On being a mensch

Reflections on skills vs character, and on being a mensch:

For those who may not know, “mensch” is a Yiddish word that translates as “a person of integrity and honour“. It has colloquially come to mean someone who has good values, who strives to be a decent human being, and who cares about others.

This is an old photo of me and my Zaida, my grandfather. He wasn’t perfect, but most anyone who met him would agree that he was a mensch. In business, as in life, he treated everyone with kindness and respect, no matter their background or station. The company his father founded, which he and his brother led for decades, just celebrated 100 years in business, still run by a 3rd and now 4th generation of family. That’s not an accident.

In my career, as in my life, I’ve been fortunate to know some great mensches. They’ve been role models to me. And while I know I don’t always live up to their examples, they’ve made me want to try. Continue reading “On being a mensch”

Endings, beginnings, and change: Being a planner in times of crisis

“Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” — John Lennon.

Don’t mind me as I get a little personal here.

This has been an upside-down, crazy year for everyone, myself included. And as I embark on a new, unexpected chapter of my life, I wanted to reflect on what it took to get me here — and on what might lie ahead.

In Tarot, the Death card represents endings. But it also represents change, transformation, the kind of new beginnings that are only possible by letting go of the past and starting fresh.

This can be a painful process. It so often is. But as I’m trying to remind myself, new beginnings can be hopeful, too. It’s a feeling I had nine years ago, standing on the precipice of the last new beginning. And it’s a feeling I have today, as I embark on this next one.

Continue reading “Endings, beginnings, and change: Being a planner in times of crisis”