Rowitz On Leadership

Over the past couple of decades, I have probably seen the musical FIDDLER ON THE ROOF about a dozen times. Each time, I see the musical, I see it from a different perspective. A couple of years ago, my wife played Yenta the Matchmaker in a community college production of the play. Of course, I watched the play from the perspective of Yenta. Yenta is a very interesting character. She is extremely knowledgeable about her community. She understands all the traditions that guide community activities. She takes the time to learn all the strengths and weaknesses of the residents. It is her job to match the young women of the community with husbands who will most benefit the young women and their families. She knows when to participate as an active member of the community and when to stay in the background. She is resilient in that she recognizes she may not always be right and is flexible enough to modify her stance.

Leaders need to have many of Yenta’s abilities. Leaders need to understand their organizations and the communities that surround their organization. They need to understand the people with whom they interact and become experts in building and sustaining relationships. Leaders need to be able to match people with each other to best carry out the activities of the organization. They are experts in collaboration. They know when it is important to be an active player in activities and when to stand back and let others take the lead. Leaders need to be resilient and need to work with their organizations to become more resilient as change occurs. Finally, leaders need to know when to leave. The Yenta Factor clearly helps leaders to become more effective.