Hal Lewis, Author at Hal M. Lewis

John From Haywood County

Hal Lewis — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 03:03:24 +0000

About an hour’s drive from Asheville, NC, on the Tennessee border is a bald mountain known as Max Patch. Situated along the Appalachian Trail, it is reputed to have exquisite vistas and cool trails (here “cool” also refers to the… Continue Reading →

The post John From Haywood County appeared first on Hal M. Lewis.

First and Third, One Man Out

Hal Lewis — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 00:43:51 +0000

In the same week the Jewish world lost one of the great educators of our time, Jonathan Woocher, I had my own educational epiphany, the result of a most-unlikely happenstance. The precedent details are too boring to explain, except to… Continue Reading →

The post First and Third, One Man Out appeared first on Hal M. Lewis.

What’s Wrong With You? Or Is It Me?

Hal Lewis — Tue, 30 May 2017 22:18:03 +0000

Now that I blog, people tell me I have license to complain about things. Truth is, that’s what has always annoyed me about this so-called “literary-form” from the very beginning (see my inaugural post). Who gives a rat’s ass about… Continue Reading →

The post What’s Wrong With You? Or Is It Me? appeared first on Hal M. Lewis.

A Note to the Team At Work

Hal Lewis — Sun, 21 May 2017 03:03:08 +0000

Dear Colleagues: The issue of personal loyalty has so dominated the news of late that I thought I’d take a moment to offer a few thoughts on the subject. I’d like to think that I have been clear about this… Continue Reading →

The post A Note to the Team At Work appeared first on Hal M. Lewis.

Leading Means Having To Say You’re Sorry

Hal Lewis — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 23:17:25 +0000

I have no idea if Erich Segal was right in averring that, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Such matters are far removed from my area of expertise. But I am pretty sure that as a leader there… Continue Reading →

The post Leading Means Having To Say You’re Sorry appeared first on Hal M. Lewis.

Blind Loyalty Is Not Loyalty At All

Hal Lewis — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 01:29:23 +0000

A new report coming out of the White House describes the “reassignment” of a respected member of the administration’s security team for disagreeing with the president. A spokesperson explained the move by saying that people who disagree with the president… Continue Reading →

The post Blind Loyalty Is Not Loyalty At All appeared first on Hal M. Lewis.

When Arrogance Meets Anger in Leadership

Hal Lewis — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 22:17:10 +0000

Most of us are familiar with the type. We’ve worked with them and maybe even tried to love them – individuals who live in a state of perennial woundedness. You know what I mean – the kind of people who… Continue Reading →

The post When Arrogance Meets Anger in Leadership appeared first on Hal M. Lewis.

A Word (or Two) of Wisdom This Inauguration Day

Hal Lewis — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 22:14:04 +0000

Rabbi Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto (known by his initials RaMHaL) was an eighteenth-century mystic, whose most famous work is Mesillat Yesharim, The Path of the Upright. In his discussion of humility, Luzzatto notes, “You will observe that the more ignorant a man… Continue Reading →

The post A Word (or Two) of Wisdom This Inauguration Day appeared first on Hal M. Lewis.

Hypocritical Leaders

Hal Lewis — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 00:03:56 +0000

A recent NY Times column with the provocative title, “The Real Problem with Hypocrisy,” makes the counter-intuitive claim that the trouble with hypocrisy is not, as many of us believed, a “failure of will or a weakness of character.” No,… Continue Reading →

The post Hypocritical Leaders appeared first on Hal M. Lewis.

What’s In A Name?

Hal Lewis — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 21:27:21 +0000

Having made the decision (described in the prior post) to blog on a regular basis, it seems appropriate that I offer a word or two of explanation about the name Growing Leaders. Growing Leaders is a double entendre (without the… Continue Reading →

The post What’s In A Name? appeared first on Hal M. Lewis.