Loss and Discovery – What the Torah Can Teach Us about Leading Change

Leading Through Change

Whether you’re religious or not, the Torah offers timeless lessons for us all today. Why? Because the stories in the Bible are about people trying to lead change amidst continual disruption: massive floods and droughts, political upheaval, lack of trust in leaders and institutions, social justice movements, family dysfunctions, women demanding equal rights. Sound familiar? The book also includes numerous examples of leading change during disruptive times from modern-day leaders like Colin Powell, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Nelson Mandela, some of our presidents and others. It also draws on current brain research and social science findings that show how we can find many opportunities to innovate during these disruptive times.

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About The Author

Russ Linden is a leadership educator and author who specializes in organizational change methods. He’s been an adjunct faculty member at the University of Virginia and at the Federal Executive Institute for over 35 years. In 2003 he was the Williams Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the State University of New York (Fredonia) School of Business. His current teaching and consulting interests include leadership lessons from the Torah, collaboration, the human side of change, strategic thinking and acting, developing an agile and resilient culture, and crisis leadership.

Russ' Interviews and Book Talks

Valley Beit Midrash Interview. May 11, 2023

Adat Shalom Synagogue Interview. March 9, 2023

Sarasota Democratic Jewish Caucus

The Paradigm Project. Dec. 5, 2022

Authority Magazine, October 7th, 2022

Conversation with Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann. Founder, Mishkan Chicago. July 21, 2022

Book Review, Charlottesville Daily Progress, June 6, 2022

Interview, Dec. 21, 2021, on the AIB Network in Atlanta.

Interview, The Modern Manager, Feb. 1, 2022.

Interview, Christian Coaching Magazine, Jan. 25, 2022

Interview, NPR in Charlottesville, Dec. 1, 2021.

Interview, Valley Beit Midrash, Dec. 6, 2021.

Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association, Interview, December 2021.

Russ' Latest Blog Posts

Nelson Mandela: From Angry Freedom Fighter to Optimistic Statesman

“The young man who went into prison was hot-headed, tempestuous, self-involved, not anything like the Nelson Mandela who emerged. Prison burned all of those excesses away.” That’s what Rick Stengel, former editor of Time magazine, said about Mandela. “Prison made the Nelson Mandela we know today. I asked him how prison had changed him; he said, ‘I came out mature.’”…

How Can We Retain Optimism in Troubling Times? (first in a series)

On Feb. 27, 2024, Daniel Gwynn walked out of prison a free man after serving almost 30 years for a crime he didn’t commit. The prosecutors withheld evidence that could have exonerated him. This has happened to countless others, and many of them become hopeless and embittered. Not Daniel Gwynn. He maintained a “light within him” and kept his hopes up despite a prison life he described as “sitting here trapped…

On Memory: Why Do We Sometimes Revise History?

In 2003, NBC correspondent Brian Williams was assigned to cover the invasion of Iraq. At one point he filed a startling report about riding in a helicopter while grenades were fired at it from the ground. His helicopter was hit and had to make an emergency landing. Sometime later Williams expanded on that story, saying that a helicopter in front of his was also hit. Years later he changed the story again; this time his helicopter and three…

What People Are Saying

"Russ's book will be an invaluable resource, especially in the congregational setting. It offers refreshing insights and compelling practical examples for leadership and change."

Rabbi Lee Bycel

former Dean of the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles, former congregational rabbi, and author of Refugees in America: Stories of Courage, Hope, and Resilience in Their Own Words

"This book will become a primary sourcebook for those leading organizations or seeking to navigate changes in any important relationship."

Rabbi Daniel S. Alexander

Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation Beth Israel, Charlottesville, Virginia, author of Seeking the Way: Jewish Reflections on Matters of the Head, the Heart, and the Hand

"Russ Linden has written a masterpiece to address the difficult challenges people face in times of disruptive change. His insights combine ancient wisdom with modern thinking about change in ways that are relevant to everyone."

Warren Blank

President, The Leadership Group, author of The 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders and Leadership for Smart People

Book review from OnlineBookClub.org:
The writing style of the author is unique. As a work of nonfiction, I thought this book would be boring, but after reading the first chapter, I was intrigued. The way the author used biblical stories and some of his true-life events to explain his points made it more beautiful for me.

OnlineBookClub.org

Leadership consultant & my friend Russ Linden has a new book out, "Loss and Discovery: What the Torah Can Teach Us About Leading Change." It's fascinating, personal, and spiritual, and a great resource for anyone in leadership. Highly recommend.

Mike Signer

former mayor, City of Charlottesville, author of Demagogue: The Fight to Save Democracy from Its Worst Enemies

Buy The Book

The book is available in the bookstores!

(order form at the bottom of the page)