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Jewish wisdom for every leader

(September 2, 2025 Newsletter)

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Since I seem to split my time between Jewish and non-Jewish clients, there is a certain amount of code switching I do. While I try to keep my “Jewy” side to a minimum with my tech and corporate clients, there are a few Jewish phrases or proverbs that everyone seems to value, regardless of one’s background.


Why it matters


When it comes to inspiration, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Our ancient traditions are full of wisdom that apply in modern leadership contexts, if only we can see it.


While at first I felt awkward referencing Jewish concepts with corporate or tech clients, there is in fact nothing religious about them, so they’re generally welcomed as another data point for their consideration.


Here are a few of my favorites

  • “This too shall pass” – in Hebrew: gam zeh ya’avor. The origins of the story aren’t so clear (maybe King Solomon?), but the phrase is commonly inscribed on rings. It reminds us that everything is fleeting: our worst moments will pass, as will our best.

  • “All in good time” – in Hebrew: b’shaa tova. While “mazal tov” is commonly used to congratulate people, our more superstitious side prefers not to be congratulated too early, lest the evil eye squash the goodness before it transpires. The phrase is most commonly used when hearing about a pregnancy, but in work contexts, getting word of an approved grant or investment or being offered a job (or having an offer accepted by a promising team member) always lead me to say “all in good time,” wishing my clients patience, humility, and the outcome they’re hoping for.

  • Keep a note in each pocket – Another ancient teaching suggests we keep a note in each of our pockets: one saying that the word was created just for you and the other reminding you that you are but dust and ashes. There are times when we’re down and need a pick-me-up and there are others when we need to be brought back down to earth. We need both to stay balanced.

  • Nerves/excitement – When helping my clients identify exactly what they’re feeling, we often come back to a simple fact that feeling nervous and feeling excited literally feel similar in our bodies. When I tell them that in Hebrew we only have one word for those experiences, hit-rag-shoot, it offers comfort that the experiences can be hard to tell apart.


I’d love to hear two things from you:

  1. Which of the above resonate and why?

  2. Regardless of your background, what phrases or concepts from another place or time help you stay anchored or grounded? I’d love to read them!


Final thought


While we’re on the subject of Hebrew phrases, if you have any Jewish colleagues, clients, or friends, don’t forget to wish them a “Shana tova” (Happy New Year) in the next few weeks. Rosh Hashanah, the holiday that marks the new year on the Jewish calendar, begins on September 22nd at sunset.

The Coaching Corner


Keep goals top of mind


It’s September. What a great time of year to check in on bigger picture goals your team members are supposed to be working toward. Maybe some of you are already doing that, but chances are that at least some of you… aren’t.

  1. Bring them to your next 1:1 – or better yet, give your team member a heads up that they’ll be on the agenda and ask them to prepare a brief update on their progress.

  2. Save them at the top of your shared doc for your running agenda so they’re always easily accessible.

  3. When team members bring you new ideas or initiatives, ask them to use their bigger picture goals as a guidepost before presenting them to you. Do they fit in? If not, they need to be able to make the argument why they’re more important the goals you established together earlier in the year.

  4. If you don’t have goals set for each team member, it’s never too late. No need to wait until the next cycle of performance reviews or strategic planning. Just do it.

Recommendations


While this might seem off topic, stick with me for a second… Adam Grant recently interviewed Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on the future of finding love and I highly recommend you listen. First of all, they spent the first part of the episode unpacking her decision to leave Bumble and her subsequent decision to return after a year. They dove into one of my favorite topics: teasing apart leadership identity from personal identity. And of course, as someone who found my husband on Bumble, I’m always interested in what she has to say about bringing more love into the world. We should all care about that.


The Best Leaders Normalize Emotions at Work” – 4 easy steps to practice and model emotional intelligence. Nice and concise.

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