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The Secret Ingredient to Success andJudah 

2 Replies A recent article in the New York Times entitled the Secret Ingredient to Success describes one of themain keys to success in business; self awarness. The article cites anecdotal evidence ofprofessionals who when faced with challenge chose to mercilessly reexamine their goals andmethods 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. TheTimes writes:

“David Chang’s experience is instructive. 

Mr. Chang is an internationally renowned, award-winning Korean-American chef, restauranteur andowner of the Momofuku restaurant group with eight restaurants from Toronto to Sydney, and otherthriving enterprises, including bakeries and bars, a PBS TV show, guest spots on HBO’s “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 City’s 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 miserablystressed.

He recalls a low moment when he went with his staff on a night off to eat burgers at a restaurant thatwas everything his wasn’t — packed, critically acclaimed and financially successful. He could cookbetter than they did, he thought, so why was his restaurant failing? “I couldn’t figure out what the hellwe 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 themenu. 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 hadits charm but wouldn’t 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 hiscooks stalked the produce at the greenmarket for inspiration. Then they went back to the kitchen and

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cooked as if it was their last meal, crowding the menu with wild combinations of dishes they’d wantto eat — tripe and sweetbreads, headcheese and flavor-packed culinary mashups like a Korean-style burrito. What happened next Mr. Chang still considers “kind of ridiculous” — the crowds came,rave reviews piled up, awards followed and unimaginable opportunities presentedthemselves.”(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 looplearning- an insular mental process in which we consider possible external or technical reasons forobstacles. Professor Agyrs also discusses a less common but vastly more effective cognitiveapproach which is called double-loop learning. In this mode we -like Mr. Chang- question everyaspect 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 theend of Genesis he is given the role of leader of the sons. How is it possible that Judah, who isrecorded as having sinned could become the leader of the tribes? It seems that Judah, although hesins with Tamar goes through the process of repentance. After his sin he takes the opportunity toexamine himself and admits his failure. He recognizes that he was doing things wrong and changeshis 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 Israel’s greatest King,David.

I believe that Judah’s process of repentance which is essentially a process of self-examination is thekey to success. People can often times be their own worst enemies. They sometimes don’t evenknow that they are their own worst enemies. They may be stuck in routines that seem like they arehelping them but can be limiting them from greater potential. For example, a parent may love to hugand kiss their children but it may end up being too much for the child and lead to smothering. Thechild may be affected later in life by a habit that seems to be good. I think the lesson of this article isto show us how self-examination is to success in life. I would add to it that success in relationshipscan follow the same model. Personally, I believe that obstacles in life are not haphazard, they arechallenges 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 articleasserts, that self-examination is an appropriate response that can pay-off later. I am not here to saywhat is the best approach. These decisions can be complicated for very different people. Personally,I have taken the route of faith.

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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 OfficePolitics 

Leave a reply Today’s New York Times features a wonderful article on giving in the workplace. The article cites astudy by Adam Grant of the Wharton buinsess school. Grant is a 31 year old tenured professor atWharton. He is one of the most prolific academics in his field of organizational psychology andworkplace dynamics. Grant regularly advises companies about how to get the most out of theiremployees ad how to help their employees get the most of of their jobs. This article focuses onresearch that Grant has done which explores the premise that the greatest untapped source ofmotivation is a sense of service to others, in other words being able to help others. Essentially,Grant’s research posits that by focusing on the contribution of our work to other people’s lives hasthe 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 andthat through helping each other they can benefit not only the benefactor but themselves as well. As areligious person it makes me think about whether or not Abraham had the same intention when hestarted his Chesed, or kindness revolution many years ago. Abraham too, had an altruistic senseand 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 anydepartment. Show your superiors a genuine desire to be productive and helpful to people around

you.

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Judah Blumenthal Blog's, Judah Blumenthal's Blog on March 28, 2013 by Judah B. Edit