BEING A VISIONARY JOLT LEADERSHIP PROGRAM 2014
V I S I O N A R Y The Importance of Vision by Tony Mayo W hen he launched the USA Today national newspaper 25 ago, Allen Neuharth, the CEO of Gannett Company from 1973-1986, was derided by both Wall Street analysts and the newspaper establishment. Having built a very successful chain of regional newspapers and having been named the newspaper publishing Chief Executive of the Year by the Wall Street Transcript in 1979, why would Neuharth want to take such a bold and seemingly foolish risk? Who would buy bite-size news? The answer today is clear millions would buy it and continue to buy it, but that was certainly not the case in 1982 when the paper was launched. Neuharth saw a future for his family s newspaper empire that others could not see. He also saw a time-starved consumer base that was thirsty for news in manageable chunks. Capitalizing on his regional network of newspaper organizations, Neuharth created an elaborate logistical process to produce and deliver a national newspaper to supplement, not replace, regional carriers. What was it about Neuharth that enabled him to see the vast possibilities of a national newspaper? He clearly possessed a vision of what could be and more importantly, the ability to make it a reality. The ability to visualize and articulate a possible future state for an organization or company has always been a vital component of successful leadership. In fact, when initially describing someone as a great business leader, the knee-jerk reaction is often to cite something about his or her strategic ability or vision. We often hear stories of exalted CEOs and their strategic prowess. The downfall of many a failed CEO has also been attributed to his or her lack of vision. And in many cases, with 20-20 hindsight, it is easy to understand and sympathize with a leader s vision. In the heat of the moment, however, it is not so easy. Neuharth s vision of a national newspaper seems very plausible today, but that was far from the reality of 1982. Through our research In Their Time, it became increasingly apparent that vision can be both directly impacted by and conceived through the context of the times. Vision divorced from context can produce very erratic and unpredictable results. The irrationality of the 1920s and again in the Internet-crazed 1990s demonstrated vision that was not grounded in reality. Great business leaders need to walk the fine line between capitalizing on the opportunities that are ripe for the present context and planning for a possible future state. Though context is very important for laying the foundation for success, leaders are not mere pawns. Leaders like Neuharth can and do shape the JOLT Leadership Program Page 1
parameters for success through a vision for a future. And, just as important, they possess the ability to oversee that vision s implementation. צדקה HIGHEST LEVEL OF Rambam Hilchos Matonas Aniyim Halacha 7 There are eight levels in charity, each level surpassing the other. The highest level beyond which there is none is a person who supports a Jew who has fallen into poverty [by] giving him a present or a loan, entering into partnership with him,10 or finding him work so that his hand will be fortified so that he will not have to ask others [for alms].11 Concerning this [Leviticus 25:35] states: "You shall support him, the stranger, the resident, and he shall live among you." Implied is that you should support him before he falls and becomes needy. Halacha 8 A lower [level] than this is one who gives charity to the poor without knowing to whom he gave and without the poor person knowing from whom he received. For this is an observance of the mitzvah for its sake alone.12 This [type of giving was] exemplified by the secret chamber that existed in the Temple. The righteous would make donations there in secret and poor people of distinguished lineage would derive their livelihood from it in secret. A level close to this is giving to a charity fund. רמב"ם הלכות מתנות עניים פרק י הלכה ז )כה( שמנה מעלות יש בצדקה זו למעלה מזו, מעלה גדולה )כו( שאין למעלה ממנה זה המחזיק ביד ישראל )כז( שמך )כח( ונותן לו מתנה )כט( או הלואה )ל( או עושה עמו שותפות )לא( או ממציא לו מלאכה כדי לחזק את ידו עד שלא יצטרך לבריות לשאול, ועל )לב( זה נאמר והחזקת בו גר ותושב וחי עמך כלומר החזק בו עד שלא יפול )לג( ויצטרך. הלכה ח )לד( פחות מזה הנותן צדקה לעניים ולא ידע למי נתן ולא ידע העני ממי לקח, שהרי זו מצוה לשמה, )לה( כגון לשכת חשאים שהיתה במקדש, שהיו הצדיקים נותנין בה בחשאי והעניים בני טובים מתפרנסין ממנה בחשאי, )לו( וקרוב לזה הנותן )לז( לתוך קופה של צדקה, ולא יתן אדם לתוך קופה של צדקה אלא אם כן יודע שהממונה נאמן )לח( וחכם )לט( ויודע להנהיג כשורה )מ( כר' חנניה בן תרדיון.. Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed WHAT DOES THIS TEACH YOU ABOUT VISION IN LEADERSHIP? JOLT Leadership Program Page 2
A GOOD TEACHER MAKES INDEPENDENT STUDENTS A STUNNING EXPERIMENT IN ETHIOPIA An article in the MIT Technology Review in October discussed a bold experiment conducted by the One Laptop Per Child Organization. Imagine the scene Children in a remote Ethiopian village wake up one morning and find a large set of boxes outside. They ve never seen a written word anywhere- no street signs, printed books, or even cardboard packaging. Now there are boxes with something completely foreign inside. Would they even open the boxes? The officials weren t sure. There were no written instructions with the delivery (not that they could have read it anyway). According to the article, it took one child 5 minutes to open the box, grab the tablet inside, find the on/off switch, and power it up. With no prior experience using technology, the English language, or any printed materials, within days these children were actively playing on average 47 apps a day. Two weeks later they were able to sing the ABC song. And five months later? Some children hacked the tablet to customize the look and feel of the computer. In this experiment, the children taught the OLPC officials that even without a teacher, as long as they had a tool, they could educate themselves. Traditional educators can learn from this- we must move out of the way and give students the opportunity to learn on their own. The benefits of self-learning are well documented. Just look at all the advantages an independent learner takes away from their own education. THAT VISION THING Letters to President Clinton My relationship with President Clinton dates to his first presidential campaign. In addition to my professional work at the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, I serve as a congregational rabbi in Englewood, New Jersey. In June, 1992 I was asked to introduce then- Governor Clinton as a presidential candidate at a local fund-raising function. In my presentation, I alluded to President George H.W. Bush s difficulty with the vision thing and quoted a verse from the Book of Proverbs: where there is no vision, the people perish. Governor Clinton enjoyed the remarks, and told me that he would refer to the verse in his speech accepting the nomination which he did. JOLT Leadership Program Page 3
WHY DO YOU THINK THIS QUOTE BECAME SUCH A FAMOUS BLUNDER? Lecha Dodi - Rebbe Nachman Likkutei Moharan #18: You should know Everything has a purpose. Additionally, each purpose you pursue has a higher purpose as well. For instance, the purpose of building a house is in order to have a comfortable place of living. Yet, having a comfortable place of living, as well, serves a higher purpose (namely, that it should give you the strength to pursue self-actualization). When trying to achieve a certain purpose or goal, the final purpose is always the first in thought. The initial vision is where all subsequent actions begin. When you decide to build a house, of course the house will not be completed all at once. Rather you need to gather supplies and make a structural plan and only afterwards will the building be able to be finished. However, the first though that motivates the project is always the final vision of having a completed house. The initial vision even more crucial than the first action. סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילה ד ע, כ י ל כל דבר י ש ת כ ל ית ו ל ת כ ל ית י ש עו ד ת כ ל ית אח ר גבה מ ע ל גבה ל מ של: ת כ ל ית ב נ י ן ה ב י ת כ ד י ש י ה א ל אדם מקו ם לנ וח ו ת כ ל ית ה מ נ וחה כ ד י ש י וכ ל ב כח ה ז ה ל ע בד א ת ה ש ם ו ת כ ל ית הע בו דה ו כ ו' ו ת כ ל ית ש ל כל דבר ה וא מ ח בר ל ה מ ח שבה ו ה ש כ ל יו ת ר מ ה דבר, ש ז ה ה ת כ ל ית ]מושג באמצעותו ו[ בא מ מ נ ו ו קרו ב ה ת כ ל ית ל ה מ ח שבה ב ק ר וב יו ת ר מ ה דבר כ י סו ף מ ע ש ה ב מ ח שבה ת ח לה נ מ צא ש ה סו ף ו ה ת כ ל ית ה וא ת ח לה ב מ ח שבה ו קרו ב לה ומ ה ת כ ל ית נ ש ת ל ש ל ה מ ע ש ה ל מ של: כ ש עו ל ה ב מ ח שבה ל ב נו ת לו ב י ת ב ו ד אי ה ב י ת א ינו נ ב נ ה ב ב ת אח ת א לא צר י ך ל הכ ין ע צ ים ול ס ת ת ו ל ב נו ת כל ע ץ וע ץ ל פ י צר כו ו אח ר כ ך נ ב נ ה ו נ ש לם ה ב י ת נ מ צא ש ל מ ות ה ב י ת ש ה יא ת כ ל ית ה ב נ ין ו סו פו היה ב מ ח שבה ת ח לה נ מ צא ש ה ת כ ל ית ה וא קרו ב ל מ ח שבה ב יו ת ר מ ה ת חל ת ה מ ע ש ה The Gemara is Sanhedrin 104b explains that the sin of the spies and the people wa0s that they put their mouths before their eyes. They spoke and acted without seeing and having vision. This is reflected in Megillas Eicha which is written alphabetical stanzas and the פ is written before the ע which is not the correct order. See the Mahral below to understand why speech before vision is so problematic. Maharal Netzach Yisrael And you should know that the eye is first, for first you see and then you do. And just as the eye is the beginning, so too the mouth completes, for it carries out the speech to action. And inasmuch as the eye precedes the mouth, it is drawn after the beginning, which is the eye. And the eye, which sees, clings to the intellect. And the intellectual cling to Hashem. And because of this we were not exiled from the land when we clung to Hashem. But they put the mouth before the eye, and the end does not follow from the beginning, which is the eye, and this end, which is the mouth, is not connected at the beginning נצח ישראל ודע כי העין היא תחילה, כי מתחילה הוא רואה ואחר כך עושה. וכמו שהעין הוא התחילה, כך הפה גומר, שהוא מוציא הדיבור לפעל. וכאשר מוקדים העין לפה, נמשך אחר התחילה שהוא העין. והעין שהוא הראיה, הוא דבק אל השכל... והשכלי יש לו דביקות בו יתברך. ומפני כך לא היו גולים מן הארץ כאשר היו דביקים בו יתברך. אבל הם הקדימו פה לעין, ולא היה הגמר נמשך אל התחילה שהוא העין, ולש היה לגמר הזה- שהוא הפה דביקות בתחילה השכלית. ובזה היו מסולקים מן השם יתברך, ודבר זה גורם הגלות, שהוא ההרחקה ממנו. JOLT Leadership Program Page 4
to the intellect. And with this they are removed from Hashem, and this causes exile, which is distancing from Hashem. WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT THAT SEEING COMES BEFORE SPEAKING? CONCLUDING THOUGHTS Without proper vision, ideas can be lost or not taking forward. Vision means thinking ahead and not just jumping to action. Letting people do things themselves and allowing them to be independent requires vision and patience. Without vision, action and speech can lead to terrible consequences. JOLT Leadership Program Page 5