Wednesday, November 4, 2015

WHEN IS IT TIME TO STEP DOWN?

After years of a Presidency of Yeshiva University over which every step forward (and there were many) seemed to be overtaken with steps in reverse -- sex scandal charges, fiscal crises -- Richard Joel, f/k/a the hero of the Hillel movement, announced that he will step down. This raises the question, what will it take for CEO Jerry Silverman to do the same? 

Here is a thought:
"It’s no secret that the United Jewish Communities (UJC), the umbrella organization of the North American Jewish federation system, has been viewed as a sinking ship for some time now, plagued by a shrinking budget, low morale after large-scale staff reductions and a persistent concern among many professionals and lay leaders in the community that a decade after its creation, the organization still lacks a clearly defined mission.So Jerry Silverman, named this week to succeed Howard Rieger as top executive of UJC on Sept. 30, was prepared for friends asking him why he would want to become captain of The Titanic. His response was that he believes the community deserves and is capable of supporting a strong national entity, adding that he was “humbled” by and “passionate” about the opportunity to lead." (The Jewish Week, September 2009)
Since that date way back when, at a time of hope, however slim, for the future, Silverman has taken the "sinking ship" of 2009 and made of it well...sunk. In fact, it is clear that Jerry's appointment as CEO/President accelerated JFNA'S ineluctable slide into irrelevance. As the JFNA (f/k/a "UJC") Board Chair apparently will not take the one step necessary to end Jerry's/JFNA's misery and negotiate Jerry's severance (if, in fact, Silverman's contract, which remains hidden in the black hole that Silverman himself has helped to create, has a severance provision), then Jerry needs to acknowledge publicly, that which he must do privately (surely he must), that he needs to step aside. That which he should have done years ago.

What went wrong? There are probably as many explanations as there are examples at 25 Broadway. I am convinced by the evidence offered by social psychologist and Stanford Business School Professor Deborah Gruenfield:
"Individuals in positions of power can be seen to exhibit behavior that is idiosyncratic, and at times even contrary to reason. Dr. Gruenfeld explains how the lack of consequences for their actions can allow powerful people to make serious errors in judgment that have far-reaching impacts on themselves and on their organizations. Her research explains the psychological effects of power: single-mindedness in decision making, an orientation to action, disinhibition, and depersonalization of others."
We can see all of the characteristics of bad leadership behavior in the hiring of Jerry Silverman and in his perpetuation in an office to which he has proved to be so ill-suited, and in JFNA's treatment of all others, lay and professional, who have (or will) push back against pre-cooked decisions and ill-informed judgment.

We all remember (and will soon hear again if not already in the political campaigns that we are watching, engaged in or trying to avoid), the mantra of every Presidential election: "Ask yourself, are you better off today than you were four years ago?" Then put that in the context of JFNA: "Is JFNA in a better position today than it was 5+ years ago, when Jerry Silverman was hired?" And the answer to that question, by even Silverman's most fervid supporters (if there are any of those) must be, can only be, a resounding NO!!! Our federation system and its umbrella, JFNA, have never been at a lower point. If, as The Jewish Week observed in its 2009 editorial, that "the organization still lacks a clearly defined mission," what would it write today? As Silverman endorsed a JFNA that would be "a strong national entity," name a single action he initiated or brought to his Board that would have or did make it so? If JFNA was "The Titanic" five years ago, what has Admiral Jerry done other than to move the deck chairs? What was a great senior professional staff when JFNA was born by merger, is today and over the past 5+ years a home for less than a handful of the best today and a larger number of "consultants" whose contracts and purposes appear to be known only to Silverman and the consultant himself/herself -- among them Karen Barth, Deborah K. Smith, Paul Kane and Max Kleinman. The organization's costs are hidden behind an opaque, impenetrable wall of non-disclosure.

A viable non-profit system requires all those things that Jerry Silverman's JFNA has, perhaps, thought about but done nothing about -- transparency, purpose, vision, among others. What we have seen over the last five years has been egregious, impermissible waste, no progress and an utter lack of accountability.

When does this stop? When would it be the time to step down? How about today? How about at this 2015 GA? Let's get JFNA moving again...

AN ADDENDUM...Today the Owner of the Detroit Lions, a woeful example of a football team at 1-7 (the "1" a win over the Chicago Bears BTW), stated: "We can't take it any more" and terminated the team CEO. Got it? "We can't take it any more" and terminated the team CEO. I'm just sayin'

Rwexler

18 comments:

  1. Unfortunately, Jerry's ego will never allow him to see how profound it would be for him to step down. Power-sellers are not capable of admitting that they have failed.....their careers provide them with the evidence that they can 'sell anything', and Jerry has certainly done an amazing job of 'selling' first the Search Committee, and for the last 5+ years, the JFNA Board, not to mention the JFNA Chair(s).
    It remains to be seen if Richard Sandler will have the patience to allow Jerry to continue, once he (Richard) becomes aware of everything hidden in the JFNA Closet....that Jerry has placed there over the years; all indications are that Richard will ask the right questions and the answers will provide the basis for Jerry's dismissal.
    Jerry can't imagine that outcome, and so he can't see the benefits (non-financial...he's already got that covered) from him taking the high-road pro-actively.
    Only time will tell........

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  2. It's that time during the National Football League season when failed or failing Head Coaches are fired even if they had success in prior years. But at JFNA we perpetuate in office a CEO whose history of failure began within weeks of his hiring and continued through an extension right to today. The question is why? I attribute this bizarre result to nothing more than laziness on the part of Michael Siegal.

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  3. Michael should get the blame only for renewing the contract and perpetuating the situation. There is plenty of blame to go around to Michael's predecessors and to members of the board, the LCE, and probably others as well.

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  4. Max Kleinman was a great leader at metrowest and continues to do great things at JFNA

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  5. Max Kleinman has been a dedicated Jewish Communal Worker his entire professional career. Until now he has deserved nothing but our respect. He was hired to raise money for a failed GPT. His jobs and responsibilities at JFNA now change with the wind. Just like everything else at JFNA. Who knows if he will ever get the chance to bring value in this constantly role. He was hired to show how committed we were to the GPT and political good will of LCEs.

    But parnasa is parnasa. He was hired by a boss who pays him. He needs to do what the boss asks. I will not judge him by further criteria at this point. I can only judge JFNA's never ending waste of money.

    Anybody remember Paul Kane? Can anybody tell me what his job was at JFNA? And what he accomplished there? Again, serving something other than JFNA's actual needs.

    Mark Gurvis? Does anyone know what his job is?

    When he was hired the JFNA press release read:

    "In this newly created position, Gurvis will work closely with President and CEO Jerry Silverman to manage the organization and strengthen JFNA’s services to Federations. "

    Immediately upon his hiring, his first task was to be the JFNA representative to the Government of Israel Initiative. Not Becky Caspi, not Daniel Allen. But Mark Gurvis.

    And here we go again. A political sap to critical lay leadership. Jerry who refused to build a team, now needs time to build a team.

    These are the clear signs of incompetent management. And lay leadership who will not express a backbone.

    JFNA all lies - all the time.

    Excuse me. I am sorry. I mean Jerry Silverman.

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  6. Wow. Pick and choose who you evaluate critically based on what exactly. If a pro is not successful, its someone elses fault.
    I'm constantly shocked how so many base their opinions on so little.

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  7. My first instinct was to Reject this last Anonymous Comment but I did not. I wanted all of my readers to see the kind of incoherent ramblings that I will in the future Reject. If your Comment needs an interpreter, it will no longer appear here.

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  8. To Anon 7:14 PM, to your point, how would you evaluate Jerry Silverman's performance over the last 5+ years?
    Curious to see 'based on what exactly'?

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  9. To Anon 7:03: I am not A-7:14 but will take a crack at your question:

    1. Has he developed a staff and organizational culture " built to last"?
    2. Does his board feel engaged and believe they are making a difference?
    3. Has he gained the respect of his external partners and Federations?
    4. Is he the go to guy on critical issues and does he deliver in those cases?
    5. Would you want your son or your daughter working for this man?

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  10. Thanks for your response.....and the spot-on questions.
    Now the real issue is: Why hasn't the JFNA Leadership and Board asked questions like these every year? Is there no annual review process for the CEO of JFNA?
    Sort of makes me wonder why we are directing our frustration at Jerry and not at Kathy Manning, Michael Segal, Dede Feinberg, et. al.?

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  11. You must be a new reader inasmuch as Wexler has complained of these leaders lack of any interest in the CEO's lack of performance almost since his hiring.

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  12. Let me write this about Max Kleinman. He is a mensch and served his community -- MetroWest -- and the Jewish People as one would have expected from a great professional. How much did I respect Max? I offered him the position of CEO of the then JAFI NA; a position Max -- wisely -- turned down, happy with and proud of his work as CEO of his community. I was not surprise to learn that Max was hired as a consultant (of what?) at JFNA inasmuch as there was no presentation at a JFNA meeting, no matter how inane, where Max would approach the microphone and effusively and sincerely congratulate the presenter. But...the stories Max could tell now were he of a mind to.

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  13. Richard -- will you be at the GA?

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  14. I know that the Scientology Convention is in DC next week. I also saw that JFNA is reporting 3000 registrants for the GA. Have the Jews and the Scientologists merged?

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  15. Will I be at the GA? Although the Program does sound well thought out this year, I looked at the Board Agenda and this is not one matter of substance to be found. So, I will not be there his year, nor will I be attending the Scientology Convention. "3,000 Registrants" -- when , you should excuse the expression, pigs fly. Why, with all their creativity doesn't JFNA use a new number -- 2700 sounds just as great, especially if only 1300 or 700 show up.

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  16. Don't worry Richard.....there will be enough of us, both employees of JFNA and outsiders, to keep you up to date.

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  17. Counting on it as always. Thanks.

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