Jerusalem Archives - Page 5 of 25 - Michael Horesh Business Coach and Mentor

18 April 2019

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

This week, I attended at networking meeting in Jerusalem. Leading local companies were asked to present to a packed forum what they contribute to the local and international economies. Nothing too original in that, but together they made a loud deafening noise.

(I took no formal notes. So my observations are drawn from memory).

Let’s start with Intel. Always known for being the first prime high-tech company to set up in the Holy Land. And Israel is known within Intel as its first overseas r&d center. Today, the company employs over 12,000 Israelis directly, impacts on about 46,000 other workers, and is one of the country’s leading exporters.

The big news. As in the past, the next generation of chips entering millions of computers globally is being developed in Jerusalem.

By the way, my office is situated near the Intel facilities. Every day, you will see the company employing those from all walks of life, including all the religions.

Intel bought out Mobileye, which has partnerships with most leading car manufacturers. A spin off from Mobileye is OrCam, which is valued at over US$1 billion within a decade of being set up. OrCam helped blind people to vote in the recent general elections in Israel. It intends to help them to drive. And from there, it will help those with impaired and other disabilities.

The list goes on. Brix Software is powering Finntech services for CrossRiver Bank in New Jersey. Synamedia, which was spun out of Cisco, is providing the likes of SKY TV and many others encryption services. etc etc. It was a fascinating list of stories from the many speakers. All are desperately trying to recruit software engineers.

What does this all add up to?

Jerusalem has around one million citizens. As seemingly throughout its history, it is a hotbed of religious and diplomatic discourse. And yet, the city and its residents are making an exciting and positive impact on the lives of billions around the globe.

That is a story worth investing in. That is a story that the world can look to as an achievement. despite the odds.

15 April 2019

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Jerusalem

It was a great few hours last Sunday evening. A packed Jerusalem coffee house listened to two lecturers, explaining the connection between working out and improving your work environment.

(Side bar: To cut the technical jargon, there are four chemicals in the brain that do good things for us, when we activate them through exercise).

A business coach and mentor myself, I have spent much time over the past 15 years ensuring that I have to buy new running shoes every six months. It was only once I had started to train regularly that I realised how badly I missed it, when pesky things like holidays with the family began to get in the way.

And I will never forget the morning after my first full session at the gym. The body tingled for a whole day, and I am not the only one to remark like this. A very special feeling.

Daniel H. Pink is well known on the motivating circuit, A recent video of his asks how we can motivate ourselves to go out and to exercise regularly.

Basing his observations on the work of others, he argues that the ability to run (or swim or cycle or whatever) can be seen as a “gift”. It is not something we have to do, but we can choose to accept the option, or not.

For Pink, the question of whether to exercise or not can become an autonomous decision. We can control what we do. This approach helps to shake off the pressure of not being bothered with going out in the rain.

As if to prove the point, yesterday’s 9.30am client turned up straight from the gym. Shortly after our previous session, when they had very cautiously listened to me preaching about the virtues of getting off their backside, they had met a friend. That person was looking for a gym partner. To their surprise, my client immediately took up the suggestion and started to go.

My client now trains five times a week and he said:

Working out has added two hours of thinking time to my day.

But what for? I am often asked this by people. What is the benefit from all that extra effort?

Last week, I was part of a very interesting chat with friends. Each had learnt to run and each had completed a personal milestone. And we all agreed. Once you cross that finishing line, you almost automatically think to yourself: “What next?”.

And then you understand: You are not just looking for the next physical challenge. You wonder what else you can achieve at home and in the work environment.

29 March 2019

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Last week, I questioned if the Israeli economy truly needed another four years of a Netanyahu-style government. This comes on top of a warning from the Bank of Israel that growth is beginning to show signs of slowing down.

But not all is gloom and doom. Yesterday, I spent an exhilarating morning moderating a networking session between the Jerusalem Business Networking Forum and a delegation from Global New York. We were hosted by Biohouse, a brand new state-of-the-art hub for bio start ups in Jerusalem. The concept is so good that it is to be exported, first to Tel Aviv and shortly to New York.

This impressive centre is not all that is new in Jerusalem. For example, HIL Applied Medical Ltd. has signed an agreement to lease a 700 square-meter space from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem to set up a manufacturing centre. The total cost of the project will amount to approximately $5 million. And this is potentially dwarfed by the plans of Mapi Pharma, which intends to set up a facility to manufacture a drug to combat MS.

Elsewhere in Israel, the big chiefs of Citibank and Walmart have been visiting, and not just to look at the late winter storms. Skoda, owned by Volkswagen, is expanding its operations in the Holy Land. The Radicle Challenge is seeking to promote Israel’s resurgent agritech sector.

The thirst of American and European fund mangers to be a part of the start up nation does not seem to be ending anytime soon. The financial numbers are staggering.

I just these stunning macro figures would convert out more into the pockets of those millions not involved in the world of high-tech and innovation.

25 March 2019

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The 2014 speech by Admiral William H. McRaven went viral and is still going round Facebook. The core line is that marines are commanded to make their bed every day so that they start the morning with an achievement. Book that one small issue and then you will have the confidence to nail down more demanding tasks.

I was reminded about the video as I stared at a small glazed pot, roughly the size of the palm of my hand. That dark green, near useless item, has travelled with me for decades, gathering dust in various different homes. And last week, I found it a new shelf, as we were unpacking yet another box.

I reflected how I had made the pot when I was about nine years old. Compared to others in my class, it was nothing special. After all, I was no good at art. Even today, I draw the most primitive of pictures.

And yet, I began to recall how quietly ecstatic I was when the item had come out of the kiln. It had survived. I had created something.

I do not recall sharing my delight with too many people. I do not recall my teacher sharing with me any words of encouragement. I guess that the momentum was lost in the history of mankind. I was soon to drop pottery.

Also last week, I was discussing the next steps to be taken by the owner of a small Jerusalem-based business. Providing a unique service, she was beginning to think very ambitiously. As her business coach and mentor, my job was to help her to channel her motivation in order to compensate for a lack of certain skills.

Suddenly, it was clear from her face that she was getting cold feet. I assured her that her vision was fine. Now, instead of concentrating on the final stage – which is a long way off – that she should just ensure that she completes the first few tasks, and do so as best she can. With perspective restored, she walked tall out of the room, and I am looking forward to our next meeting in a couple of weeks.

For the record, I recently read that my school has introduced a series of art, needlework and creative classes for boys aged around 13-14. You wonder why?

As for the pot, I think that it is time to fill it with something more valuable than paperclips or similar.

11 March 2019

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Here’s a big sales tip: Never miss one of Bernadette McClelland’s short mentoring videos, always so insightful.

Bernadette’s latest two minute clip refers to the ABC of selling, and I quote:

ABC – Always be Closing – Meh!
ABC – Always be Connecting – Mmm!!
ABC – Always be Contributing – Magic!!!

However, she goes on to add a sting in the story. Some people sell so hard that they end up missing the point. In other words, minimal profit. Ouch!

I have recently faced two examples of this attitude with mentoring clients from the Jerusalem area.

In the first case, the seller was so determined to win the contract that he has climbed down to a point were he is working for a very low hourly rate. It can be argued that this deal will help him secure success with other clients. Maybe, but at what cost? And will he now be at ‘the mercy’ of the first customer?

In a second incident, my client nailed down a fantastic sell. The goods went out at a very lucrative price. However, because he is a nice guy and gets a buzz out of helping people, he threw in so many extras – at a cost of an enormous amount of time – that the profit level has been diminishing by the second.

Call it ABC – or even aleph, bet, gimel to give it a local connotation – your selling should not obligate you to give or to contribute so that it hurts. Why? Because that will stop you helping others downstream.

3 March 2019

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

It is about to arrive. OurCrowd’s annual Jerusalem investor summit will take place this week.

The show is sold out. Participants are expected from over 150 countries, and I intend to meet a few of them at a client later on today. All for an operation that has been going less for a decade and will place investments from US$10,000 upwards. So what is the big deal?

The Globes newspaper answered the question very succinctly recently, and the article includes a full interview with the CEO, Jon Medved.

30,000 investors are registered in OurCrowd’s crowdfunding platform. Figures provided by the company to “Globes” show that in 2018 alone, the fund raised $400 million and invested in 80 companies: 24 new investments, 56 follow-on investments, and four investment funds. The fund was involved in 29 exits, the most prominent of which were BriefCam, sold for $90 million to Canon, and Jump, sold for $200 million to Uber. In 2019, OurCrowd has already been involved in the sale of Corephotonics to Samsung for $155 million.

I was stunned by a further set of stats I read in another paper over the weekend.

OurCrowd relies on over 170 experts
An investor will typically receive at least 5% of the shares of a company
About 10% of the investors are Israeli.
The average amount invested each time is around US$350,000. And a total of over US$1 billion has been raised to date.
3 companies have reached a valuation of over a US$1 billion. A further 37 are worth over US$100 million.
And yes, 13 companies closed up.

I am somewhat stunned that others have not copied this model. There again, these numbers do explain why thousands of international investors, assumedly many from countries not normally associated with Israel, will be converging on Jerusalem this week.

1 March 2019

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Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been charged with three counts of breach of trust and one count of bribery.

For years, I have considered Netanyahu a great Finance Minister – just right for what was need in his time on the job. At the top, he has been excellent in extending Israel’s connections with many countries, which had previously ignored the state. However, I am not too sympathetic regarding his current legal problems, although he has many articulate followers.

The web is full of comment and satire. I would just like to draw my readers attention to a couple of readings.

The Fall and the Fall of the Smollett Empire by David Wiseman is a seemingly innocuous blog. He makes the well known point that if you lie and are caught out, it is rarely best to lie again in order to cover up. Wiseman surmises:

The worst thing about scandals is that people in positions of power manipulate the trust that comes with that position- in order to facilitate the cover-up. “Do you think we would actually do bad stuff? We’re the ones you come to when you have problems.” ….This is what incompetent educators, crooked politicians, bent police and morally bankrupt clergy stand behind which makes the original crime even more horrific.

Sometimes, society is complicit in the cover-up, burying its head in the sand as the truth is too upsetting to hear.

Hmm. I think it is obvious how I draw a connection to the Netanyahu issue.

In parallel, Matthew Kalman was active on Facebook last night. He drew the attention of his audience to a book he had co-authored back in 2013: Pyschobibi.

Great title, but what does it mean? The writers are journalists, not psychologists, but they argued that Netanyahu is driven by two background conditions. First, his father was a political outsider and learned to cope with that rejection. Second, his father preferred the elder son Yoni, something which the brother found difficult to accept.

The upshot is not just a will to succeed, almost at all costs. I am not sure that I agree with all of the premise. However, you have to wonder. Why in the name of the devil has Netanyahu ensured that the ultra right wing, Otzma Yehudit party, will be represented in the next Kenesset?

The point is that this group is the direct descendent of Rabbi Meir Kahana, who was murdered two decades ago. Accused of nationalist socialist policies, I clearly remember as a university student going to hear him rabble rouse in 1981 in Jerusalem to decide for myself. I had just finished a course on the rise of Hitler. The man spoke just like – themes and mannerisms – the former German Chancellor. I was disgusted.

And it is those policies that Netanyahu wants to see in the next Kenesset, at least in order to keep himself in power. I do not want to say any more.

22 February 2019

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Hillel Fuld is one of the world’s top 10 tech bloggers. His latest post answering the question why is Israel still ‘the start up nation to follow’ is highly recommended viewing.

However, when it comes to entrepreneurship, Israel is not just about high-tech. Every Tuesday, you can find me at MATI’s office in southern Jerusalem. I spend up to five hours meeting with innovators. Nothing seemingly obvious links them together – neither age, religion, gender, nor even academic background. They all have a burning desire to…………

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And there’s the rub. I get to hear about everything from importing and exporting unique foods to an entertainment park to a medical centre to an innovative form of advertising, There is seemingly no end to the list. And the diary of full for next Tuesday.

MATI has promoted thousands of new businesses over the decades. It also has a special programme, via the Ministry of Absorption, to assist new immigrants. I have been associated with a multitude of projects in Jerusalem – special activities for children, art studios, high-tech, female empowerment, health centre, security services for Africa, etc, etc, etc. Again, I rarely cease to be amazed at the range of creativity.

This Thursday, in my capacity as business coach and mentor, I visited the Israel Center for Entrepreneurship (ICE). Located in the north west of Jerusalem, it is a ‘wework’ type environment for ultraorthodox Jews with high-tech projects. It opened its doors in August 2018 with a capacity of 120 spots. Six months later, the place is almost full.

Benyamin Claymen and Ya’akov Hudson have onboarded a fascinating array of start-ups. For example, I met with three engaged in various aspects of Fintech, each applying themselves to different markets; (USA, Latin America, and the UK). In parallel, I was introduced to associates engaged in social entrepreneurship, using tech to impact on individuals and communities.

What is especially encouraging was to observe the involvement of the Jerusalem Development Authority. Sitting down with their representatives and then enabling them to meet with teams on a one-on-one basis was singularly productive.

Hillel Fuld among others looks for a common theme. Is it that concept of the ‘drive to survive’? I am not sure. Other have pointed to government schemes and army background. The Mediterranean sun? Maybe.

In any event, Jerusalem is a city thriving with innovation and entrepreneurship. It is a thrill and joy to live daily.

25 January 2019

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It’s election time in Israel, always a dodgy period for any country’s economy. Financial markets look on anxiously. Bankers are concerned for long term growth traded off in return for short term political gains.

And yet this week, Israel was given a major vote of confidence from three separate and independent sources.

Let’s start with Ryanair, albeit not every travelers favourite low cost flier these days. However, it is still a key player in the travel market. It is been operating in Israel for just over three years, and CEO Michael O’Leary’ visit did not limit his praise for the results so far.

People are fed up with destinations like the Canary Islands and such places. Israel has wonderful beaches and very good food. If we can offer reasonable prices then Israel with its weather and beautiful beaches can become a preferred destination. We can bring millions more to Israel. We can grow as fast as the authorities allow us to.

In other words, if Ryanair is currently handling about 600,000 people a year in and out of the Holy Land, they are looking to treble that number at the very least.

Moving over to high-tech, Bloomberg paid Israel a massive compliment. It placed the country 5th (up from 10th) in its 2019 Innovation Table. By way of comparison, it was only slightly off from South Korea, Germany, Finland and Switzerland, who came in ahead. Israel was also light years ahead of the next Middle East country.

Third, but of equal importance was the new trade deal that the UK has announced that it intends to sign with Israel. As Westminster seeks to prepare for a post Brexit era, this news comes in addition to the new agreement between the two countries to reduce tax on investments.

UK-Israel bilateral trade reached a record $10 billion (£7 billion) in 2018. As one commentary noted:

A UK Government White Paper on trade in 2011 identified Israel as a trade priority for post-Brexit Britain because of the potential synergies between Israel’s high levels of innovation and British strengths in design, business growth and finance, as well as the UK’s own high-technology and scientific strengths.

Postscript:

Whilst I was writing this blog, I was told that the lower house of the Dail, the Parliament in Dublin, had passed a law boycotting Israeli products from the West Bank.

Does that mean they will boycott a plane, serviced by a person who lives in the West Bank? What about Intel products, worked on by people who live in that area? And as for all that potential trade that can create jobs…………..?

As Rachel Riley has argued, it is a pity for everyone, if not down right disgusting, that the majority Ireland’s elected politicians have chosen to be so selective (sic)!

12 January 2019

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Israel, the start up nation: a record US$6.4 billion of investment poured into 623 start up deals in 2018. Foreign exchange reserves ended higher at the end of the year. And growth forecasts for 2019, even if they have been trimmed back recently, still remain at a comparatively healthy 3.1%.

However, what often counts in an economy are the micro figures. It is the combination of many small businesses, that when they are generally somehow managing to progress – stutter forward – together, then economies have a base from which to take off.

For example, in Israel, the Arab sector is gradually finding its way into the high-tech arena. In Jerusalem, ICE, a new co-working space opened up in August, catering for the specific needs of the ultra-orthodox community.

MATI, an NGO, which helps new businesses in the Jerusalem region, received 4, 530 inquiries during 2018. It prepared over 300 business plans and secured loans worth over US$12 million. (And I should disclose that I am proud to be one of the many business mentors who have been helping some of these entrepreneurs open up and develop their enterprises).

In the West Bank (settlements), the official population level reached 448,672 people. Nearly 13,000 joined the numbers in 2018, a slightly slower rate of growth than for the past decade. Naturally, this population change opens up some of the peripheral areas of the country.

For me, one of the most important stats revolves around the growing role of women in the domestic economy. I would not say that all is perfect. However, one new forum is training 2,500 orthodox women in computer sciences. And the employment level in the traditionally conservative female Arab sector has shot up to 40%.

What next in 2019? Who knows what will be the fall out from the general election in April and the probably multiple charges against the Prime Minister? In the global economy, China-USA trade wars and Brexit could have multiple repercussions.

It should be remembered that Israel survived the 2008 credit crunch better than most. The current state of its micro economy indicates that the underlying infrastructure is predominantly resilient.

11 January 2019

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…hopelessness is the saddest of human emotions, especially when it follows upon the excitement of hopefulness. The moment when hopes are dashed and dreams abandoned is, for me, the saddest moment of all.

Thus wrote Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb when discussing the position of the children of Israel in Egypt. They had fallen from the euphoria of the protection of Joseph down to the slavery of a new pharaoh. For Weinreb, this is arguably the saddest point in the five books of Moses.

Many different types of people enter my office to receive business mentoring or coaching. And it is not just because I am located in Jerusalem that I find the above reflection ironic.

Some clients walk in with a pretend an aurora of strength and some place their weakness right out on the table. When you come in to an office like mine, it is because you need some commercial guidance. Frequently, people have started out with high aspirations, but things have not worked out as anticipated. Most are (eventually?) prepared to take on the challenge of my methods and to change.

Others question themselves and then seek my approval to give up. The problem for them is that I do not take on clients if I think that their project / concept / operation has minimal value. Thus, I do not readily offer them the path of turning back.

How can I instill in them a feeling of hope? As I explained to somebody this week, my role is to allow them to hold on to the true meaningfulness of what they are trying to achieve. That will provide a large beam of light to aim for.

Over the past few days, I have been working with a couple of teams, both separately aiming to establish large projects in the tourism trade. They are not easy to pull together. In fact. the odds are stacked against them.

However, all involved are learning so much and in a short passage of time. They are getting much satisfaction out of their struggles. And they are clearly overcoming the barriers, one by one. Many of my teachers from schooldays would have called this approach stupidity. Others today view this as resilience. And the despair of my clients is gradually being left behind.

I have just watched a clip on Facebook of a young man from Far East Asia. He has no legs. He ‘walks’ around placing two stool-like objects in front of him, one after the other. The film pans out to reveal him shopping with his wife. The last clip is of him, pottering around quite normally at home.

Clearly this is somebody who did not give up.

6 January 2019

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In a statement today from Israel’s Minister of Tourism, Yariv Levin stated:

In 2018, we have reached an amazing and historic record with over 4.12 million tourists arriving in Israel. We have broken incoming tourism records and this achievement is the direct result of intensive work that we are doing at the Tourism Ministry. This achievement is a result of a revolutionary change in marketing strategy; infrastructure development; opening direct routes from new destinations and creating collaborations with some of the largest travel agents in the world. Incoming tourism makes a huge contribution to both Israel’s economy and its’ image.

His DG, Amir Halevi, added

This is the second consecutive record-breaking year in incoming tourism to Israel and this year we have crossed the threshold of 4 million tourists in a year…… We are optimistic about 2019 that begins with the opening of the new international airport at Timna, that will enable us to continue bringing new flights to Eilat. What was considered a fantasy a few years ago is today a reality

Not bad for a country with no natural borders to Europe or the USA. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, revenue from tourism in 2018 reached about $5.8 billion (about NIS 22 billion).

Apparently, the top six source countries to Israel for incoming tourism are the United States (897,100), France (346,000), Russia (316,000), Germany (262,500), UK (217,900) and Italy (150,600). – those very countries most exposed to the campaigns to boycott Israel.

A statement from the ministry added:

In 2018, leading international market research firm EuroMonitor named Jerusalem as the fastest-growing tourism destination in the world…… In 2018, 61% of all tourists were Christian, 22% were Jews, 12.1% were not affiliated, 1.8% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhists, 0.5% were Hindus, and 0.1% were Bahais and 1.7% others.

Here’s to the success of 2019.

25 December 2018

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Tuesday morning, Christmas day. A bit chilly, but the sun is shinning. No snow in the Jerusalem hills and none down the road in Bethlehem.

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics has just released some figures re the Christian community in the Holy Land, arguably the sole place in the Middle East where the numbers are increasing. And I quote directly: –

Approximately 175,000 Christians live in Israel; they comprise about 2% of the State of Israel’s population.
77.7% of the Christians in Israel are Arab Christians.
In 2017, the Christian population grew by 2.2%, compared to 1.4% in the previous year.
The increase in growth resulted mostly from the immigration of 597 Falash Mura Christians from Ethiopia.
Most of the Christian Arabs reside in the northern part of Israel: 70.6% reside in the Northern District.
40.9% of the non-Arab Christians reside in the Tel Aviv and Central Districts; another 33.8% reside in the Northern and Haifa Districts.
The localities with the largest Arab Christian population were Nazareth (22,100), Haifa (15,800), Jerusalem (12,600), and Shefar’am (10,200), as of the end of 2017.
800 Christian couples married in Israel in 2016. The median age at the first marriage of Christian grooms in 2016 was 29.2, and that of Christian brides was 25.6.
In 2017, 2,504 infants were born to Christian women, about 75% of whom were born to Arab Christian women (1,877 infants).
Among all students studying toward a first degree, Christian Arabs were most highly represented in the following fields: public administration (14.2%), history of Israel (12.1%), and the multi-disciplinary humanities program (10.7%).
Women constituted 75.2% of Christians studying toward a second degree, compared to 62.7% among all students studying toward a second degree.
Compared to Arab Moslem students, the percentage of Arab Christian students studying education and teacher preparation was lower, and the percentage studying engineering, architecture, law, and medicine was higher.

The numbers are not large, but they are the follow up to a major act in the world’s history. Funny how the open roles of Christians in Israel, in Jerusalem, never seem to be reported with the honesty that they deserve.

21 December 2018

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It has been a quiet week. A chance finally to update my LinkedIn profile. And that should be an easy task for me to write, as I am a business coach and mentor?

Hmm. How to write in 120 syllables what I do? How to text out an elevator pitch? It could read too generalistic. More pondering.

As I was driving home, I was contacted by a customer, who had been taking a break from meeting me in order to absorb and to implement what we had been discussing. He asked me to recall how I had suggested to him that before taking out a large commercial loan, he sorted out his personal loan.

Bottom line. The bank has agreed to slash the rate of interest he pays, saving him thousands of shekels in the process. Further, they are now revamping his request for a commercial loan, both for a higher amount and with much improved terms.

Cool! And it spurred me to think about what other projects I had been involved with over the past few days.

One of my current favourite case studies concerns a finance intermediary company, facilitating loans worth tens of millions of shekels annually to families and businesses who usually ‘fall between the gap’. The CEO has been worried that his sales force are not effective enough, despite a healthy bonus system.

I have been gradually introducing the owner to alternative forms of ‘incentives’, often seen as the one word to summarise the entire theorem of economics. Had he asked his staff what motivates them? Had he realised that different people are motivated for different reasons and by different means? What is it about his new employee that makes him an immediate success, and from which others can learn?

In other words, this ten year old company is on the verge of restructuring its back office sales structure. All this from a CEO, who had originally informed me outright that he did not believe I could mentor him.

And the two subjects that particularly motivate me at the moment? I am thrilled to be involved in the expansion of the services of one of the business hubs in Jerusalem. More on that another time.

Second, a provider of medical services has called me in. Formally, they only opened their doors less than two years ago. With minimal outreach and with even less advertising, they are already attracting hundreds of people a week. Effectively, they are entrusting their confidence in me to show them how they can create a stable business model to finance a multi-operational facility in Jerusalem.

On reflection, I find that there is a single factor connect all of these (and several other) exciting projects. I cannot claim to be an expert in most of the specific fields of activity. However, that is the role of a mentor and coach; to use core generic skills, developed through a range of experiences, to understand how to bring out the best talents in their customers and to offer a multiple of customised approaches.

And it really is fun to be involved with these people. The question is how to put all this on LinkedIn?

18 December 2018

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In March 2018, Israel’s Prime Minister gave a rousing speech to a group of supporters in America. After touching on geopolitical issues, Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) quickly moved on to comment on the strength of the Israeli economy. At the 9 minute mark he said:

We made it (the economy) stronger by moving to free market principles, which unleashed a spark of genius…..

He probably would not want to be reminded that this process was started in the middle of the 1980s by his arch enemy, the late Shimon Peres. Ironical. And as finance minister 15 years later, Bibi carried the success further forward.

What is not ironical, but sure seems hypocritical, is the Prime Minister’s current handling of matters.

Before explaining, I must point out that Bibi is the PM, Foreign Minister and Defense Minister, as well as holding at least 2 other portfolios. He is not the Minister of Finance, but his influence is there to be seen.

Ostensibly, the official rate of inflation remains low in Israel, a little over 1% annually. However, the shelves of supermarkets are dominated by about ten local food manufacturers or importers, and their prices have increased significantly in recent years. Public utilities, such as the electricity company and local water authorities, are set to introduce new price hikes. The cost of bread, a staple of poorer families, is also expected to rise. And thus it comes as no surprise that the yellow-jacket symbols of Paris have now reached the streets of Tel Aviv.

Under a free market economy, the government should be saying: “Sorry, as unfortunate as this may be, there is nothing we can do”. In fact, in direct contradiction to the stirring words of the Prime Minister, the very opposite is happening. It is intervening. There will be a limited increase in the price of bread. A smaller shift in the cost of power and water is in preparation.

And how will this be paid for? Higher taxes, in all likelihood. In other words, more intervention.

The Minister of Finance, Moshe Kahlon, is a coalition partner of Bibi and they are sworn foes. The two are considered the smartest political movers in town. Kahlon has agreed to keep deferring duties on the imports of some food products. I should be grateful?

How about relaxing all duties? How about allowing the import of fruits and vegetables for those items when they are not in season in Israel? Why does a carton of Alpro soya milk cost 2.5 times as much in Jerusalem as it does in London, to give one example?

You have got to wonder just how indebted are the politicians to these strong interest groups in the economy that they lack the political will and skill to set the Israeli economy truly free?

11 December 2018

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Every now and again, business owners have to face up to that dreaded task of updating or upgrading their presence on social media. For many, especially those who run SMEs, small and medium sized enterprises, the very thought of such change can be emotionally exhausting – and I am not exaggerating.

Just recently, I took on the task of revamping my own presence on LinkedIn. I decided that it was time to do this properly, and I have been investing hours in a self-learning process. Most of the blogs have concentrated on creating a winning profile. I can offer that the Top Dog Social Media Company is particularly thorough on this aspect.

Others look at strategy creation. And a surprisingly relatively few number of articles relate your LinkedIn efforts to raking in clients. After all, let’s be frank. We write subtle and glowing praise about ourselves in order to generate additional revenues.

As I was doing my homework, I felt that something was missing in the process. Late last night, the ‘very obvious’ dawned on me. Before I could move ahead, I had to define four stages, and do so in a most clean, clear and pertinent manner.

Define what I do
Explain why I am successful at that task, and thus….
What I deliver
What are the results

Agreed, nothing too revolutionary in the first line. However, adding in the next three and also demanding specific statements that can be validated, now that is something very challenging.

As a business mentor and coach, surely I should have been aware of the fundamentals of this process. Yes. I have to admit to my guilt.

There again, as I recalled to a fitness instructor in Jerusalem this week, I remember talking to a top software sales person, who informed me that they do not update the antivirus on their home computer. (The instructor observed that he has become too casual about how he uses gym equipment and is slovenly about changing his own routines.)

And how to go about completing these four stages? Few can do it properly on their own. I strongly advise taking on the help of second party to bounce off ideas and who is not afraid to offer their own thoughts….that you may not wish to hear.

6 December 2018

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Jerusalem

My client finally turned up for their second meeting. He was late and the gap had been far too long. I could tell immediately that progress had been minimal, and that is being complimentary. I may be operating in the holy city of Jerusalem, but it was clearly time to “kick some aXXe”.

It is my job as a business mentor to find a way through the billowing clouds of excuses and to jolt people forward towards their commercial vision. I had a plan for the gentleman, and I was going to take no prisoners along the way.

I had taken stock of what I had to work with. Young, quietly clever, a very talented sales assistant, and relatively new to the city, our hero had little commercial background. However, I assumed (correctly) that he carried a hidden determination to succeed.

I laid out my pitch. It was time to stop talking about theories and to create a practical action plan. Agreed. OK, I asked, what is your target? The response: a few clients over the winter, although a 100 are needed to establish traction.

Fine, I said. We are going for 200 in 3 months. Gasp. Surprise. I then demanded a work schedule from next week, as to how he would haul in the magic 100. The key is to start from the end. In other words, understand what needs to be done in the final week, and then in the penultimate week. Etc. The confusion dissipated into full engagement. He had decided to enjoy the journey.

We laid out the basic “offer”. We determined the “how”. We considered “why” clients will buy in. We analysed his weaknesses, suggesting solutions to each one.

Sixty minutes later, the white board was pretty filthy. My client was looking bemused. Before entering my office, he had some vague concept. He was leaving with a lot of homework, and very much up for the fight.

And what had been the trigger? He was prepared to change, and I had seen that in the first meeting. I was able to utilize that fearless flexibility in him.

By the beginning of next week, he is expected to have drawn up a time chart to ensure he can fit in all the tasks over the coming weeks. Speak to me at the end of the winter to see what happened. 20181206_150020

5 December 2018

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Jerusalem

Many argue that we are a slave to technology and the pop up menus of the social media platforms around us. On average, we check our phones 150 times a day. We are afraid of missing something……when we think we already know it all…. and then crave more info.

In a compelling analysis, Tristan Harris recalled that:

Cornell professor Brian Wansink demonstrated this in his study showing you can trick people into keep eating soup by giving them a bottomless bowl that automatically refills as they eat. With bottomless bowls, people eat 73% more calories than those with normal bowls and underestimate how many calories they ate by 140 calories.

This week, wearing my hat as business mentor and coach, I was interviewing people in Jerusalem. In one hour sessions, the aim was to understand their concept, give them some initial advice and then consider how they may approach official agencies to receive additional coaching.

The first customer of the day strutted in. With the briefest of intros, he wanted to know if we could prepare a business plan for him.

A fair request, but I needed more info in order to answer. Very quickly, he interrupted my approach. The questions were declared irrelevant. He demanded a yes / no answer. I tried to explain, but was interrupted. I tried again, but I could that his patience levels were diminishing far quicker than the daily life of my mobile battery.

I was then asked if I could write the plan. I replied that in theory that was possible, but I felt there was not enough chemistry between the two sides. To my surprise, this comment was taken as an insult. On reflection, I suppose that he had assumed that if we were sitting in the same room, we have clicked and thus the next stage will happen automatically.

My point is that I felt that he had been tricked. He had treated me like Google. He had expected to walk in, ask, and be answered on the spot. Who needs an hour? Waste of time. Turn out a biz plan today so that the bank will me the loan tomorrow, no?

Social media is here to stay. However, it has changed thought processes. Those like Harris may argue that it has diminished our ability to think and to help ourselves.

The role of a business mentor is to pose questions that people are uncomfortable with. The success of Facebook et al will not take that power away from me. The question remains if we can retain our ability to realise that the importance of human intelligence.

26 November 2018

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Item One: Last week, several anti-Israel protesters took to the streets of London. As members of the LGBT community, they were protesting against the performance of the Israeli singer, Netta. What a video of the event clearly brought out was the ignorance of the demonstrators, because Netta herself is a proud to associate herself with LGBT.

Netta’s visit to the UK was action packed. She went on to appear at an event on behalf of British Airways. It was only a few months previous that she had been introduced to Prince William, who is just two places away from being the King of England. Imagine boycotting those royal institutions. Bizarre!

Item Two: Where the BDS – boycott movement – against Israel seemingly recorded some success was the threatening announcement of Airbnb. This global brand has a jaw-dropping 150 million users on its mobile app . As senior commentator Tom Gross observed: Airbnb is targeting “Jewish owned” properties in the West Bank. “There are about 200 other disputed regions in the world but Airbnb will not be boycotting any of these others (for example, Turkish occupied Northern Cyprus, Chinese-occupied Tibet, Crimea, Moroccan occupied Western Sahara, and so on).”

In his weekly report, Tom Gross also added with great contrast how a “female BDS activist, Jess Balding, has fallen in love with a female Israeli soldier and converted to Judaism. Balding has now moved to Israel and says she now wants to study to be a rabbi.” Maybe she will meet Netta?

Item Three: Dodging between this hypocritical noise is the not-so-well-known Idriss Deby, the President of Chad. His visit to Jerusalem this week is significant because, he is not just the leader of a country, which is 60% Muslim. HIs territory is full of raw materials such as oil and gold.

Deby has received full coverage. In similar fashion, Prime Minister Netanyahu has openly travelled to Bahrain and Oman in recent weeks. And who knows what is happening behind the diplomatic scenes between Saudi Arabia and the Holy Land?

Which reminds me: Did you hear the news about Saudi’s boycott of………..the Palestinians?

Yes, it is stupid. Actually, it is worse. BDS is malicious and hateful. But could you imagine what would happen if the movement was really successful?

Item Four: “Sniffphone“. I kid you not with the name. You see………..

Israeli Professor Hossam Haick of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology was awarded the European Commission Innovation Prize last week for his invention of the SNIFFPHONE, a device that uses nanotechnology sensors to analyze particles on the breath and is able to pinpoint to exact diseases, like certain kinds of cancer, pulmonary and even the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases.

Haick is not Jewish. And while the country may not be perfect, as far as possible, Israel practices pluralism. Thus its citizens come up with these invention that can have a truly positive global impact.

However, BDS would have you believe that this life-saving product should be boycotted, like Netta. Strange? Funny? Bizarre? Or just downright anti-Semitic, the very antithesis of pluralism.

21 November 2018

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Jerusalem

It’s over a decade ago now, when a workman turned up an hour late. He briskly entered, telling me off for deliberately giving him the wrong address. I was too bemused to object.

Yesterday, a gentleman arrived 40 minutes late for an interview, complaining that the place was very difficult to get to. Hmm, as I considered all the others in the office. However, what should I respond and when?

I decided to hold back, looking for a more appropriate moment. And my reasoning was very clear to me. For most of us when we are late, it is because we have not left nearly enough time to arrive on time. Why? Usually it is because we are unnerved by what is in front of us or we do not belief it is of value.

Thus, we drag out that cup of coffee. We miss the earlier bus. We sneak in an extra phone call. And all of this is done, while we try to fool ourselves that we are seriously trying to be ‘on time’ for our appointment.

And in the end, the only people we really fool are….. indeed ourselves.

Back to my critical gentleman friend. We sat and discussed. As a business mentor, did I believe that he could set up this concept – it is a service based venture – in the Jerusalem area? Yes, I responded very categorically, and his eyes lit up. “But on one condition!”

Panic swept across his face. I continued. “You need to change. You are seeking to provide a service for others. You cannot blame them for your mistakes.”

The moment he asked me to explain further, he realised his mistake. “If you want to be late for a meeting, I don’t mind. You pay for my time. However, don’t you expect a higher standard from yourself?”

To drive home the point, I did not say anything else. I let my facial expression exclaim ‘do not blame me for you not valuing my time with the respect it deserves’.

Our hero of the story signed up for a series of sessions on how to develop his new business.

Pages

Jerusalem – a global high-tech influence

My business mentor wants to motivate me through exercise! What for?

Israel’s economy – pre 2019 General Election

The admiral, a clay pot and your abilities

The ABC of selling; unexpected punchline

International investors conference in Jerusalem

2 quick observations on Bibi Netanyahu

Israeli entrepreneurship – living it day by day

Israel’s economy. Starting 2019 with 3 key takeaways, and their significance

The unknown numbers of Israel’s economy

When should you give up a work project?

How, and why, over 4 million people forgot to boycott Israel in 2018

Christian Christmas in Jerusalem, 2018

Looking for a quick lesson assessing the value of a business coach?

Israel’s free market economy, or not?

The hardest part of updating your LinkedIn profile, and a solution

When a white board is your motivator

A “funny” thing happened on the way to boycotting Israel.

“I am late, and it’s your fault”

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"Michael helped my high tech company take off."

"Michael has been an invaluable resource to me throughout all of the steps of starting up my business."

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