Tag Archives: business

September 23, 2015 · 10:10 am

Teshuva

It’s Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.  This was a post from several years ago.  As I read it over, looking for inspiration for something to write on the subject of change and business based on the holiday, I realized that I had expressed my thinking pretty well in the earlier post.  Those of you who celebrate the holiday are probably not reading this until sundown (I scheduled this yesterday in keeping with the spirit of not working on the day). Whether you do or don’t celebrate, I hope you’ll take a moment to reflect.

Yesterday was Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. For those of you unfamiliar with the holiday, it concludes the 10 day period at the start of the Jewish calendar – Rosh Hashanah – head of the year – during which all Jews are supposed to reflect upon the past year and examine how they’re going to change their lives going forward. One also seeks forgiveness from those against whom he has transgressed – both those of this earth and higher powers. There is a lot of other imagery connected with the period – inscription in the Book of Life being a big one – but I think there’s something each of us can take as a business lesson in a non-denominational way.

We all get off track.  Sometimes it’s in little ways like eating badly or drinking too much.  Sometimes it’s in big ways like alienating our families or hurting friends who love us.  The concept in Judaism of repentance is called Teshuva  which means “return”.  I love the notion of coming back to one’s self as well as to the basic human tenets that are common to all religions and peoples.

We can take a period of reflection and “return” in our business lives as well.  The most obvious way is for us as individuals   Whom have we alienated this year?  What client have we taken for granted?  But it a bigger opportunity.  How has the business diverged from the mission?  Why have we stopped getting better and are just marching in place?  What can we be doing to grow our people but are ignoring?

We ask those kinds of questions from time to time, but I guess I’m suggesting that it become a more formal process.  Set aside a period every year for “return” thinking.  A period of repentance?  Maybe, in some cases.  But in all cases a chance to change.  A chance to regret past bad actions and to vow not to repeat them.  Most importantly (this is true in the religious sense as well), to correct the transgression.  To apologize.   To make restitution.  Whatever is right and lets everyone move forward with a clear conscious and a vow to do better.

Sound like a plan?

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September 17, 2015 · 11:19 am

The Bright Side

I have a confession: I am an unrepentant optimist. I’m told that I can find a silver lining in almost any circumstance, and while I’m not a complete idiot with respect to denying reality, I also don’t fall into the trap of seeing only the negative. Anyone who knows me will tell you I have a skeptical side (bordering on cynical), but I think they’d also recognize my generally optimistic nature. What does this have to do with your business?

It has to do with how new concepts are perceived by optimists.  You probably hear about new ideas all the time. Sometimes those ideas make waves, and sometimes they bring storm warnings with respect to the future. It is easy to dismiss them. It’s also easy to find fault with them. You might ask yourself if whatever is being proposed is going to work. That is the wrong question in my mind since inherent in that question is the skeptic’s point of view. You assume there is a chance, maybe even a good chance, that it won’t work.  You dismiss the idea and the possibility of any of the circumstances that might eventuate thereafter.

Optimistic little me doesn’t ask that question. I tend to think about what might happen if the new idea does work, however unlikely that might be. What next? How is my business different? What new competitors or markets emerge?  Even if they don’t, by not having dismissed the new thinking out of hand, I’m better prepared to deal with whatever happens.

I tend to look on the bright side of life, as the song (below) suggests.  Putting aside the positive mental outlook I think optimism provides, from a business perspective using the optimistic perspective would have allowed you to be ready for many of the changes of the last 30 years.  So sing along with the Pythons and tell me if you don’t feel better!

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September 14, 2015 · 10:11 am

The New Year And Business Again!

A shofar made from a ram's horn is traditional...

A shofar made from a ram’s horn is traditionally blown in observance of Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish civic year. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Happy New Year!  This is the third time I’m posting this piece since, as I announced last year, it’s now an annual thing, albeit not exactly Clement Clarke Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas.”  As Jews around the world celebrate Rosh Hashanah, I thought I’d try to put what the holiday means into a business context.  Enjoy!

Last night marked the start of the Jewish New Year.  I didn’t go down to Times Square to see if they were dropping a giant knish at the stroke of sundown – probably not.  L’Shana Tova – a happy and healthy New Year to all of you.

One of the things Jews do over the next 10 days (or at least are supposed to do) is to reflect on the year gone by and think about where it took you on life’s journey.  It’s not really as much about looking back in my mind as it is about looking forward.  Oh sure, one is supposed to think about where one strayed from life’s path in terms of dealing with other humans and human codes of conduct.  We get a day of fasting next week to get that sorted out.  But it’s also a time to think about a fresh start.  Which, of course, promoted a business thought.

When do businesses stop and enter a period of reflection?  It’s obvious when they’re changing – witness Facebook last week – but I, for one, certainly wonder sometimes if those changes happen due to the momentum of previous (maybe not so good) decisions or if they’re the result of a pause, some reflection, and a willful thought by the entire organization as to the direction.  Often, I fear, it’s the former.

Jews are to use the next ten days for reflection and repentance.  I like to think of them as ten days of self-improvement.  I’d also suggest that it would do many businesses a lot of good to build the same sort of period into their corporate calendars.  Some do – they call it the budget process – but I think that’s too selective in terms of participants and goals to do much good.  Some smart CEO needs to declare it New Year’s Day for the company once a year and get everyone to do the same sort of professional reflection that many of us do on the personal side.  Identify your sins (figuratively speaking) and atone.  Faulty customer service, weak brand identity, bad employee relations, products that aren’t optimal, fostering an atmosphere of fear – these are all good places to start.

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