The Rabbi and the CEO: The Ten Commandments for 21st Century Leaders

by Thomas D. Zweifel, Aaron L. Raskin

Leadership is in crisis. In the rough seas of a borderless economy, the Internet, and outsourcing in turbulent markets, a seismic shift has changed the game. The days of the Great Man-whether a Churchill or Kennedy, even a Gates or Welch-are numbered. Virtually anyone can lead now. But how do you breed principled leaders for the twenty-first century? Is leadership a matter of DNA, culture, or coaching?The answer can be found in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Judaism. Jews are not called the People of the Book by accident. Torah, Talmud, and Kabbalah hold a powerful amalgam of life-and-death leadership stories and astonishingly practical lessons for twenty-first-century managers. In a unique synergy, Dr. Thomas Zweifel, Swiss Consulting Group CEO, Columbia professor, and author of leadership books like Communicate or Die and Culture Clash, teams up with Rabbi Aaron Raskin, Jewish leader, mensch, and author of Letters of Light, to blend the timeless wisdom of the Ten Commandments with a cutting-edge methodology based on twenty-five years of coaching leaders-a mix that provides winning tools for lasting success.

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2008

About the author

It was a perfectly clear day in September 2001, an Indian-summer morning when the sky was deep blue. Thomas was sitting on the Brooklyn Promenade--alone except for a few runners and dog walkers--and reading Michel Houellebecq's Les Particules Élémentaires (this is not an endorsement of that book) when he looked up at 8:46 a.m. and saw something he had never seen before: A plane hit the World Trade Center. Smoke and millions of tiny metallic glitters were in the air; a light wind swept them toward him. The glitters turned out to be countless papers, documents flying across the East River. One of them was a page from a civil law book, blackened on all four sides. Another was a FedEx envelope with a contract that someone had just signed a few minutes earlier.

That moment changed Thomas' world, and his life, forever. He set out on a journey to himself. And he started to worry about what kind of legacy to leave. One answer: to write books that help leaders of all stripes build successful companies and/or lives.

Dr. Thomas D. Zweifel is is a board member, strategy and performance expert, TED speaker and award-winning author of 11 books, including "Strategy-In-Action" (with Edward J. Borey), "Communicate or Die," "The Rabbi and the CEO" (with Aaron L. Raskin) and "Gorilla in the Cockpit" (with Vip Vyas).

Since 1984, living in Europe, India, Japan, and the United States, Thomas has helped clients align on strategy, boost leadership, and build high-performance teams in the action of meeting strategic and/or breakthrough objectives.

From 1997 to 2011, Thomas was the CEO of Swiss Consulting Group, named a "Fast Company" by Fast Company magazine and awarded "Best of Business in New York for Management Consulting" by SBCA.

Strategies based on his books are used by 30+ Fortune 500 companies, the UN Development Programme, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the U.S. Air Force Academy, to help their teams meet strategic imperatives.

Since 2001, Thomas has taught leadership to 1,500+ students at Columbia University and St. Gallen University to prepare them for executive leadership positions.

He often appears in the media, including ABC News, Bloomberg TV, and CNN. A speaker for ten speaker bureaus, his interdisciplinary and action-packed keynotes inspire business leaders.

Born in Paris, Thomas was educated in Switzerland, Germany and the United States, and holds a Ph.D. in International Political Economy from New York University.

In 1996 he realized his dream of breaking three hours in the New York City Marathon, and in 1997 was recognized as "fastest CEO in the New York City Marathon." He lives in Zurich with his wife and their two daughters (and a dog called Motek, the only other man in the house).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...

Reviews

[Margaret Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This business books links the timeless 10 Commandments for business leaders today. It also is appropriate for leaders of non-profits as well. The dialogue back and forth between rabbinic wisdom and practical examples applied made for good reading. Each of the 10 Commandments had tips and tools that could be implemented today, right now. The book was written after 9/11 (that was almost 20 years ago this September) and two other world changing events--the election of Donald Trump and the global pandemic. Some of the business examples feel a little dated. Nonetheless, the take-aways are timeless.
Examples: "Whenever you don't know which of two actions to take at any given moment, take the more generous action."
"Amazing things happen when people recognize that they are interconnected."
"A hundred times everyday, I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend of the labor of other men." (Albert Einstein)
At West Point, now all leadership courses have a cross-cultural component." (I learned the importance of this working at SAP!)
"Any time you are managing people, your job is not about you, it's about them."

One tricky component that I am still working on but it is particularly relevant to the world we find ourselves in now, the idea that "The bottom line: Every descent is for a higher ascent, every breakdown can into a breakthrough." As I talked about recently, can we find the blessing in the curse? These authors would say yes!

Should be required reading in business schools and rabbinical schools.

[Hamid · Rating 5 out of 5]

The leadership lessons contained in “The Rabbi and the CEO” are timeless, powerful and practical. This uplifting book offers a powerhouse of sound advice, practical and yet easy to implement nuggets of wisdom anybody can benefit from both in life and business. As the authors wisely say, “you always have a choice. You’re in charge; nobody can tell you how to live your life.” And for that you have here a well-articulated and powerful guide.

[NANCY GREEN · Rating 5 out of 5]

A VALUABLE GUIDE FOR EVERY DAY LIFE.

Excellent read. Very meaty, practical, and useful. Please read this book. I could read it over and over and still learn something new each time.

[Bethann]

Started late tonight. Only got through the intros but am excited to start reading more. It already has me interested.