Are you connecting with the person? How is she feeling about her work load? What can you do to better support him? Have you noticed an increase/decrease in productivity? What's up?

It doesn't take a lot of time to turn things around. It takes interest.

Change Up

2010-04-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Why are we always looking for change?

What is it that leads to dissatisfaction? I find myself quoting Ryan Bingham again (from Up in the Air) "make no mistake- movement is life." What is it that won't let us stay with what we have?

In this morning's Washington Post there was a small poll at the bottom left corner. Q: Are you inclined to vote to reelect your representative in Congress or look for someone else? A: 57% said they would look for someone else. More than half the people polled want change. This is change for change sake - they have no idea what the other person would change, how he or she would propose to change anything, or even if the change would be positive or negative. People are naturally inclined to want change.

Obama tapped into this natural desire throughout his campaign. It was a very powerful and effective message. Change resonates. In our personal lives, we are also seeking change. Just look at the divorce rate, caused by wanting change, not changing enough, seeking change with someone other than your spouse.

Perhaps this sentiment is rooted in our bodies. For as much as we think we want to be sendentary, our bodies need movement. It doesn't have to be constant, but at some point we feel the need to move - even if it is just to stretch. Many people feel the need for some mode of exercise in their day/week/month. How many of us have felt "restless"?

The story of the Jews wandering in the desert gives us a glipse into this need. The distance between Egypt and Israel could have been covered in about three days. When the Jews are punished with being stranded in the desert for 40 years, why do they keep moving? Couldn't they have stayed in one camp for the whole time? Surely it would have been easier to set up a "town" and lived there for thirty nine years and 362 days. So why did they wander?

One answer might be this human need for movement. If the people remained in the same place, perhaps they would turn to other areas for their "movement." We do find that many times when the people are "stuck" they turn away from God. At the sea, they cry out to go back to Egypt. At the foot of Mount Sinai they build a golden calf. Maybe God learned from these events and knew that the people needed to keep moving physically in order to be stationary in their religious belief.

Leadership lesson: We are hard wired to seek out movement and change. If you are a leader, you can try to continually feed this need with positive change and forward movement. If you get stuck in a rut without advancement, people will create their own change and you might be one of the changes. Constantly keep a look out for change possibilities that lead toward your goal. Keep an eye on your movement ratio - change over length of time. Are the changes you are implementing felt by your constituency? Is it enough change? Is it the right change? Understand that if you wish to keep some stability in one area, you need to offer enough offsetting change in another.

Change will happen. In our professional and personal lives we can orchestrate the change or we can just let it happen to us.

Transitions

2010-04-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Lots of people are transitioning these days. More and more of my conversations with people revolve around "what will I do next?" or "I'm leaving my job and I am not sure what I should look for next."

There isn't a more stirring or meaningful transition that the one we experienced last monday night. In the space of one hour, we went from mourning the loss of thousands of soldiers and terror victims to the elation of celebrating the founding of the State of Israel. In this transition from Yom haZikaron (Israel's memorial day) to Yom Haatzmaut (Israel's independence day) I found the profound and the mundane.

On the profound level, the State of Israel recognized that all extreme happiness comes after misery. The dark before the dawn. Jews suffered beyond comprehension right before the founding of the State of Israel. Could we have succeeded in starting a new Jewish state without the tragedy? We will never know. What we do know for sure is that millions of people lost their lives in the Holocaust and then thousands more in the fight for independence. And the struggle continues. Israel has been doomed to sacrifice her people in her continuous fight for survival.
The two go hand in hand.

On the mundane side, perhaps there is no causal connection between suffering and elation. Yet, they seem to come together. Maybe we rally our human spirit in the face of pain and that is what lifts us to the next heights that perhaps we would not have reached for if we were comfortable. Maybe we just have to accept pain as the dark side of joy. Much like accepting evil as the dark side of goodness.

These thoughts can be are helpful when we are in transition. We naturally want to turn our backs on where we came from -- forget the pain of: losing a job, wasting years in a job that was not meaningful, confusion -- and focus solely on where we are going. Yet, like every leadership issue - you cannot get to where you want to be unless you know where you are right now. Use the past. Mine it for talents, passions, clues to where you should head. Embrace the pain as a means to discover the joy.

Counting Up?

2010-04-13T11:42:00.001-07:00

This is an interesting period in the Jewish year. The period between Passover and the holiday of Shavuot is literally called "The Count (sefira)." Passover recalls the wonderous story of our exodus from Egypt and all the miracles that accompanied that journey. Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah and the beginning of our national relationship with God.

For many years the idea that these two holidays are inextricably linked by the period of "counting" has intrigued me. Each day we count toward the commemoration of the events of Mount Sinai. We leave the slavery in Egypt only to look forward to binding ourselves to the law of God. There are many commentaries and philosphical ideas (well worth your time if you haven't thought about it recently) dintinguishing between freedom from and freedom to. Passover represents a freedom from slavery and the oppression of others. Shavuot represents a freedom to live your life with meaning and commitment to something greater than yourself, a relationship with God.

But what of the counting? As I watched the Masters (golf tournament) this past weekend - and no I was not one of the Tiger-gawkers -- although as an aside, how awesome (and ironic?) was it that Phil Mickelson won this year - a year in which his wife battled cancer and he stood by her through all the rough stuff??-- but back to counting. As I watched the Masters, I was struck by all the counting they were doing. Golf is a game of counting. It all comes down to the number of strokes. You win, not by besting the course, but by besting the other player's stroke count. The lower the better.

Golf is about counting down - the further negative you go as you near the final destination (the 18th hole), the better your chance of winning.

Our counting period counts up. We start at Day One and count all the way to Day Forty Nine. The higher we have counted, the closer we get to our destination. We aren't losing numbers, we keep gaining.

Leadership lesson: When a goal is truly valuable - when you are inspiring people to attain the goal - work your way towards it. Let everything you do and say build toward the goal. Counting down points in the other direction. True, we are so used to it sometimes we don't think about the psychological impact of our counting direction. New Year's Eve we count down to the new year. But what are we saying? We are saying "goodbye". Goodbye to the old year. We are looking back expressing that we are happy to have it over. It's complete. It's finished. We got to zero. No where left to go. Counting up indicates just the opposite. We are looking forward. We have reached the target - but that target is not necessarliy the end. There are always more numbers - more places to go. We achieved this goal - let's celebrate - but let's also inspire each other to continue growing. What's the next goal?

March Madness

2010-03-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year. I lay caution to the wind and forecast winners in brackets of a sport I do not watch and have no real evidence to support.

Crazy time, March is. Gets a bad rap I think. "Beware of the ides of March..." and all. And now "March madness." What's so different about March anyway? At least here in the nation's capitol, it's one of the best months. Weather gets warmer, cherry blossoms sprout. We can see ahead to a wonderful spring.

Yet, March is a time of change. Change is difficult. Some - those with a pension for the status quo - think change can be "crazy". Why risk it? The month of transition from Winter to Spring brings ups and downs. We are just as likely to have cold and rain as we are to have heat and sunny skies. Sometimes it can feel like we have turned a corner and then bam! we take three steps back and we are back in winter. God set out for us an example of how transformation occurs: difficult, messy, drippy, disjointed, with patches of sun. All change is like this. Pretending it is not is counterproductive. Just ask Obama.

The question becomes how do we lead people through this mess? How do we keep the ray of sunshine in the eyes and not the raindrops? How do we prepare people for the rocky road filled with potholes? How do we ensure they see the beautiful flowers that lie just beyond the bend?

The NCAA tournament is a prime example of the excitement of change. Things are so up in the air, it is the most invigorating time to be a sports fan. Change can be fun. Seize the opportunity.

The Storywell

2010-03-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

Visiting the Native American Museum with my son's class, I was reminded of the importance of stories. Stories are used to transmit tradition, create a shared history, imbue values, and determine theology. Every society has its stories. Whether we look at Greek mythology, Native American legends or American folklore, for centuries people have used stories to build community.

Leaders are right to learn from this pattern. Storytelling is an important skill for all leadership. Bill Clinton proved the power of stories. As a master storyteller, Clinton always punctuated his speeches with stories of real people. These stories add drama, create an emotional connection with the audience and are very memorable pieces to take with you. Presidents and candidates after him have tried to emulate this pattern.

It is no surprise that the Bible is written through story. Whether the events actually occurred or not does not diminish the power of the story. We learn lessons of behavior, history, ritual, creation, and God through these stories. We can retain them because the characters come alive. We relate to the people and their struggles (or at least most of them).

As Jewish leaders we can appreciate the power of the storytelling in accomplishing great things and building community. We need to hone these skills and use them in our speeches, writings, and conversations.

Torah Aura

2010-02-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

I couldn't let it slip by. Watching the Olympics - okay, maybe it's more like obsessing over the olympics - I couldn't believe that the woman who won Olympic gold in the halfpipe(!) was named Torah Bright. Her first name is really Torah?

When my daughter was born, my husband and I debated her name for a while and we threw around some pretty interesting name choices. Over the years I have heard of many of the names actually used. Tekiah was one. And now Torah. The most interesting part to me is that these are names of people who are not Jewish (at least not that i have discovered).

What's in a name?

Why is it that Jews tend to name their children Ashlee (gorgeous) or Andrew (very manly)? Are we purposely shying away from our heritage? Are we trying to fit in? Or has the culture around us rubbed off on us enough that these names have become our names? When we were slaves in Egypt, the Rabbis tell us, one of the defining factors that kept the Jews a people after two hundred years of slavery was the Hebrew names. Now, after two hundred years in the United States, have we lost our name game? Have other people had to lift up the mantle of our beliefs and hold them in the spotlight? After all, that is truly what is in a name. A rose might smell as sweet, but it is the immediate association and recognition that the name creates. I hear "rose" and I feel its beauty.

I hear "Torah Bright" and it means something to me. Naming people is a huge responsibility - one that has the potential to shape the rest of their life. Naming is the first responsibility that was given to Adam. It's not just about naming a child. Naming an organization, a program, a donation - all these should be given careful deliberation.

What's in a name? As leaders we need to answer, "a lot."

Risky Business

2010-02-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

As we sat under a blanket of snowfall in the DC area, I had a lot of time to think about leadership - and to experience the effects of good and bad leadership. What was great about this snowstorm was the forecasting. Typically in Washington the weather patterns change so rapidly that drizzles turn to thunderstorms and heavy snow turns to a few flakes. Maybe it is the Doppler Radar or maybe it's global warming, but somehow the meteorologists are getting it right this winter (for the most part). So, we knew it was coming, we knew it would be big, and we knew we weren't prepared.

What is a leader to do?

Snow might be a formidable opponent, but imagine facing a land with seven armed nations, leading a people trained only in surviving the desert, known for complaints and fearful of impending disaster. Add to that, that you have just succeeded the most renown leader of all time -- the man who defied a Pharoah and led a nation out of bondage. Oy Vey!

This is Joshua's predicament as we open the Book bearing his name. Joshua is charged with leading the people of Israel into the land of Israel. He and the people know what's coming, know it will be big, and know they are not prepared. What does Joshua do?

As if he was an ancient boy scout, he starts with: be as prepared as I can possibly be. Joshua shores up his alliances and his leadership position. He sends more spies to gather information. He cautions people to stock up on supplies. He knows this will not be enough. Four times in the first 18 verses the text talks of being "Strong and Resolute." The people need to mentally acknowledge that this is going to be difficult.

He gathers everyone and early in the morning they begin their march toward Israel. When they approach the Jordan river they stop. The whole march ceases. The people stay at the bank of the river for 3 days. Imagine! We get ourselves all stocked up and prepared to stay in -- and we are stir crazy by day 2 - let alone day 3. The people of Israel had themselves all prepared to march into battle, and they are stopped cold in their tracks. We are thinking, "enough already, let those kids go back to school!" They are thinking, "Let's get on with this - I'm prepped to fight."

What stops leaders from charging ahead? With each decision a leader measures the risks associated with each side of the choice. Sometimes a great leader needs to push people into an area of great risk either because of the mission or the potential large payoff if successful, or because the consequence of not meeting that risk could spell disaster. joshua does lead the people across the Jordan River. But he does so when the risk has been mitigated -- in his case he waits for God to intervene and split the waters. School officials did send kids back to school, but only once they felt it safe enough for people to drive and kids to walk.

I know that school officials took a lot of flack for delaying re-opening school. I can only imagine the earful Joshua experienced given the complaints the people voiced when waiting at Red Sea. Yet, taking flack is better than putting people at too much risk. Good leaders know when to cry uncle.

Free For All

2010-01-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

How do some of the best ideas come about? Ask creative people and they will tell you the most interesting stories. "I get all my ideas in the shower." "They come to me as I am about to fall asleep." "In the grocery store." "When I'm hanging upside down."

How many people answer, "All my great ideas came when I was sitting at my desk thinking about them?"

Yet, as time gets more and more strained, we spend more time at our desks and less time allowing for the activities that set our minds free. Further, the more stressed we get, the more circular our thinking becomes until we cannot seem to think of anything other than the one solution that we know doesn't work.

Some companies have recognized this problem and have instituted retreats and "thought sessions" to generate creative ideas. Judaism has its own answer. We have "thought retreats" built into our day - three times a day as a matter of fact. Three times we are told to take a break. Put your work down. Think larger thoughts. Our prayer services are a means of re-centering our days. Morning and evening we remind ourselves of God's dominion and uniqueness with the Sh'ma prayer. All three times we stand in silent reverence and praise, thank and request of God all our basic needs. It's our fifteen minute yoga class.

Unfortunately, sometimes our lives are so busy that when we do sit down to pray, all our dormant thoughts start pouring out, not letting us get to the task at hand. Many a day I have had to stop praying to put another item on my to-do list that I had forgotten about. In my busy life, sometimes 15 minutes isn't enough to get me to that quiet space where I can think. That's why I have 3 chances a day. And if it still doesn't work, I have tomorrow to try all over again.

Jewish tradition teaches us that it takes discipline to pause in your busy day. It can be most inconvenient. And stress inducing - not stress relieving. We need to make room for thought. We need to give ourselves that space. In coaching we ask everyone to have a "pause practice" - something that makes you stop and re-center in your day. We gain the most from a practice that is disciplined - a set time every day. Like the time constraints for prayer. We can reap the best rewards from this pause practice. Maybe next time you'll say, "That idea came to me while I was praying."

Be Careful What You Sew

2010-01-20T06:36:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist. I am aware of the millions of opinions floating out there in cyberspace in response to Scott Brown's election as a Republican Senator from Massachusetts. My computer is underlining that phrase "Republican Senator from Massachusetts" - even spellcheck doesn't believe it to be possible. Yet, I can't pass up the chance to learn from what happened. Many people, brighter than I, will debate the causes of the upset for the next year, or at least until the mid-term elections. But it seems to me to boil down to one looming leadership lesson - be careful what you sew.

Barack Obama ran on the platform of "hope" and "change." He articulated few clear policy points and steered away from setting an agenda of leadership. He did not debate the issues - he attacked the status quo. He taught the country that all it needed was something different than what it had and life would again be better. Obama did not waste his time splitting hairs over some government policies that might be working well while others needed reform. He stayed on message. "Yes We Can." We can change (everything). He taught the people that what is, is never good enough. Joe Trippi, Howard Dean's campaign manager in 2004, claims the flaw the democrats faced in this race was their "failure to understand how anti-establishment the country has become."

This anti-establishment sentiment coupled with a soft campaign preaching hope and change instead of policy and agenda is what allows democrats in Massachusetts to vote in a Republican. There is no more loyalty. What can you be loyal to? If the parties aren't going to put their stakes in the ground and own up to what their core beliefs dictate, than what are we the voters left to ponder? The only question for us is do we like where we are right now? In these tough times the answer will continue to be "no." The only option then is to seek change. So we vote for whoever is different. Then we can hope. The grass is always greener.

Leaders have to respond to this crisis. Make no mistake it is a crisis. Without a sense of loyalty we float from one thing to the next without taking root anywhere. We never truly connect. We drift. The rising numbers of independent voters bears out this phenomenon. Drifting is not the human condition. We seek connection. But connection is hard. It means we have to understand one another. It means we have to be clear about what we stand for. It means there will be differences between us and we have to respect that -- we have to live with that.

Loyalty does not mean that we do not want change. It is about where we seek the change. Sometimes we can seek change from within. We can repair the party that we are a part of. We can change our actions, our policies, our values to better align with today's envirnment. It's harder than just hoping for better with the outsider. But as Ryan Bingham would say "There's nothing cheap about loyalty."

To Be a Drama Queen

2010-01-13T06:13:00.000-08:00

Drama, drama, drama...

What place does drama have in leadership? A prominent one I would say. As the title of this blog implies, I believe leadership should be inspiring. To inspire means moving emotions. Even if I am talking about an intellectual development, the "inspiration" piece is a feeling - the faster heart beat, the rush of adreneline, the surge of dopamine - I am happy and excited - eager.

When Daniel Goleman talks about emotional intellegence for leaders he includes not only the abillity to read people's emotions, but the ability to lead people's emotions. It is this quality that sets great leaders apart.

President Obama is under fire currently for allowing his emotional connection to the people to wane. In an op-ed in the Washington Post today, Michael Gerson attacks Obama for lackluster speeches that fail to connect to the American people. "His (Obama's) reactions to the Fort Hood murders and the Christmas Day attack were oddly disconnected from the emotions of the country he represents. His speech at Fort Hood was strong on paper but delivered with all the passion of remarks to the Chamber of Commerce."

We just finished reading the Torah portions of the story of Joseph and his brothers and we see what an important role drama plays in the development of people. Joseph carefully orchestrates dramatic events - stealing, jail, travel back and forth - in order to culminate in an emotional revelation and reunion with his family. How different would the story read if the brothers had come to Egypt and Joseph simply said "Hi, nice to see you again!" Instead Joseph creates the pinnacle moment with Benjamin's life hanging in the balance and to use the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice line, Joseph says: "Can't you recognize my face? It is hard to see? The brother who you thought was dead - your brother - is me." (gives me chills just writing it)

In order for people to change course, there must be an emotional connection. Sometimes the world supplies its own drama. Sometimes leaders need to create the drama. Emotion is not whimpy. As Gerson puts it, Presidents need not only mental toughness but empathy - "The ability to wear the nation's emotions on his sleeve." In order to inspire you need to put yourself in the emotional space of those you wish to follow you. Gerson concludes "A President lacking in drama may also be lacking in inspiration."

There's plenty of drama around - as a leader - use it.

Sporty Role Models

2010-01-11T06:01:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, Colbert King ran an opinion piece in the Washington Post that made a solid argument as to why sports figures should not be held out as role models for personal behavior. Clearly, recent events between Tiger Woods and Gilbert Arenas, prove him to be right. King argues that athletic prowess does not translate to a good moral compass or maturity (in fact with the coddling of star athletes nowadays it may in fact mean just the opposite). Sure, King is right. Why would we assume that talent and ethics are linked? Why can't we just admire athletic talent and not "want to be like Mike?"

When we look to people who exhibit extreme talent or genius - whether that person is Madonna, Bill Cosby, Bill Clinton, Miley Cyrus, LaBron James, or Andy Warhol - the part of us that admires their talent wants to be like them. We identify with them. What would it be like to be Madonna? We ask ourselves. Little boys jump into a fantasy world where they become Kobe Bryant on the court. What would Kobe do to get around that guard? Budding artists paint vases full of flowers with patches on their ears pretending they are the tortured Van Gogh. Once we identify with the player/singer/artist/politician, we have taken them on as a person. It is very hard to then remove them from a whole self - because we are whole selves. We take on a person and pretend we are them - we fill in the pieces we don't know and create a whole being.

What does that mean for the star? King seems to be letting them off the hook. We should know better. We should be able to dissect their talent from the rest of them.

Judaism has a different approach. Recognizing that it is part of the human condition to emulate people and that our calculations of the person are always exaggerated, Judaism puts the emphasis on the behavior of the star or the leader. People in the public eye are always held to a higher standard. Moses made one mistake - hitting instead of speaking to a rock - and he is barred from entering the Land of Israel. King Saul lets his concept of compassion overtake God's directive and he is cut off from the Kingship forever. The texts are showing us the supreme responsibility a public figure takes on. Our historic leaders are presented in the texts with their imperfections. None of us are without faults. However, the brighter our star shines, the more careful we must be in all facets of our lives because we take on the responsibility as whole people. It is not our talent that's famous - it is us.

Creating a roadmap

2010-01-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

This morning I once again passed through a new traffic pattern at the corner of my office. Two years ago construction began on the extremely congested intersection of two major roads. Over this time buildings, parking lots, and grassy knolls have been disappearing while new roads, traffic lights and bridges have gone up. Recently the traffic pattern has been changing every month. While I do get a heightened sense of curiosity every time we switch directions, for the most part I feel tired of the constant disruption and uneasiness in not knowing exactly which way I need to go to get to work. There is just too much change.

Tapping into my curious self, I wondered why this change bothered me so much. I love change. I get bored when everything is status quo. So I thought about what is making this experience different. It's the lack of a roadmap.

I believe people have a high tolerance for change if they understand the rationale and direction of the change. I and my fellow commuters have been flying blind for the past two years. We wake up one morning and the road is literally going in another direction and we don't have a clue why. Two years later, I cannot figure out the end game -- things seem to change in counterintuitive ways. I use this road construction as the supreme example of change leadership. I am fully confident that the urban planners who are the root of this construction have a master plan. They know what the road will look like in the end, why the new pattern will be better for traffic, and the winding path to get to the end is carefully laid out step by step. All this knowledge on their part is wonderful , but it doesn't help me. I am lost to the whims of their changes.

When we want to enhance our companies/ organizations/ programs, we set goals and steps to get us there. We usually include all the strategic thinkers in the decision-making. Sometimes that is the senior management, sometimes the board of directors, sometimes a group of committed volunteers. We cannot forget step two - to disseminate the what, why, how - to the people affected by the change. And as the shampoo bottle says - rinse and repeat. Constant awareness of the goal and direction of the changes is paramount to everyone. Who knows? maybe someone will have a suggestion that will make the plan even better.

Ingenuity

2009-12-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

Ingenuity. An often overlooked aspect of leadership I believe. As I drove to work through the snow this morning I couldn't help but notice a difference in leadership. My area has earned a well-deserved reputation for being paralyzed by snow. We don't have snow very often and therefore have very little snow removal equipment at the government's disposal when we do have snow. This past weekend we were hit with 2 feet of snow.

Now it is true that the school system cancelled school for the whole week. That much has not changed. But leadership can sometimes appear in the subtle moves. As I drove along one of the secondary streets, the cars began to merge ahead. I looked to see what was slowing everyone down. It was two diggers - two bulldozers with scoopers - shovelling up the snow and throwing it aside. Up ahead on the other side of the street were two more. They were doing a great job of clearing the street all the way to the curb. These diggers were private contractors. Someone decided that the old wisdom of taking a week to plow out the streets using the few plows the county owned wasn't going to be good enough. He/She/They believed there was another solution. The diggers were one - however unorthodox.

Sometimes we need to take a chance. Sometimes we need to think broader. Sometimes we just have to do something.

People will still moan that school was cancelled. They will still moan that the side streets aren't cleared. Maybe this digger experiment will prove a good one and next time they can use it more widely. Maybe it will be a bust. Only testing an idea can yield results. Ingenuity. You might have a great solution. Try it.

Mob scenes

2009-12-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

In the story of Chanuka, Matityahu, the father Maccabee and High Priest, faced with the possible defeat of the Jews, invoked the rallying cry of Moses,
“Whoever is for God, Come with me!”

It was not easy to incite a revolt against the Assyrians. Matityahu and his sons had to inspire the Jews with the conviction that they could battle an army so large and powerful we still call them “mighty and numerous” (from the “al hanisim” prayer we say on Chanuka). Matityahu knew that he had to give the people a cause to fight for. He chose to remind the people of the Golden Calf and the destruction that comes to the Jewish people when they allow worship other than to God. Moses had used this rallying cry to bring the people who still believed in the oneness of God to his side where they, the few, outlived the many who had sinned with the calf. Moses used these words to quell the mob. Matityahu used the same statement to inspire the mob and send the few out to war against the many.

When we lead, sometimes we will need to quell a growing mob. And sometimes we will need to orchestrate a little “mob mentality” of our own.

For a modern, fun spin -- Check out this “flash mob” scene from Israel’s Ben Yehuda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULtglogZbR8

Happy Chanuka Everyone!

Speak up

2009-12-09T10:57:00.000-08:00

Public speaking can be the worst fear of many leaders. Yet, in order to lead people -- to get them to follow you -- you must speak, and you must be able to speak to and move large groups. Imagine if you tried to do all your influencing one-on-one. That is a lot of conversations.

Many of us think that people are granted the "gift" of public speaking. We believe that someone who delivers an impactful and steady speech has always been able to move people that way. Typically we are wrong. Moses offered the same excuse when God called upon him to lead the Jewish people out of slavery. "Oh Lord, I am not a man of words.. I am slow of speech and of slow tongue." (Exodus 4:10) What is God's answer? "I will be you mouth, and teach you what you will speak." (Exodus 4:12) Not even Moses was "born" a great influencer through words. And yet, Moses' words can now be found in every hotel room.

Good, effective public speaking takes a lot of practice and the adherence to rules of engagement. There are tools for crafting a moving speech. There are ways to center yourself and engage your presence to draw attention to your words. And there is practice.

Sarah Gershman of Green Room Speakers has a terrific blog where she talks about the skills of speaking and the rules for crafting speeches. Check it out at http://sarahgershman.blogspot.com/.

In her latest blog she talks of know, feel, do - her rule of three strategy for speaking. In order to reach your audience you have to give your listeners a vital piece of information (know), connect them emotionally to the subject (feel) and then give them a call to action (do).

Great leaders speak this language. Great speechwriters write this language. It is not a gift from the heavens, but a craft learned and practiced.

Lead by the tail

2009-12-02T05:35:00.000-08:00

Leadership lessons come in all sizes and from all places. This morning I was surrounded again by the incessant talk about Tiger Woods and his crash. Ruth Marcus in her Washington Post column was imploring Tiger to remain silent and maintain his privacy. A satellite morning show was using him as a lesson to all would-be cheaters that if you want to cheat in this day and age you should know you will get caught.

Through my leadership lens, the Tiger Woods saga presents an interesting lesson on human behavior. The expectation that some would like to have that everyone would leave Tiger alone while his actions seem mysterious is naive. We are meaning-making machines. I recall how quickly I went from "Thank God he is okay," to "What in the world was he doing backing out so crazily of his driveway at 2:30am?" and "his wife had to break the back window with a golf club to get him out?" Our brains are programmed to seek out rationales behind actions. As Linkin Park sings, "Give me reasons..." We will not stop until something - really anything - makes the story fit together.

We could look at this as our morbid fascination with all facts and an insatiable quest for smut. Or, we could recognize our natural human curiosity. As leaders, I think the latter is more valuable. In Judaism we use this curiosity to encounter texts and draw deep lessons from them. In the Bible, Moses receives an incredibly harsh punishment for hitting a rock. For centuries people have debated what it was that warranted this reaction by God. The text is missing something. Moses had hit rocks before. Even if it was a mistake, it doesn't seem that bad. Yet, God's reaction is swift and unrelenting. There are many theories about Moses' mistake, some that place it squarely on that particular action to those that look blame other incidents to even those that state this was not a punishment at all but a realization that Moses was not the leader to take the Jews into the land of Israel. Where there is a rational gap, our minds feel the need to fill it in. We struggle with it - sometimes with obsession - until we can align the two pieces. This is the way we are programmed. It's called cognitive dissonance. We use it for good, in the case of scholarship and also in creating new realities for ourselves by forcing our brain to help realize the vision we put into it. Of course it can also cause us to relentlessly pursue a man who's only public error was one of omission.

Here's the lesson to take with you. Silence doesn't always pay. If you don't provide an answer, people will fill one in for you. You might cry privacy! but what people hear is mystery! and their wheels won't stop turning until they find or make up something that makes sense. As a leader you have relinquished control of your own and possibly your organization's destiny.

Jewish Values in Action - We must do what we can for Gilad Shalit

2009-10-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks I have been asked many times to quote Jewish values. This is no easy task. Not because it is hard to come up with Jewish values, but for precisely the opposite reason - we have so many values represented in the Torah, rest of scriptures and even in our codes of law, that the answer is overwhelming.

In these conversations, one value pops up over and again - Pidyon Shvuyim, the rescuing of captives.

Rescuing captives is so important that the law states that any money the community collects should go first to the redemption of the captives - even if the money was set aside and already deemed holy - that is if it was already earmarked for the Synagogue or even the purchase of a Torah. In other words, people's lives come first.

With this in mind, I reflect on the anniversary of the kidknapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Israel has a real Sophie's Choice to make. Does it release convicted terrorists who will undoubtably kill others in exchange for the life of Shalit? But we Americans do not have the burden of that choice. And what are we doing?

Working for the release of a captive is perhaps our most important value. Certainly as stated above, it takes precedence over community building.

Jewish leadership follows Jewish values. Remember the times when we mobilized behind these values? Where is the vitality of the marches and demonstrations we remember from the Soviet Jewry era? The Ethiopian jewry era? Yes, this is one man (six is you consider the Israeli MIA's). According to Jewish law and value there is no difference between saving one man and saving a thousand. We must do our part.

Let's lead the charge - Americans need to help Gilad Shalit. We leaders need to decide how.

Potential Leadership

2009-10-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

The uproar about President Obama's winning of the Nobel Peace Prize got me thinking. Even the President's staunchest allies publicly expressed their dismay at the President's prize. Why was this such a big deal? True, Obama has not achieved a measure of peace yet. He certainly talks about it. And the Nobel committee expressed their belief in the President's potential to bring about peace - at least in some corner of the globe.

What the Nobel committee failed to consider was that all of us have the potential to lead, the potential to influence, the potential to bring peace. Judaism believes that each one of us has the potential to save the world. (Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Sanhedrin) If that is so, how is Obama different than the rest of us?

The Nobel committee put the spotlight not on what Obama could do as they intended - but on what he has not yet done.

This is a great lesson for all leaders out there. People are aware of the potential you carry. When you fail to act on that potential -- even your friends become your critics.

New Year's, Time of Return

2009-09-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

The New Year, Rosh Hashana, is associated with a time of repentance. The Hebrew word for repentance, Teshuva, derives from the root "to return." We are returning to our true selves, the holy beings that God created us to be.

This is a valuable leadership lesson. We all stray off track. We all make mistakes. What we must keep in mind is that at the core we are all good and pure. That is how God created us. How do I approach someone who I view as good and pure? Very differently than if all I see is a problem that needs to be "dealt with." Our challenge as leaders is consistently "right" the ship - to return people and institutions to their core values, and act to further those values.

2009-09-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

A brand new year comes with so many expectations. What a wonderful moment to reflect not only on my self, but on how I affect the community around me. What have I accomplished? Who have I touched? Have I made an impact on the world this year?

Heavy thoughts? Yes, they are. But those are the kinds of questions leaders need to be asking all the time. We go through our days making decisions, working with people, certainly accomplishing. But what are we really doing? What difference are we making? If we cannot answer that -- are we really a leader?

2009-07-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

Wrong Person for the Job

Dear Erica,

We are getting to that time of year when we being to think about the leadership of our organizations for next year. Everyone is in the nominating mode in my social service agency and I’m feeling a little stuck. The person they have nominated for vice president (who will one day be president) is, in my mind, totally the wrong person for the job. I am even thinking of leaving the board if he is picked. They are just about to ask him. What recourse do I have?
Losing Patience in Potomac

Dear Patience (or Impatience),

People get nominated for board positions for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes we nominate people because they have talent, institutional memory, commitment or guts. Sometimes we nominate people who have the financial capacity to make a difference in an organization. All of these are valid reasons. I can totally appreciate your concern, and I think it’s important to act fast if you can’t understand why this person has been chosen. I would begin with speaking in confidence (and hopefully in person) to your board president and to a professional. Don’t only talk. Listen. You may not know the person in question as well as they do. Inquire. Find out what they were thinking so you don’t have to ask, “What were they thinking?”If your issues still hold, then share them in a friendly and constructive way and talk about how these considerations can be addressed. If you really do not feel comfortable then it is your right to opt off the board. You may, however, be a nice guy and give this person a chance to shine or stumble before making up your mind. We humans can be a little too quick to form first impressions that we can’t or aren’t mentally willing to shake. But remember this important piece of advice: if you stay, your job on a board is to be supportive, not divisive. Don’t be the one to tell others that you didn’t agree to his nomination. You can share that now before an election but once a decision is formed, you need to be part of a cohesive team to the public you serve. Partisanship can profoundly hurt institutions that we care about and love.

2009-07-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

100 Days in Office

Dear Erica,

Today marks President Obama’s first 100 days in office. Do you think that 100 days is a measure of anything significant? Do we have any such concept within the Jewish world?
On the Hill

Dear On the Hill (at least you’re not Over the Hill),

That’s a fascinating question and one that deserves an introspective answer. This demarcation emerged during FDR’s presidency at a time when the pundits and the public first felt entitled to weigh in on whether or not the president was moving in the direction of his party and his goals. But is a 100 days enough time or the right amount of time to gauge a person’s leadership? Obama himself said in a Times interview in January that this mark of time is artificial:"The first hundred days is going to be important, but it’s probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the difference." On the one hand, it would be easy to say that’s just creating protective cover. You can tell in the first months a lot about the way that a leader communicates, his or her level of transparency and the way in which they use advisors and outside resources of wisdom and advice. But what you can’t tell is the long-term impact of new laws or how complex change is or how much history is wrapped in any decision that generates obstacles to future changes. There is no concept of a hundred days within Jewish tradition. Arguably, we take the long view on everything. After all, what’s a hundred years in the Jewish calendar? Small change. And that brings me to my last point. President Obama’s first hundred days coincides with Israel’s 61st Independence Day. We may be fewer than a hundred years old from a statehood perspective but we’re thousands of years old as a central project of the Jewish people. Now that’s a lot of time, and the country’s accomplishments required and require a lot of leadership. But that’s for another conversation.