Overview

Jewish organizational life is inundated with publications on organizational change and effective leadership, but from mutually exclusive sources: business and organizational studies, on the one hand; and Jewish studies, on the other. One addresses leadership but not the religious soul. The other speaks from its Jewish soul but is only secondarily engaged in the study of leadership. More Than Managing thoughtfully combines both to be immediately applicable to Jewish organizational life. Inspired by thirty years of pioneering work by retail giant Leslie Wexner’s philanthropic focus on Jewish leadership, More Than Managing brings together diverse and remarkable thinkers to address challenges facing communal life and the skills and strategies demanded by them. Contributors include professors at Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership and The Harvard Business School who have worked over the past three decades with Israel’s rising leadership in the public sector. These internationally known voices are matched by alumni and faculty of The Wexner Foundation’s professional and volunteer programs, who lead and advise Jewish communities throughout North America and Israel. The book features diverse strategies for twenty-first-century leadership, critical lessons for organizational and communal success, and the questions vital to our changing and challenging times. Questions include how leaders may overcome the mediocrity of bureaucratic organizations; how organizations can harness volunteer leadership for transformative change; and how professionals can sustain core values in the midst of daily routine. Its diverse array of writers with international reputations in their fields makes it the only book of its kind. Potential readers include leaders of any religious not-for-profits—not just Jewish. The almost 50 contributors, including Leslie Wexner, combine secular insights on leadership with innovative insights drawn from Judaism’s spiritual heritage.

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9781580238700

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Reviews

Do not be misled by the readability of this unique mosaic about the eternal truths of leadership. This is what happens when Abraham, Judah, Moses, Yohanan Ben Zakai, down to Ben-Gurion are called into an encounter with the Harvard cutting-edge concepts of leadership in our times. They just cross-fertilize each other, and catalyze our own personal learning. Pure joy . . . and useful! <b>Sami Friedrich</b>, Managing Director, Shaldor Ltd</p> Provocative, thoughtful, filled with wisdom and astute insights, this is a guide for current and future Jewish leaders, as we seek to navigate an ever-changing world and lead our community forward. <b>Eric S. Goldstein</b>, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York</p> Les and Abigail Wexner have spent decades investing in and setting the bar for Jewish leadership. It is therefore fitting that on the 30th anniversary of the Wexner Foundation, this volume would be issued as a tribute to leadership, both as a science and as a practice. Edited by Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, this book explores the concepts and practice of leadership both from a general perspective but also through the lenses of Jewish tradition, text, and memory, as well as from the individual perspectives of communal practitioners. True to the Wexner spirit, this compendium juxtaposes leading scholars and practitioners with rising next generation leaders. The breadth of contributors, is truly breathtaking, bringing together voices from academia, the pulpit, philanthropy, and local communities. More Than Managing is an invaluable gift to those visioning and implementing the Jewish future and will no doubt be read, reread, referenced and expounded on for many years to come. <b>Dana Raucher</b>, Executive Director, The Samuel Bronfman Foundation</p> This remarkable collection of essays on leadership is an excellent read for people of all faiths. The diversity of voices from esteemed scholars and practitioners reflects Leslie Wexner s amazing curiosity and passion to learn from other great leaders. <b>Zeynep Ton</b>, Adjunct Associate Professor at MIT Sloan School of Management and Author, <i>The Good Jobs Strategy: How the Smartest Companies Invest in Employees to Lower Costs & Boost Profits</i></p> This collection of short essays by many of the leading observers of the art and science of leadership is wise, erudite, original and honest. Every practitioner and student of leadership is sure to find much here that will change their thinking or enhance their practice for the better. <b>Chris Zook</b>, Author, <i>Profit from the Core and The Founder s Mentality</i></p>

Author Information

Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD, has served for more than three decades as professor of liturgy at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. He is a world-renowned liturgist and holder of the Stephen and Barbara Friedman Chair in Liturgy, Worship and Ritual. His work combines research in Jewish ritual, worship and spirituality with a passion for the spiritual renewal of contemporary Judaism. His many books, written and edited, include seven volumes in the Prayers of Awe series: Who by Fire, Who by Water—Un'taneh Tokef; All These Vows—Kol Nidre; We Have Sinned: Sin and Confession in Judaism—Ashamnu and Al Chet; May God Remember: Memory and Memorializing in Judaism—Yizkor; All the World: Universalism, Particularism and the High Holy Days; Naming God: Avinu Malkeinu—Our Father, Our King; and Encountering God: El Rachum V'chanun—God Merciful and Gracious. Hoffman also edited the ten-volume series My People’s Prayer Book: Traditional Prayers, Modern Commentaries, winner of the National Jewish Book Award; and coedited My People’s Passover Haggadah: Traditional Texts, Modern Commentaries, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award (all Jewish Lights). Rabbi Hoffman cofounded and developed Synagogue 2/3000, a transdenominational project to envision and implement the ideal synagogue of the spirit for the twenty-first century. In that capacity, he wrote Rethinking Synagogues: A New Vocabulary for Congregational Life (Jewish Lights).

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