It's not just what you do, it's why you do it

A few years ago, in shul during chol hamoed Sukkot, I dropped my etrog. The pitom – the ‘stigma’ at the end on which depends the halachic status of the fruit – broke on the floor. I inwardly raged at my own clumsiness. Later, I contemplated that even had I not been a butterfingers, I had been entirely preoccupied with practicalities and was not absorbing the complex mixture of feasting and fragility that should characterise Sukkot. I’d been ‘all about the pitom’.

Simple idea

In his 2011 book, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action, Simon Sinek explained his valuable insight into human nature: the 'Golden Circle' suggests why certain businesses, inventions or even political ideas, are successful. We can hopefully use Sinek's Golden Circle to help us in our particular context of running US communities.

The ‘what’ of the outer circle (see the diagram, right), are the products of our work. The basic ‘what’ of many shuls is to produce gatherings of Jewish people. Etymology supports this claim: ‘beth knesset’ means ‘house of assembly’ and ‘synagogue’ comes from the Greek ‘synagein’, ‘to bring together’.

Then comes ‘how’, our methods of achieving the ‘what’ of Jews gathering. Perhaps in order to gather teens together, a shul might take part in Tribe’s peer-led learning programme. To provide a space for Jewish women, a community might run a women’s Friday night service.

But why?

We’re all capable occasionally of concentrating on the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of our work to the exclusion of other considerations. What we do and how, are usually clear, quantifiable and straightforward notions to rationalise and explain. A busy-sounding shul with a lot of ‘what’ going on, especially when the ‘how’ ideas are fresh and innovative, may feel like a successful one. And that impression might well be accurate.

It would be mistaken though, to think that even good-quality ‘what’ and ‘how’ factors are capable on their own of motivating people to associate with a community on more than a transitory, transactional basis. A busy shul is not necessarily a sign of a Jewish community that is flourishing in all the ways that we might want.

Sinek’s inner circle is the most important: ‘why’. Why do you create your ‘what’? Is there a compelling reason for your ‘what’ and ‘how’, which you believe in, and which other people can easily perceive, comprehend and adopt? The difference between producing a great deal of 'what', and having a clear 'why', might be very significant.

Marketing

Sinek uses Apple (the electronics manufacturer, not The Beatles' record company) as an example of how 'what, how, why' can work to sell products to consumers. Apple sells consumer electronics at premium prices because earlier than their competitors, Apple went beyond advertising the technical excellence - the what - and the sophistication - the how - of their products.

Sinek suggests that Apple marketed themselves as being ideologically motivated to create consumer products with beautiful design, not just as a means to an end - profit - but because this was a value in itself. This was their 'why'. Happily for Apple, many consumers wish to be considered people who themselves prioritise beautiful design.

Beyond what it says on the tin

People are not just 'consumers', and marketing electronics isn't the same as encouraging engagement with Jewish communities.

But if you consider Jewish organisations you know well, is it possible to discern motivations for what those organisations do, and how they do it? Can you think of a school, community, charity or youth group, which does more than ‘what it says on the tin’, but which expresses its motivation or ideals - the ‘why’ - through its activities? And might those motivations or ideals be the reasons for their popularity or success? Are home-cooked dinners or even lavish trips abroad, really the reason why people engage with them? (Particularly if the cooking isn't so great, or the trips to places which are not ostensibly attractive.) Or is success due to their motivations, whether expressed, implied or as they are commonly understood?

Putting aside your connection if any with individuals associated with these organisations (a crucial factor, but not dealt with here), is your feeling about the organisations themselves, one of loyalty or indifference? Is what exists between you a relationship with that organisation, or a mere set of encounters or transactions? Have you 'bought into' their why? (Perhaps share your thoughts in the Comments.)

It matters why

There is a gulf between a minyan and a kehilla, a full community. Both have their place, but no shul community is established with the aim of assembling for prayer and then wordlessly dispersing. This is one reason why lockdown has been so painful for shulgoers. Assembly of Jews is the 'what'; the 'how' perhaps varies most. But for many US members, at least part of the 'why' behind their attendance and engagement is a sense of belonging, voluntarily, to a group of Jews, and feeling at home with that association. Perhaps 'belonging' is a little broader and looser than 'community,' which arguably involves constantly active participation.

Start with principle

Sinek's Golden Circle reminds us that the strength of our members' association with our communities isn't due to having salmon ceviche at kiddush or even the most beautiful singing (though these 'how' considerations are not unimportant!). Rather, commitment arguably stems from us offering - prominently and consistently - the opportunity to belong, in the broadest, Yiddisher sense as well as the narrow membership one. The US Mission and Values are our guide to embodying that 'why'. The current US Chesed Appeal is an excellent example of our values informing action across the centre and communities, who can and do build their own 'why', creating a local focus which distinguishes them and generates engagement.

By starting with the 'why', we can resist envelopment by the constant busy-ness that can come with programming for the sake of programming. More importantly, we can continue to generate activities clearly stemming from our values, providing a durable motivational background with which our members can be proud to associate themselves and with which they wish to be associated by others.

We should take heart from Sinek's Golden Circle which, although 'only' a marketing idea, arguably represents an optimistic view of people's motivations.

In any case, if we all maintain our vision of belonging, hopefully there is less chance of anyone losing their temper over a broken pitom.