You are that CEO; what would you do?
- Fire this senior professional?
- Place this senior professional on probationary status under your close supervision?
- Review the e-mails of all senior professionals for similar "infractions?"
No wonder so many at 25 Broadway are using their personal devices to communicate with me and others.
Come on. Surprise, it's JFNA...it's The Caine Mutiny of Jewish organizational life. I picture Silverman rolling small steel balls in his hand, mumbling "strawberries, who took the strawberries?" He's Smilin' Jerry Javert, after all.
2. Only JFNA seems to believe that if they write about it, that's doing something about it. For examples: write about the crisis impacting tens of thousands of Ukrainian Jews, open a Mailbox and, presto-chango, you've actually done something; completely void the professional staff of any experience in financial resource development after rebranding the lack of FRD presence as something called Philanthropic Resources, and still claim that there is an FRD presence at our continental organization expected to execute this most critical function; expand the pomposity of something called Global Operations: Israel and Overseas, send a Solidarity Mission or two or three, abandon efforts to enhance civility and tolerance in Israel, but continuing to talk as if they are doing something, etc., etc., etc. And on and on and on, spinning like a dreidle, accomplishing nothing but...writing about it...that's something worth $30 million a year?
JFNA -- the spin is endless.
Rwexler
Come on. Surprise, it's JFNA...it's The Caine Mutiny of Jewish organizational life. I picture Silverman rolling small steel balls in his hand, mumbling "strawberries, who took the strawberries?" He's Smilin' Jerry Javert, after all.
2. Only JFNA seems to believe that if they write about it, that's doing something about it. For examples: write about the crisis impacting tens of thousands of Ukrainian Jews, open a Mailbox and, presto-chango, you've actually done something; completely void the professional staff of any experience in financial resource development after rebranding the lack of FRD presence as something called Philanthropic Resources, and still claim that there is an FRD presence at our continental organization expected to execute this most critical function; expand the pomposity of something called Global Operations: Israel and Overseas, send a Solidarity Mission or two or three, abandon efforts to enhance civility and tolerance in Israel, but continuing to talk as if they are doing something, etc., etc., etc. And on and on and on, spinning like a dreidle, accomplishing nothing but...writing about it...that's something worth $30 million a year?
JFNA -- the spin is endless.
Rwexler
Posts
16 comments:
Smilin' Jerry has much to much time on his hands. Maybe Daroff can arrange photo ops with all the Republican presidential candidates (and Sheldon too). And then wait for the press release touting JFNA's playing nice to everyone!
The issues have been documented time and time again. The system needs to be fixed. So, what, I think, is needed, is not more documentation but an action plan.
I floated one - a few times - years ago which did not get any traction.
I suggested another one, only once, also with no response, but I'd like to 're-float' it: a gathering of lay leaders who believe that change is necessary and possible, without professionals who currently work in the system, to discuss, punim-to-punim, the options and to begin to develop an action plan.
Unless some specific action is developed and taken, no matter how many times the issues are documented, the system will continue its slide into oblivion.
Just don't forget that such a gathering will be closely watched with the most modern suveilance equipment and techniques so that those who dare to attempt to interfere with the status quo will be properly dealt with.
Professionals are fired and troublemaker lay people are quarantined and blacklisted.
And we have only ourselves - our apathy - to blame.
What JFNA state secret might have been exposed by this (former) employee? As the organization does nothing, might it have been an empty page transmitted outside the sacred corporate headquarters? Might it have been Silverman's travel schedule? Might it have been Casaba's hiring plans? Might it have been a permission slip otherwise for Nasatir/Hoffman?
Oops. Make that "Caspi's" hiring plans.
As usual, Paul Jeser is right. Let's let the lay people create the strategic vision. That always works afterall their depth of knowledge and experience dwarfs those on the front lines.
What Federation did Paul run? When? For how long?
And Richard this isn't criticism - just honest questions so I hope you will be open enough to print this.
Thank you
To anonymous 3:58pm..
Of course I'm right - just kidding - I have no idea if my suggestion will work. But, as I wrote rhetoric needs to be turned into some sort of action and I haven't seen any other ideas.
In terms of my personal Federation experience, I was the Exec of two Feds (Lewiston-Auburn, ME, and Orlando, FL) for a total of 12 year, but have kept close contact with the Fed world ever since.
In response to your snide remark "That always works afterall their depth of knowledge and experience dwarfs those on the front lines" - of course those Fed pros have knowledge and experience, however, you don't seem to understand the foundation on which the Fed system was built - that of lay leadership. The reason I suggested that pros not be invited - at least to this first meeting - is that I think lay leaders need to be able to talk openly without worrying about their pros reactions.
1. lay leaders need to grow a backbone.
2. assuming layleadership is the foundation the Fed system was built on -- times change.
3. the notion of a national confab of select layleaders as a means of rescuing the system is a pipe dream. They will only represent themselves. Community leadership no longer represents the community (or, more specifically, the people within the community). I'm not even sure they should be called leaders -- as I'm not sure they have followers (on a community scale). Organizations have leaders. So of course federations have leaders. But to conflate that leadership with community leadership...that is but a sweet memory at this point.
4. JFNA board meets and makes decisions -- and what meaning do these decisions carry at the federation level? Nada. So you think a few gansa machers are going to convene and everybody will fall in line?
5. There's nothing wrong with JFNA that can't be fixed by its members. After all of these years, it still doesn't know what it is. And without that, it can only be expected to limp along. There is no strategic plan, no measurable impact, no way to know how this year is an improvement on last year or how jfna programs and activities moved the ball.
6. why keep beating your heads against the wall? Move on. Create the next great thing to address the gap you think JFNA is failing.
Paul is absolutely correct.
The time has come for our professionals to understand that they are not supposed to be the ones setting policy and that they are getting paid (and paid well) to implement lay leadership's decisions.
Sure, our lay leadership have stopped believing in themselves and their abilities (mainly because the pros have taken over and don't respect or rely upon them) but the time has come for them to realize that it is their role to lead our people and to restore their belief in themselves and their own ability to rise to the task.
This is true at the local, national and international levels.
By the way, the pros meet all the time amongst themselves - avoiding interference from "nudnik" lay leaders. It indeed wouldn't hurt for our lay leaders to do the same.
It's fine to ask for advice from professional staff but it's not fine to let them call all the shots and rubber stamp staff policy recommendations.
I don't know exactly when the rules of the game changed but they need to be changed back!
Just like in the business world, it needs to be clear that the CEO works for the Chaiman and the BOD - not the other way around!
Clearly the last commentator is out of touch with what is happening in the many successful Feds and maybe the next time he has a plumbing problem in his palatial home - he should fix it himself.
Instead of attacking another Commentator, let me recommend that Comments be directed (as all have been up to the last) at how we might, together, get to a solution, a fix, if you will, to the problem of a failing or failed organization which we all believe needs to become a successful one.
It's a reflection of poor lay leadership. Leadership expands to fill a vacuum. In the absence of good layleaders, the professionals will step up to do more.
Anon at 7:21 thinks that "our professionals ... are getting paid (and paid well) to implement lay leadership's decisions.
He or she should be ashamed. Comments like this are despicable and show a real ignorance to what we actually pay across the board (yes, even at the top).
The pros do meet all the time, that's true. But let's be honest - when we try to convene layleadership groups no one ever comes.
Look, in many places the Comment you criticize is spot on.The only disagreement I may have is with the conclusion that professionals are only there to implement lay ;leadership's decisions. The Comment was in no way "despicable." My observations on "compensation" will appear later this week.
I'm not the commmentator at 4:34 but I agree with the sentiment. It's not right to attack our professionals for their salaries. It shows a mean-spirited nature against those who serve our community. Even, as s/he points out, the 'well-compensated' in the Forward report, who were by no means a representative sample (where have all the rabbis gone ....?), earn a fraction of what their for-profit counterparts make. And if we do do not compensate appropriately, what message are we sending to the professionals? That they'll never afford to send their children to Jewish day school? To Jewish camp? To Israel trips? And they do not deserve 'good' salaries? Shame on us.
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