Archive for November, 2011

 

The Fear of Falling Up

Posted on: November 29th, 2011 by Hayim Herring
Ladder to the Sky

Flickr: jepoirrier

Did you ever suspect that some leaders fear success more than they do failure?  If they aim high and hit their target once, how can they possibly replicate the last success next time? And especially if they do, won’t people start to have ever higher expectations of them?

Because of that fear, these kinds of leaders learn to play it safe or take mild risks at most. As a result, they never reach their own potential and even worse, they don’t help a community develop its capacity for greatness. I’m not sure who coined the phrase, “the fear of falling up,” but it certainly captures this attitude toward the apprehension of the consequences of success.

In one midrash (rabbinic commentary) on a famous scene in this week’s Torah portion (Vayetze, Genesis 28:10-32:3), we find an acknowledgment of this very fear. The Biblical partriarch, Jacob, envisions angels ascending and descending a ladder to heaven. According to this midrash, God beckons Jacob to climb the ladder, but Jacob declines. He reasons that he will eventually have to descend, so why risk the climb? He does not consider that although he will have to descend, who is to say that he won’t be able to climb to the top again?

Jewish leaders-and indeed all leaders-can follow two basic paths. They can be content to reach for the “low hanging fruit” and play it safe. Or, they can exercise genuine leadership, and “reach for the stars,” acknowledging that they will only reach them some of the time. What kind of leader do you aspire to be?

B’shalom,

Rabbi Hayim Herring

Why Angels Never Multitask

Posted on: November 16th, 2011 by Hayim Herring
How to become a SocialMediaManager

From stoneysteiner on flickr

Do you multitask? Come on, be honest!  By multitasking, I mean performing multiple tasks simultaneously, like talking on the phone, responding to e-mails and tidying your desk at the same time. I admit that I multitask, but not as much as I used to. And, it’s my goal to continue to reduce how frequently I multitask.

Good leadership requires intense focus. Naturally, leaders have to deal with multiple opportunities and challenges. But when leaders are so overloaded that they feel like they must respond to e-mails while on the phone, grab a meal or return phone calls while driving, and sleep with their smart phones because they never have enough time, they are living in a perpetual danger zone. Not only is multitasking unhealthy, but multitasking diminishes efficiency.

Apparently, divine angels know about the risks of multitasking. During these past couple of weeks, the Torah readings included the presence of angels. According to Jewish tradition, each angel is assigned to only one task at a time. Their work is so critical that it requires intense focus. Whether or not you believe in angels, in an age where multitasking has become an acceptable more, it’s good to act like one and focus fully on what you’re doing while you are doing it. You’ll be happier with the quality of your work and more productive.

B’shalom,

Rabbi Hayim Herring

The Charitable Deduction and the Jewish Community

Posted on: November 10th, 2011 by Hayim Herring
Form 1040 Magnified

From Jeffrey Hamilton/Getty Images

Note to reader:  Preston Neal is a principal consultant for the Herring Consulting Network.  He is guest-authoring this week’s blog post.

The amount of the charitable deduction allowance in the Federal tax code for high-income taxpayers has been the subject of much debate in recent months.  At the crux of the debate is a conflict of two competing Jewish values:  empowerment of the individual and encouraging tzedakah (righteous giving).

For those who are unfamiliar with the issue, when President Obama introduced his American Jobs Act in September, he proposed paying for the measure, in part, with a 28% cap on itemized deductions, including the charitable deduction, for taxpayers earning over $200,000.  The lower cap on the charitable deduction has already met stiff opposition in congress, but the so-called “Super Committee” of 12 congressmen tasked with reducing the budget deficit may yet decide to include the cap in its recommendations to Congress and the President scheduled for the end of this month.

Even if the cap were to pass Congress and be signed into law (which looks unlikely), does that necessarily mean that there would be a negative impact on giving?  Not necessarily.  According to a survey of 502 American donors by Fidelity Charitable, “Two-thirds of donors (64 percent)…agree that charitable tax deductions have no impact on their giving.­”

Yet philanthropic organizations, including Jewish ones, are staunchly opposed to the capping of the charitable deduction tax at 28% for the fear that it will negatively impact their missions.

Thus, we have a competition of different Jewish values in this debate.  On the one hand, the mitzvah (commandment) of tzedakah is of great importance in our tradition.  On the other hand, the commandment of tzedakah comes from the Torah, which does not say anything about needing tax incentives from the IRS.  Furthermore, the president proposed this cap on the charitable deduction to help pay for his jobs plan, which also includes tax incentives for non-profits who hire long-term unemployed individuals and veterans.  Surely, job creation and the empowering of the individual is a value upheld in our tradition as well.

What do you think about the proposed cap on the charitable deduction?  Should Jewish organizations support the cap for its potential to help create jobs or oppose it for its potential to negatively impact tzedakah in our philanthropic institutions?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.

B’shalom,

Preston Neal

How do Leaders Look?

Posted on: November 3rd, 2011 by Hayim Herring

rear view mirrorDid you ever try to drive without a rear view mirror? What about driving with one of your side view mirrors sadly dangling from the doorframe? Or, have you had the experience of driving with an annoying crack in your front windshield or with your rear windshield covered with fog?

Over the years, I’ve had all of these experiences. (I remember, especially, the time when a certain family member dislodged the driver’s side view mirror while backing out of the garage, and then proceeded to blow a hole in the tire while driving in reverse over it—not recommended!)

None of these problems with windshields and mirrors are beneficial and, while they can be repaired, they are often costly and dangerous. They create unsafe driving conditions because while a good driver spends the majority of time looking ahead, he or she also has to look to either side and observe what’s coming up from behind.

And that’s what leadership is: spending some time understanding your organization’s past, being aware of what other organizations on either side of you are doing now, and primarily leading confidently and safely to the next destination.

If you’re a leader, ask yourself:

  1. How much energy do you spend mired in your organization’s past?
  2. How much time do you worry about what others to the right or left of you are saying?
  3. How much effort do you give to achieving your next big goal?

Within the Jewish community, we need fewer leaders who spend time reliving a past that is not returning. We need fewer leaders who move too timidly because they are concerned about what those around them will say if they take a new route. We need leaders who, while sensitive to hindsight and peripheral vision, know that their primary task is to look ahead and give confidence to those whom they lead to do so as well.

We are the Biblical Abraham and Sarah’s spiritual heirs, whom God commanded lekh lekhah–journey forth. We can draw upon their courage and confidently move ahead into the future, even if we don’t have complete knowledge of where we are going. That’s what faith is ultimately about. Like Abraham, authentic leaders look ahead.

B’shalom,

Rabbi Hayim Herring