Leadership

"The buck stops here."  --  Pres. Harry S. Truman

With those four words, Pres. Truman defined the essence of leadership.  A leader is the one who takes final responsibility for the actions of all of those who are within the boundaries of his/her leadership.  The weakness of a leader is measured by their need to blame others, their need to find scapegoats.

Prior to D-Day, General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote two letters.  One was to be released if the invasion was successful; the other if the invasion failed.  In the second letter, he took full responsibility for the failure.

Moses was such a leader.  He took responsibility for those who followed him.  He defended those who were loyal to him against the wrath of God.  His leadership is exemplified in the events of the "golden calf".  He was not even present at the time.  Nevertheless, he took full responsibility.  When God threatened to destroy the people, Moses argued for redemption and replied, "Yet now, if you will forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I beg you, from your book which you have written."  Moses chose his own obliteration, rather than that of the people.

Another characteristic of a great leader is his/her ability to bring ordinary people together to achieve extraordinary results.  In a single generation, Moses transformed a group of former slaves into a mighty nation.  The most remarkable event occurred at the shores of the Jordan, before the invasion and creation of a nation.  The people realized they could achieve their goal without Moses.  They were empowered.  This is the greatest achievement of a great leader.

A leader cannot be expected to be right all of the time.  They will make mistakes.  However, they are responsible for the actions of all within their leadership.  If a leader chooses to blame others for their shortcomings, they are publically admitting that they are not a leader.  One of my favorite management cartoons shows a furious boss shouting at an employee.  The caption reads, "What have you done to me?  You did exactly what I told you to do."

True leadership depends on mutual trust and loyalty.  When subordinates are exposed to their leader's blame and denial of responsibility, the consequences can be disastrous.  If those who work under his/her leadership know that they are liable to become scapegoats, they will devote their time to protecting themselves.  The result is loss of credibility, distrust, chaos and failure.

Leadership is not just in the domain of the "high and the mighty".  All of us are called upon to be leaders at sometime in our lives, as parents, members of our community or on our jobs.  The same rules apply. 

At the level of family, consider the story of Cain and Abel.  Cain blamed Abel, his younger brother, for his own shortcoming of not bringing the best of his crop to God.  The result was the murder of his own brother, and his separation from God.

The path to empowerment begins when we take leadership for ourselves, when we stop blaming others for our mistakes and shortcomings.  When we strive to confront our mistakes and shortcomings and take responsibility for them, then we will be becoming our own leader. 

Every person has the capacity to be a leader of themselves. We can find inspiration from those among us who have sustained serious injury in our wars.  Those who accept the responsibility for their decisions and struggle to go on with their lives with honor, courage and dignity.

In conclusion, let's turn to William Ernest Henley's inspiring poem, "Invictus".

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

 

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Ambition

"If I am not for myself, who is for me, but if I am only for my own self, what am I, and if not now, when?"  --  Hillel

 

On May 5, President Barak Obama made the following statement at commencement ceremonies at Ohio State University:

"We, the people, chose to do these things together — because we know this country cannot accomplish great things if we pursue nothing greater than our own individual ambition."

It was a shocking statement.  For one who is known for his ability with words he clearly confused the words individual ambition with greed.  Worse than that, he equated ambition with greed.

As we have already noted everything that is good must balance two extremes of evil.  Individual ambition reflects the good of Cosmic Truth.  The extremes, which turn that good into evil, are greed and self-sacrifice.

It was individual ambition that lifted this country from a group of weak colonies to the peaks of national wealth and power.  The railroad, the assembly line, the telegraph, the telephone, the airplane, the computer and all of their benefits to our society are the products of ambition.  Those without ambition could not have performed these modern miracles.  It was when this nation perverted ambition into the extreme of greed, that we started its descent.

Adam Smith, moral philosopher and the father of modern economics wrote:

"The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations."

and

"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest."

These simple truths tell us that the only just nation is one that makes it possible for each of its citizens to pursue their unencumbered, just ambitions.  This is freedom.

President Obama loves sports.  Sadly, he apparently fails to see that athletics provides an allegorical model for the virtue of individual ambition.  Each member of a football team is driven by the ambition to acquire a Super Bowl ring and all the benefits that come with it.  Every player struggles to be the very best he can be.  He knows that, although he has the talent to achieve his goal, he cannot do it alone. He must contribute one hundred percent of his talents to the team.  In turn, every other player must contribute one hundred percent of their talents.  

He also knows that the players provide different value to the team.  The quarterback is critical to moving the ball to a touchdown.  They also know that each of the others bring varying benefits to the team.  Together they achieve the win.  They accept the fact that their particular benefits will be proportional to the value that each brings to the team.  Each member seeks to achieve his benefits.  He knows those benefits can only be won by the unstinting effort and cooperation of every member of the team.  The drive to compete inspires cooperation.

We can extend this model to the owners, the coaches and the water boy.  All of them are ambitious for the Super Bowl victory.  Each contributes their best to the effort.  In addition, each should benefit in proportion to their contribution.  Anyone of them has the opportunity to increase their benefits by increasing their value.  This is the path to self-esteem and empowerment.

Some might argue that there are those who are too disabled to achieve.  I respectfully disagree.  I know severely disabled people who have brought enormous benefit to those around them.   Despite their status, they have achieved that which nobody can give them: self-esteem.  They know that they have value.

Ambition is the balance between greed and self-sacrifice.  That which sustains balance is, by its nature, good.  It follows that the society that nurtures individual ambition in all of its members is a just society.

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Empowerment III

"I am what I will be"  --  Ex. 3:14

 In Part I, we set out to show the path to individual empowerment.  This led to the first paradox.  Only you can empower yourself.  However, we come into the world with no ability to empower ourselves.  Although the potential is there, it requires an external agent to release it.

This led to the second paradox.  Clearly, the family and society were the required agents.  But, existing societies have very divergent opinions on the issue of individual empowerment.  Furthermore, most seek to limit the empowerment of its members in order to enhance the power of a few.

Does this mean that, for most people, the goal of empowerment is an unachievable fantasy?  Not necessarily.  You could take the view that you are trapped by genetics, family and culture.  Then you must remain who you are.

On the other hand, you could recognize that you can become who you will be.  Who you are at this moment is a step on a longer journey to who you may become. The only issue is do you want to pay the price of becoming? 

If your answer is no, then you have chosen to let others define you.  If your answer is yes, then you must embark on the arduous journey from the enslavement of self to liberation of self.  On the way, you will discover that you have everything available that you need to make the journey:

1. Axiomaticly recognize that there is one, unified Cosmic Truth (Truth).  This Truth is different from the numerous "small truths" that contribute to Truth.  In addition, Truth is not necessarily found in the opinions and assertions of a community.  Creation itself is the model for what is True.  That Truth is the same for both science and metaphysics.  Theologically, this leads to the statement "God is Truth".

2. To seek Truth, you must become an impartial observer.  As we have already said, being an observer is a requirement of the universe (Anthropic Principle).  This is probably the most difficult challenge to achieving empowerment.  We must separate ourselves from our perception of ourselves, and from the influences of family and culture that "programmed" that perception.  As an observer, we can become aware of our own strengths and weaknesses.  Furthermore, we will be able to determine the actual strengths and weaknesses of our community. 

Being observers allows us to put aside self-induced illusions, and draw closer to reality.  We must learn that the world demonstrates its reality in the here and now; there are no "shoulds or oughts".  The world as it is at this moment is the only world we have to work with.

As humans, we already have the tools needed to achieve that separation.  They include doubt, questioning and taking nothing for granted.  Have you noticed how quickly a child learns to question?  From a metaphysical perspective, you might say that doubt and questioning are "God given gifts".

3. To validate our observations we must test them.  The stories of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph in Genesis are examples of this.  Each was severely tested by the circumstances of his life.  In the tests, each was required to confront his strengths and weaknesses.  Each was required to demonstrate his strengths.  They grew and increased their power as a result.  Yoga and Zen Buddhism follow the same process.  The testing is the training.  Life itself is a test.  The level of empowerment that we achieve depends on our response to the test.  Empowerment must be earned.

4. If there are tests, there must be demonstrable measures of achievement.  Who, or what, defines those measures?  We or society could define them.  But, history has demonstrated that our measures are variable.  They can lead to good or evil.  Our standards for achievement and empowerment reduce to nothing more than opinions.  According to these standards, empowerment can mean suppression and exploitation of the weak.  It can also mean the exploitation of the strong by the strong, or of the strong by the weak.  In this case, empowerment is not permitted to all who seek it.

The standards that we seek evolve from our search for Cosmic Truth, the Truth given to us by Creation itself.  The actionable principles of this Truth are balance and connection.  This is the basis of moral empowerment.

Now the assertion of the Pirke Avot becomes clear.  "He who subdues his [evil] inclination" is morally empowered.  He has struggled to discover himself, develop self-control and apply himself to sustaining balance and connection.  People like him can enter society and lead others to empower themselves.  Moses and the Sinai experience is an example.  Through this process, the combined strength of the society balances individual weakness.

5. This process is cyclic.  Empowered individuals empower societies.  These, in turn, increase the capacity to acquire greater knowledge of Cosmic Truth.  Then individuals can apply this knowledge to the next cycle of growth and achievement.

6. Of course, the concept of an empowered society is an idealization that may never be achieved.  However, the same process can empower an individual or a group of individuals who have the courage to confront Cosmic Truth.

 

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Empowerment II

"I am what I will be"  --  Ex. 3:14

Brain studies show that, at birth, a human is a powerhouse of potential.  However, at that stage, humans have no self- control and little, or no, self-identity.  Something must release and direct that potential in order to produce a person who interacts in the world.  That something is the world itself.

Initially the parents are the most influential in directing the child's potential.  Then, over time, the immediate family and the culture in which the child is embedded becomes increasingly influential.  By the time the child reaches maturity and the ability to make independent choices, those choices nave been significantly limited by the influence of family and culture.

In some respects, computers mimic human development.  It might be that we have developed computers in our image.  An infant is born with a "basic input-output system" (BIOS).  It has been developed from the genetic information provided by the parents.  The child has no choice or control concerning this information.  However, it establishes the physical and many behavioral attributes of the person.  This regulates how an individual will connect to the outside world.  However, it does not determine what a person will do with that connection.  For example, tendency toward aggression is included in the genetic code.  But, it does not determine how that tendency will be manifested.  That could be for good or evil.

After birth, the person develops an "operating system".  This is "programmed" by parents, family and community.  It determines much of the individual's identity and how he/she will respond to society.  All together, family and society determine the initial identity of the person.

As people mature, they acquire their unique identity through their experiences in the world.  This is the equivalent to developing "programs" to deal with incoming data/information and committing it to memory.  However, as we have seen, much of the processing capability has been determined by the previous stages of development.

At this point, the allegorical relation between human and computer ends.  All living creatures, to varying degrees, have the ability to experience and adapt to the world.  Only the human has the capacity to observe and adapt the world to his/her requirements.  This is what makes humans the most magnificent and dangerous creature on Earth.

From this perspective, we can see why previous generations are so very important in the development of future generations.  It is the current generation that provides the means for the emerging generation to become "human".

This is the intent of the Biblical statements, "Honor your father and your mother" (Ex. 20:12) and "visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, to the third and to the fourth generation" (Ex. 34:7).  However, these are conditional statements.  For our current purpose, let us take "fathers and mothers" as representing the current generation of a society.  Then the condition is the presumption that the society has achieved the self-control needed to subdue their [evil] inclination.

At birth, every human being has the potential to achieve self-control and empowerment.  They only need the support and guidance required to achieve it.  It would seem that the highest function of a society is to provide that support and guidance to all of its members.  Unfortunately, that is not true in the "real" world.

To the contrary, our world is more like the world described after the Biblical story of the "Tower of Babel" (Gen. 11:1-9).  It is divided into many societies with different "operating systems" and "programs".  In most cases, their purpose is not to encourage and guide all of its members to self-control and empowerment.  Rather, their purpose is to give power to a few, leaving most dependent and powerless.  Further, that power has little or nothing to do with the self-control of the Pirke Avot.  This is true whether the society calls itself democracy or dictatorship, capitalist or socialist, or any of the other words that societies have used to describe themselves.  There have been only a few times in history that a society has tried to to achieve the self-empowerment of the Pirke Avot.

If each generation is born with the capacity to achieve self- control and to form a society that can pass that capability on to the next, what has gone wrong?  What are we missing?

-- To be continued --

 

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Empowerment I

"I am what I will be"  --  Ex. 3:14

The Pirke Avot ("Sayings of the Fathers"), asserts, "Who is he that is mighty?  He who subdues his [evil] inclination."  The sages have taught that anything taken to excess and, thereby, deviates from the balance of creation is evil.  Then, an empowered person is one who has self-control that is directed to maintaining balance.  The same view is echoed in Kabbalah, Yoga, Zen Buddhism and other metaphysical systems.

We will now apply the concepts that we have derived from the Kabbalistic model of the Sefirot to the process of empowerment.  These are the principles of balance and connection that lead to: 1) the morality of "respect your neighbor as yourself", 2) the justice of "measure for measure" and 3) the acquisition of the knowledge of God's governance found in "you shall be holy; because I the Lord your God am holy".

The statement from the Pirke Avot implies three major steps to empowerment.  The first is that no one can empower you.  Only you can empower yourself.  The second asserts that empowerment comes from the acquisition of self-control (or self-discipline).  Finally, empowerment must be directed toward a purpose beyond oneself in order to be realized.

 The first step is to recognize that no one can empower you.  Others can delegate power to you.  However, the power still rests with the delegator.  You are still dependent on the delegators for your power.  They can withdraw that power at their will.  Teachers can show you the way to power.  However, they cannot make the journey for you.

You can make the choice to use delegation of power and teaching on your path to power.  A teacher can provide you with guidance.  You must apply that guidance to achieve your own empowerment.  Delegated power can provide an apprenticeship to power.  Through it, you can learn to enhance your own power by learning to develop it in the midst of the world in which you live.  This, too, depends on your choice.

In a recent article, Jack Welsh, former CEO of GE, provided an example of the characteristics a person can develop during this "apprenticeship".  "Everyone knows that to succeed in today’s competitive global marketplace, you also have to be smart, curious, and highly collaborative. You have to be able to work with diverse teams and ignite them as a manager to excel together. You need heaps of positive energy, the guts to make tough yes-or-no decisions, and the endurance to execute—get the job done. And, indeed, you do have to possess self-confidence and humility at the same time. That combination is called maturity."  

An empowered person is motivated by the drive to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.   Achievement requires self-control.  A great athlete is focused on beating his/her last performance.  This is true for any achiever.  In a world of competition, you achieve when you are your primary competitor.

Clearly, achievement requires self-confidence.  You must believe in yourself in order to achieve.  As the boxer Sugar Ray Leonard said, "A champion is someone who knows he's a champion before anyone else does".  Self- confidence grows from self-awareness.  When you can recognize your strengths, and talents, then you have the foundation for self-confidence.

However, it also requires the humility of seeing and dealing with your limitations.  There are two types of limits, those we can overcome and those we cannot.  The former are related to our talents and strengths.  Overcoming these provides the motivation for further achievement.  The latter are natural limitations.  For example, some people have musical talent, others do not.  To try to overcome lack of talent is futile.  Children of very talented people do not, necessarily, possess the talents of their parents.  There is something intrinsically mysterious about talent.  This underscores the importance of recognizing your strengths.

Humility is also needed in competition with others.  If your own biases block you from seeing others as they really are, you will be at a disadvantage.

Thus, empowerment requires the balance of self-confidence and humility.  However, something is lacking in this discussion.  As any parent knows, an infant is born with no self-control.  It is dependent on others to fulfill its needs.  What is the source of the self-control that will lead to its empowerment?

-- To be continued. –

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Choice

"I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life"  --  Deut. 30:19

Most people live a life of paradox.  They want the stability of certainty, and, at the same time, they demand freedom of choice.  Logically, this appears to be impossible.  Freedom of choice requires uncertainty.  Whenever we make a choice, there is an element of uncertainty with regard to the outcome.

This is illustrated in chapter three of Genesis.  Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  They expected to become god-like.  After making the choice, they discovered that there were unexpected consequences. 

A contemporary example is a football game.  The coach makes a choice based on his knowledge of the capability of the players on both sides.  He calls the play.  The other team intercepts the ball and carries it to a touchdown.  This is representative of the "game" of life.  Every time we make a choice, there are unforeseeable outcomes.  However, would you pay $50 to attend a game where the outcome of every play is known beforehand?

Nevertheless, we crave for stability.  Stability is comfortable because there are no surprises.  Unfortunately, this is true only if everything around us stays the same.  An earthquake or a rebellion will quickly end our stability.

In contemporary life, bureaucracies are an example of the striving for stability.  As a government or business grows, bureaucracies become increasingly rigid.  They resist change in order to reduce choice.  This is a self-protective device that the bureaucrat believes will reduce error and enhances his/her position.  However, experience has demonstrated that the consequences are a growing inability to respond to change.  This leads to increasing error.  Furthermore, it results in growing disconnection among the various subdivisions.  The outcome is reduction of the effectiveness and ultimate collapse of the organization. 

Once again, the resolution is found in the principle of balance.  In this case, we are looking for the balance between certainty and uncertainty, or stability and adaptability.  If the outcome of every choice is certain, then there is no need to acquire new knowledge.  On the other hand, if the outcome of every choice is totally uncertain, then there is no ability to acquire new knowledge.  Everything is chaotic.  At both extremes, there is no need for an observer.  In either case, our postulate that our purpose is the acquisition of knowledge of God is invalid.  Creation requires a balance of certainty and uncertainty.

This conclusion is supported by modern Physics.  The Uncertainty Principle of Quantum Theory asserts that, in the domain of atomic dimensions, the results of an experiment are uncertain until the outcome is measured.  The acquisition of knowledge of a quantum system depends on a balance of certainty and uncertainty.  Everything in the universe, including ourselves, is composed of particles of atomic dimensions.

However, in this uncertain creation, there is also need for certainty.  That certainty provides the "platform" for advancing knowledge.  The application of new knowledge requires reproducibility.  This application gives us the technology needed to extend our ability to acquire new knowledge.

Uncertainty and certainty are built into God's Creation.  Without it, we could not fulfill our purpose as observers.  If we do not recognize the necessity of this balance, we also lose control of our lives.

If you cling to stability, the changing circumstance of Creation will ultimately overwhelm you.  On the other hand, if you recognize and accept the instability of stability, you can reduce, not eliminate, the risk.  This is the reason we have insurance.  By creating an "insurance community", we reduce the potential loss to any member of the community.

In order to control our lives in the midst of cosmic uncertainty, we need the three elements of Kabbalah and Torah.  These are: 1) the morality of "respect your neighbor as yourself", 2) the justice of "measure for measure" and the knowledge of "you shall be holy; because I the Lord your God am holy".  These are not the fanciful wishes of an unrealistic world.  They are the solid rocks that insure our survival in the cosmic reality of uncertainty.

 

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Knowledge

"You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy." 

--  Lev. 19:2

Thus far, we have encountered two of three levels of Kabbalistic growth.  The first was the balance of self-respect and respect for others.  This is embodied in the principle, "you shall respect your neighbor as you respect yourself".  This led to the discovery that we are all connected.  Recognition of this connectedness leads to the responsible individual.  The only way that a person becomes self-empowered is to accept responsibility for his/her actions.

That recognition of connection took us to the next level.  That is, we can only achieve our freedom and empowerment within a just society.  A just society requires the balance of strict judgment and compassion.  The principle that creates a just society is "measure for measure".  This produces a community that is focused on the well-being and security of every member.

These two steps are necessary but not sufficient.  They provide the process, but they do not provide the purpose.  The validity of any process is determined by the outcomes it produces.

This can be illustrated with a parable of a baseball game.  It is the ninth inning.  The winning home run has just turned third base.  The third baseman catches the ball, chases the runner and brings him down with a superb flying tackle.  The crowd boos.  The winning run goes to the opposition.  The third baseman is fined and is fired from the team.  The lesson is that you have to know what game you are playing.  If it were football, he would have been a hero.

In the "game" of life, you have to know what game you are playing.  Who wrote the rules?  What are the expected outcomes?  In both a metaphysical and a scientific context, these are determined by something beyond us.  You may call that something God or nature.  The essential issue is it is beyond us.  We must observe the "game" in order to know what game we are playing.

The third metaphysical level is knowledge.  This brings us back to the observer of the Anthropic Principle of science, and to Maimonides metaphysical principle that the perfection of humanity is the acquisition of knowledge of God.  Many metaphysicians claim that complete knowledge of God is beyond human comprehension.  However, Maimonides and others assert that knowledge of God can be acquired by the study of God's creation.  This is the nexus of science and theology.

Knowledge is achieved through the balance of reason and revelation.  In science, new knowledge begins with the "flash" of revelation that comes from the discovery of unexpected phenomena in creation.  Then reason is applied to order and describe the data.  Finally, the description is tested to confirm that it correctly corresponds to the observed phenomena.  This process is duplicated in metaphysics.  In this case, it provides the connection between humanity, and God and God's creation.  This is embodied in "You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy."  This is the purpose of the responsible individual and the just society.

What does it mean to be holy?  The Hebrew root means to be separated.  In Genesis, God created by a series of separations.  The final separation was that between God and humans.  This separation was necessary so that humans could become observers and acquire knowledge of God.  However, the separation can never be complete.  If the observer and observed were totally separated, there would be no connection between the two.  The acquisition of knowledge would be impossible.

This process of self, society and knowledge of God is cyclic.  Responsible people create a just society.  A just society provides the proper environment to acquire knowledge of God's creation.  That knowledge supports a just society, which, in turn, contributes to the growth of responsible people.  It is analogous to "Jacob's Ladder" (Gen. 28:12), with angels (messengers) ascending and descending. Except, this time we are the messengers.

These concepts of balance, connection, self, society and knowledge of God's creation are all contained within the Kabbalistic model of the Sefirot.  The metaphysical study of the Sefirot requires the same effort as the scientific study of Cosmology.  However, it is not necessary to know all of the details in order to appreciate the results of either.  The five basic concepts cited here will give us the basic tools for appreciating that application of Kabbalah's influence on our daily reality.

 

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