What We're Learning

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What We're Learning

What We're Learning | July 2025

July 11th, 2025by Leading Edge

Here's what the Leading Edge team is learning about culture, executives, and boards this month.

Podcast: When Crisis is the Job – with Barry Finestone

What happens to Jewish leadership when crisis becomes the norm rather than the exception? In this episode of the Identity/Crisis podcast, Barry Finestone, President & CEO of Jim Joseph Foundation and Leading Edge Board Member (non-voting), joins Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, to explore the emotional and organizational toll of leading through upheaval and discuss what it will take to build institutions that can thrive during times of uncertainty without losing sight of their long-term goals.

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CULTURE

Global Engagement Falls for the Second Time Since 2009
Engagement is down, wellbeing is low, and workers feel disconnected from their organizations. Gallup's latest analysis finds that much of it traces back to poor management. Meaningful weekly feedback and coaching habits remain rare — but where they exist, teams are far more engaged, resilient, and productive.
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Breaking down the infinite workday
Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index reveals a new obstacle to AI transformation: the infinite workday. Based on Microsoft 365 data and global survey insights, the report shows how early-morning emails, constant pings, and after-hours work are fragmenting focus and burning out teams, risking faster chaos instead of smarter progress.
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EXECUTIVES

What does it mean to lead Jewishly?
Rabbi Ari Witkin points to two forces weakening Jewish leadership: the collapse of Jewish literacy and the overuse of “meeting people where they are” as a final goal. Leaders must draw from tradition as well as professional practice — holding Torah and tool kit together to build organizations where values shape decisions, not just mission statements.
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The Best Leaders Encourage “Spacious Thinking”
Most workplaces rely on "doing" mode, but some of the most useful thinking happens in "spacious" mode, where people can reflect, ask broader questions, and notice patterns. Leaders play a crucial role in making spacious mode more accessible because they can legitimize and encourage it rather than shutting it down.
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The Chronicle: Inside the Leadership Success of a Millennial and Boomer Who Share the CEO Seat
Egon Zehnder: The CHRO Voice: Inside Human Resources Leadership
HBR: What’s the Future of Middle Management?

BOARDS

A Board Seat Is a Terrible Thing to Waste
A Board seat isn’t an achievement award. It’s a leadership role. Yet many Boards tolerate chronic underperformance from members who don’t prepare, dominate discussions, or contribute outdated expertise. Without honest feedback and clear expectations, Board effectiveness erodes.
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Why Your Board Needs a Give/Get Policy
A give/get policy can feel like a hard sell, especially when the Board resists fundraising or worries about excluding people. But the policy isn’t about setting a fixed dollar amount. It’s about shifting culture, making expectations clear, and treating fundraising as a shared responsibility grounded in equity.
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