What’s an example of a classical Jewish text paired with contemporary best practices?
A. A prominent business writer named Jim Collins wrote a book called “Good to Great,” in which he explores some of the differences between companies that are good and companies that he calls ‘great.’ One of the leading factors that he identifies is called Level 5 Leadership–Great companies have Level 5 Leaders. Level 5 Leadership is a curious combination of two things that the Torah itself talks about repeatedly, which is a combination of tenacity and humility. Level 5 Leadership is nothing more than the leadership ideal envisioned as far back as the Torah and teased out in subsequent Jewish sources. The classical Jewish leader is Moses, who is renowned for not being the most powerful, not being the most visionary, not being the most decisive, but is renowned for being the most humble of all leaders. Q. Why do you say leadership in Judaism is about behavior, not just about holding a title or a position, and what are the ‘behaviors of effective leaders’ as you refer to it in the book? A
