The Jewish Approach to Leadership

After years of research and preparation, James had finally secured a slot to speak at the prestigious international physics conference. He would be presenting his studies in the field of quantum mechanics and was looking forward to the largest scale event of his life. He had never before presented at an official conference, let alone one of such prestige. It had taken every ounce of courage within him to even submit his work to such an event, and he knew that a successful lecture could change the trajectory of his career.

When the day of the presentation arrived, James woke up feeling nervous but excited. He was about to present his life’s work before a crowd of the foremost researchers in his field. After preparing his lecture notes carefully, he strode into the conference room. The room was completely empty. “Strange,” he thought. “Maybe the previous sessions went overtime...” He briefly reviewed his notes and then looked down at his watch again. It was now five minutes past the start time, and not a single person had shown up. A bead of sweat rolled down his neck as he weighed his options. “Maybe this was all for nothing!” he thought anxiously. “Maybe I should just pack up and leave!” 

“No, just give it another minute or so,” a calmer voice in the back of his head insisted. 

Just then, an elegant looking gentleman, probably in his mid-sixties, walked into the room. He slowly strolled to the front row and took a seat, focusing his piercing blue eyes on James. 

Slightly taken aback, James forced a smile and began his lecture, surprised by how engaged his single audience member was. Upon concluding his speech, the man came over and thanked James profusely for sharing such an enlightening presentation. “Wow! I’ve been to countless conferences, but this was the greatest presentation I have ever been privileged to hear! You have a bright future ahead of you, son. I wish you all the success in the world and can’t wait to see all the incredible things you accomplish with your life.”

James floated out of the conference, inspired and confident to begin his next big project. While unpacking from his trip, he found a crumpled-up copy of the conference brochure. He proudly looked at it again, when he suddenly noticed something, someone, staring back at him from the cover of the glossy pamphlet. It was his blue-eyed friend. As he looked closer, he remembered feeling that the blue-eyed audience member looked familiar. “Of course he looked familiar!” he gasped, as he realized that this man was the keynote speaker, the featured scientist who had been flown in from London to lead the conference. This was one of the most respected and revered figures in the scientific world, and he had come to James’ speech!

James spent the next several hours tracking down this man’s phone number. When he finally got him on the phone, James couldn’t contain himself: “I don’t understand! You are the greatest quantum physicist in the world. You knew everything I said and infinitely more. Why did you even bother coming to my presentation?”

There was a small pause, and then a gentle reply: “I will tell you the truth. Thirty years ago, I was a young, ambitious scientist who wanted to make a big impact on the world. I got an opportunity to present at a conference very similar to the one we just came from. This was the most exciting opportunity I had ever been given, and I prepared night and day for months in advance. When it was time for my presentation, not a single person showed up. I was crushed, defeated, and dejected. I seriously doubted my self-worth and almost gave up on my aspirations altogether. It took me years to overcome the emotional hurt. Yesterday, when I finished my keynote address, I was on my way back to the airport to present at another conference. However, when I passed by your room, I saw you standing there in an empty room, and it was like looking at a mirror. A reflection of my past emerged, and I saw myself standing in front of an empty lecture hall. I knew that the best way to encourage you, to teach you, and to ensure that you would continue striving forward was to sit in on your presentation and show you respect, make you feel heard. The greatest form of leadership is empowering others to be leaders.”

James never forgot that conversation.

The topic of leadership is both fascinating and fundamental to human society. What is the Jewish approach to leadership, and how does it compare to other perspectives on leadership?

Leadership to Serve Yourself

The most primitive form of leadership is selfish leadership, driven by the desire for power and self-gratification. In such a system, the leader represents only himself and his own selfish desires. He demands power, craving it for himself, and generally maintains leadership over his people through fear. In such a system, he demands the allegiance of his people and makes promises of food, shelter, and perhaps power and honor, in return for respect and obedience.

This was the system of old, where kings, tyrants, and oligarchies ruled large provinces. Wealth, birthright, or rebellion served as the right for leadership, and the purpose of leadership was focused solely on the leader- the goal was to give the leader increased power, respect, and control. This system is inherently corrupt, and resulted in endless bloodshed, as the king killed anyone that stood in his way. There were pointless wars, as the king would send the young men of his kingdom to die for no reason other than his own territorial expansion and glory. In essence, the king answered to no one other than himself.

Representing the People

In response to such corruption, there became an increased desire to shift the focus of power. As history unfolded, leadership moved towards democracy, towards a balance of power. In such a system, the power belongs to the people, not the leader. The leader is appointed to serve the people. If he fails to do so, he is removed and replaced with someone who better fills the people’s needs. This is a far better system than the previous one, as it stabilizes power and creates a society focused on the needs of the people, rather than an individual king or elite few.

Nevertheless, there is still a fundamental problem with democracy: a leader becomes nothing more than a puppet of the people. The flaw in this is apparent. Imagine if parents lost their parental license as soon as their child got upset with their decisions. As soon as the parents put their child to bed, they’d be out of a job. When a leader is fully subject to the will of the people, it is impossible to lead. Democratic leaders may appear to be leading, but in essence, they are following. (It is important to note that this chapter speaks only of ideals. In today’s day and age, the ideal political system is democracy. Additionally, not all democratic leaders share this pitfall. It is only a likely possibility, not a guaranteed outcome.)

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 97a) states that Mashiach (the Messiah) will come at a time when the face of the generation is like the face of a dog. Rav Elchanan Wasserman explains the depth behind this statement: When you see someone walking a dog on a leash, it appears as though the dog is leading. He is the one walking ahead of his owner, he appears to be calling the shots. However, this is an illusion. The dog is completely subject to the will of its owner. One small tug and he changes direction. The dog is the follower, in an illusory position of leadership.

Many democratic systems suffer from this flaw. Leaders are appointed by the people and are therefore completely subject to the will of the people. They walk ahead, pretending to lead, while in fact, they are merely puppets. Whatever the people want, they’ll do. They create their policies and campaigns around the people and polls, not based on their internal values. They would change their policy in an instant if it meant more votes.

A true leader stands for the truth, for their inner values, regardless of opposition. He or she walks ahead and doesn’t look back. Even if no one follows, they push onward. They never sacrifice their ideals for public approval. A true leader creates a direction for a greater future, a pathway to individual and collective greatness, and inspires the people to strive for that ideal. This is the nature of Jewish leadership. Let us briefly explore this topic.

True Leadership: Connecting to Something Higher

A Torah leader does not represent himself, or the will of the people; he represents Hashem. A Torah leader is an emissary of Hashem in this world, and will lead the people towards the truth, towards their true destination. Of course, he will care for and empathize with each individual, and deeply so, but the foundational goal of leadership involves driving people towards a transcendent goal.

Traditional kings represented themselves and were therefore no greater than themselves. Democratic leaders are chosen by the will of the people and are therefore usually no better than the people themselves. A true leader is one who strives towards perfection and leads others on their own individual and collective journeys towards perfection as well.

An Ideal Society

In an ideal society, everyone is devoted towards achieving their own unique greatness, while simultaneously devoting that individual greatness towards the larger collective greatness of the nation. A leader’s role is to enable each individual to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and achievement, while also helping them devote their lives to a greater whole, to that which transcends themselves, to Hashem, the Jewish people, and the world as a whole.

Qualities of Leadership

Everyone is a leader in some capacity. Some will lead their families; others will lead the world. The scale is irrelevant; the principles remain the same. A leader must begin by leading their own life, devoting themselves towards their own personal greatness. In addition to self-development, a leader must have a strong moral conviction, a genuine love of others, and a sensitivity to their needs. Most important of all is the desire to lead lishmah (for a higher purpose), without any selfish or ulterior motives.

We Are All Leaders

Some leaders are the face of a nation, the ones who stand in front of large crowds and deliver extraordinary and inspiring speeches. But that is not the only type of leader. A leader is anyone who is on a mission, who empowers others, and who always looks for ways to contribute to the greater good. Leaders are great parents, great teachers, great friends. We are all potential leaders; we are all potential revolutionaries. We can all create change in the world. But to create any external change, we must first learn to develop ourselves and live with higher ideals. Let us all be inspired to become the greatest version of ourselves, with the hopes that our own journey of growth will inspire others to become the greatest version of themselves as well.

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Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is an author, educator, speaker, and coach who has lectured internationally on topics of Torah, psychology, and leadership. He is the founder and CEO of Self-Mastery Academy, the transformative online self-development course that is based on the principles of high-performance psychology and Torah. After obtaining his Bachelors degree from Yeshiva University, he studied at RIETS, received a Masters degree in Jewish Education (Azrieli), and a Masters degree in Jewish Thought (Revel). He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago and has also spent a year studying at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Exchange Scholar, completing graduate coursework there as part of his PhD. To find more inspirational lectures, videos, and articles from Rabbi Reichman, or to learn more about Self-Mastery Academy, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com