The Secret Ingredient to Success and Judah

2 Replies A recent article in the New York Times entitled the Secret Ingredient to Success describes one of the main keys to success in business; self awarness. The article cites anecdotal evidence of professionals who when faced with challenge chose to mercilessly reexamine their goals and methods and emerged as more successful. There are of course, many different aspects to success. There is talent, motivation, luck, persistence, education. The lesson of this article is that self-examination also plays a strong role. What does self examination do for people who are talented? How does it help them? The Times cites a story about Mr. David Chang a world-renowned Korean-American Chef. The Times writes: David Changs experience is instructive. Mr. Chang is an internationally renowned, award-winning Korean-American chef, restauranteur and owner of the Momofuku restaurant group with eight restaurants from Toronto to Sydney, and other thriving enterprises, including bakeries and bars, a PBS TV show, guest spots on HBOs Treme and a foodie magazine, Lucky Peach. He says he worked himself to the bone to realize his dream to own a humble noodle bar. He spent years cooking in some of New York Citys best restaurants, apprenticed in different noodle shops in Japan and then, finally, worked 18-hour days in his tiny restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar. Mr. Chang could barely pay himself a salary. He had trouble keeping staff. And he was miserably stressed. He recalls a low moment when he went with his staff on a night off to eat burgers at a restaurant that was everything his wasnt packed, critically acclaimed and financially successful. He could cook better than they did, he thought, so why was his restaurant failing? I couldnt figure out what the hell we were doing wrong, he told us. Mr. Chang could have blamed someone else for his troubles, or worked harder (though available evidence suggests that might not have been possible) or he could have made minor tweaks to the menu. Instead he looked inward and subjected himself to brutal self-assessment. Was the humble noodle bar of his dreams economically viable? Sure, a traditional noodle dish had its charm but wouldnt work as the mainstay of a restaurant if he hoped to pay his bills. Mr. Chang changed course. Rather than worry about what a noodle bar should serve, he and his cooks stalked the produce at the greenmarket for inspiration. Then they went back to the kitchen and

cooked as if it was their last meal, crowding the menu with wild combinations of dishes theyd want to eat tripe and sweetbreads, headcheese and flavor-packed culinary mashups like a Koreanstyle burrito. What happened next Mr. Chang still considers kind of ridiculous the crowds came, rave reviews piled up, awards followed and unimaginable opportunities presented themselves.(http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/opinion/sunday/secret-ingredient-for-success.html) Chris Agyrs, a Harvard Business Theorist,says that the most common response is called single loop learning- an insular mental process in which we consider possible external or technical reasons for obstacles. Professor Agyrs also discusses a less common but vastly more effective cognitive approach which is called double-loop learning. In this mode we -like Mr. Chang- question every aspect of our approach which may lead to fresh ways of thinking about our lives and goals. As I read this article the biblical story of Judah came to mind. Judah is the fourth son of Jacob. At the end of Genesis he is given the role of leader of the sons. How is it possible that Judah, who is recorded as having sinned could become the leader of the tribes? It seems that Judah, although he sins with Tamar goes through the process of repentance. After his sin he takes the opportunity to examine himself and admits his failure. He recognizes that he was doing things wrong and changes his ways. This is an example of the double-loop learning. Judah then goes on to become the leading spokesperson for his brothers and eventually will be the tribe that will produce Israels greatest King, David. I believe that Judahs process of repentance which is essentially a process of self-examination is the key to success. People can often times be their own worst enemies. They sometimes dont even know that they are their own worst enemies. They may be stuck in routines that seem like they are helping them but can be limiting them from greater potential. For example, a parent may love to hug and kiss their children but it may end up being too much for the child and lead to smothering. The child may be affected later in life by a habit that seems to be good. I think the lesson of this article is to show us how self-examination is to success in life. I would add to it that success in relationships can follow the same model. Personally, I believe that obstacles in life are not haphazard, they are challenges from G-d that are meant to help us grow as people. In Judaism these obstacles are called Nisyonos or tests. Other people may interpret them differently. I do believe, as the article asserts, that self-examination is an appropriate response that can pay-off later. I am not here to say what is the best approach. These decisions can be complicated for very different people. Personally, I have taken the route of faith. http://www.dropzone.com/videos/Tandems/Judah_Blumenthal_skydiving_on_7-8-8_1078.html http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=14&ved=0CEUQFjADO Ao&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthejewishbusinessman.com%2Fauthor%2Fadmin%2F&ei=w2eeUd6VM7il 4AO7oDwDQ&usg=AFQjCNGibtgTrF3CkX5I1tCf52Ccw1I3fQ&sig2=eJxCvOcKsMGUAZOB1tcThg&bvm= bv.46865395,d.dmg http://technorati.com/people/jab942 http://thejewishbusinessman.com/author/admin/ http://www.whitepages.com/dir/New-York/Blumenthal/Judah

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Judah Blumenthal, Judah Blumenthal blog, Judah Blumenthal Blog's, Judah Blumenthal's Blog on April 3, 2013 by Judah B. Edit

Is Giving the Secret to Getting Ahead? The New York Times, Giving and Office Politics
Leave a reply Todays New York Times features a wonderful article on giving in the workplace. The article cites a study by Adam Grant of the Wharton buinsess school. Grant is a 31 year old tenured professor at Wharton. He is one of the most prolific academics in his field of organizational psychology and workplace dynamics. Grant regularly advises companies about how to get the most out of their employees ad how to help their employees get the most of of their jobs. This article focuses on research that Grant has done which explores the premise that the greatest untapped source of motivation is a sense of service to others, in other words being able to help others. Essentially, Grants research posits that by focusing on the contribution of our work to other peoples lives has the potential to make us more productive than thinking about helping ourselves. I think this is a magnificent piece of work. It shows how humans are connected to each other and that through helping each other they can benefit not only the benefactor but themselves as well. As a religious person it makes me think about whether or not Abraham had the same intention when he started his Chesed, or kindness revolution many years ago. Abraham too, had an altruistic sense and looked to better the world by helping others. Maybe this is the best way to deal with office politics. Look to be of help in any situation to any department. Show your superiors a genuine desire to be productive and helpful to people around you. This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Judah Blumenthal, Judah Blumenthal blog, Judah Blumenthal Blog's, Judah Blumenthal's Blog on March 28, 2013 by Judah B. Edit