WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH MICHAEL SIEGAL

Like many at JFNA, reading this Blog on a regular basis is like being flogged three times a week -- who wants your faults, your failures spelled out in italics for all to see? I wouldn't...but I might admit to peeking at it once in a while. If you ask one of these so-called "leaders" if they read this, they would tell you that they don't and try to get you to stop reading it as well -- better their lies than my truths any time.

Lou Feldstein has had a terrific career that included productive stints at JFNA and the Atlanta Jewish Federation. He now is a change consultant. Here is his most recent publication -- how wonderful it would be if those leading our Continental institution could read it and comprehend it.

Is there any option, but to change? by Lou Feldstein "During the merger of US Airways and American Airlines it was reported that several US Airway pilots didn’t allow American pilots to ride in jump seats. These actions should not have surprised anyone. Drastic changes such as mergers often bring out the very worst in genuinely good people. Change is not for the squeamish nor the faint-hearted. Change goes to the very core of personal identity. It is about disrupting the status-quo and unsettling that which has become the new norm. It is about making different that which has been common and creating a new, undefined future. Most importantly, while change is often about systems and structures, in the end, it is ultimately about people and and their reactions to the changes. As such, one should not have been surprised by what the US Airways’ pilots did. As the old idiom goes, "change would be easy, if not for the people." At the core of any change process is its impact on people's lives. Whether it is a change to a new accounting system, or a complete restructuring of an organization's operational divisions, success or failure is dependent on one key element - people. It is thus not surprising that over 70% of all major change efforts fail. Change is tough and not for the squeamish. That is why it is essential for leaders and managers to help those they work with understand not only the reason for the change - but perhaps most importantly, the critical reasons why there is no option but to change. John Kotter, one of the foremost experts on change teaches, "Urgency is not an issue for people who have been asked all their lives to merely maintain the current system". At the core of successful change is the critical work that needs to be done to help people, who have been trained and rewarded throughout their lives to keep the status quo, to now become change agents. This is not an easy task. From our earliest school days, we learned to conform, fit in the box, and maintain the status quo. Students and employees who ask "why" too often, or challenge the norm, are rarely rewarded for their efforts. These are the same people, who we then expect to change from the status quo because we said so. In order to help overcome a lifetime of training and modify behaviors is incumbent upon leaders to create a true sense of urgency - one that can break down the very walls their systems created. Whereas ineffective leaders utter pithy statements about the need for change, effective leaders recognize this critical dynamic and articulate, and in very real and honest terms help their people understand that there is no option but to change. Only then will people throughout the organization do what is necessary to help the change be successful. Just saying "we are changing" or "changes are coming" is not a message of urgency. All these messages do is create anxiety and resistance, not urgency. Just saying this is the new structure or system not does ensure buy-in. Creating a very real sense of urgency, is the fundamental key to successful change. Change is the new norm, but without understanding and embracing the harsh realities of the reason why the changes are necessary, most people will both consciously and unconsciously resist these efforts. What are you doing to help your colleagues understand the reasons for the changes you are proposing? Only then will they become part of your coalition of the willing rather than one of the legions of resisters." Some people are still giving serious thought to how our system might actually change. It would be so nice if someone would read this to Michael Siegal and explain to Michael how critical real change management, real change leadership and real change could be to JFNA and the federations. And also explain that the role of Board Chair is to lead substantive change where change is needed. Suggest he needs to actually do something. Maybe Michael could be motivated to lead all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding. It won't happen, of course, but one can dream. Rwexler