Charendoff gets it

Over at The New Jew, Maya Norton has an excellent interview with Jewish Funders Network president Mark Charendoff, who affirms my remarks at the GA:

We are far too risk averse. Too afraid of making mistakes. Some of our institutions have gotten too big, so by the time an idea emerges it’s processed to death.

I think our placing consensus as a primary value has weakened creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, and we don’t reward risk taking in Jewish communal life.

We know that failure will be punished. In the business world failure is punished too, but risk taking and success are rewarded. In Jewish communal life there isn’t really a reward for anything other than raising money– which is kind of a terrible bottom line. There’s no incentive.

What’s the solution? To create institutions and train board that will celebrate failure, that obviously learn from failure, but really take seriously that notion that risk taking means you’re going to sometimes fail. There’s no way around it.

Read the whole interview here.