Heart of Management

Category: Human Resources

  • “Your Best Candidate? Might Not Even Make It Past the Filters.”

    It always starts the same way.

    You sit down with HR.

    Open the spreadsheet.

    Go through the checklist:

    Degree. Experience. Background.

    Olympic-level Excel skills.

    You tick boxes.

    Cross off names.

    Tighten the filters.

    And you’re left with five.

    Five candidates who all look…

    basically the same.

    Same language.

    Same path.

    Same boundaries.

    And then comes the frustration:

    “There’s no excellence here. No spark.”

    But really—what did you expect?

    You wrote a spec for a robot.

    And you’re surprised Einstein didn’t show up?

    I’ve seen this play out time and time again:

    A massive pool of fresh grads—hungry, talented, lacking only experience.

    Another of older professionals—even retirees—with a lifetime of knowledge.

    And they all have one thing in common:

    The system filters them out.

    Not because they’re not good.

    But because they don’t fit the fine print.

    My turning point?

    I once pushed for a candidate who didn’t meet a single formal requirement.

    But something about him stood out.

    When they asked:

    “Why are you insisting on him?”

    I said:

    “Because I’m not hiring a checklist.

    I’m hiring a human being.”

    Since then, I’ve been drawn to people who don’t fit neatly into boxes:

    • The ones who haven’t done it—yet—but clearly can.

    • The ones who don’t look like everyone else, but see further.

    • The ones who’ll challenge me, not just blend in.

    So here’s the agenda:

    If you truly want excellence—

    don’t be afraid to go off-spec.

    Because the best people weren’t born ISO-compliant.

    They were born with a spark.

    And with a bit of courage,

    you can be the one who gives it space to catch fire.

  • The Dishwasher Was Empty.

    But She Was Still Standing There.

    I was proud of myself.

    The dishwasher was empty.

    Dishes were clean. Counters wiped down.

    Just like in the commercials.

    Then my wife walked in.

    She looked around.

    Said nothing.

    Just stood there, hands on hips, eyebrows raised.

    You know the look.

    I smiled like a hero and said,

    “All done!”

    She didn’t smile back.

    She just tilted her chin toward the counter:

    “What about that?”

    And yeah…

    The counter did look like someone made a tuna sandwich in the dark.

    But in my head?

    Not my problem.

    I had a task: dishwasher.

    Mission accomplished.

    Then she hit me with this:

    “You’re not taking a math test.

    It’s not about what was assigned.

    It’s about seeing the whole picture.”

    Boom.

    Right there, holding a dish towel in one hand and a coffee cup in the other,

    I saw it all.

    My team.

    My coworkers.

    The familiar phrases:

    “That’s not my responsibility.”

    “I did my part.”

    “No one told me…”

    And it hit me

    That’s the difference between an employee and a leader.

    Employees wait for assignments.

    Leaders notice what’s needed.

    Sure, the dishwasher was empty.

    But my brain?

    It was full.

    Because I finally understood:

    It doesn’t matter how well you executed your task

    if you missed the bigger picture.

    Since that day at home and at work

    I stopped asking “What was I told to do?”

    And started asking:

    “What’s really needed right now?”

    Ever had one of those moments where you were so focused on the task,

    you forgot to look up and see the full picture?

  • Quick change? That only works in a microwave.

    Consultants flew in from overseas.

    Slick slides.

    A big vision.

    A one-year plan and voilà! Operational excellence.

    Sounds impressive, right?

    But then I looked around.

    My people were barely keeping up with the day-to-day.

    Line breakdowns.

    Customers pushing hard on the phone.

    Marketing pushing discounts.

    Sales making promises we couldn’t deliver on.

    And in the middle of all that?

    Learn a whole new system?

    Change the entire workflow?

    Achieve excellence?

    I told myself:

    “They saw the plan.

    I see the people.”

    And I really saw them.

    Running from meeting to email,

    Exhausted. Confused. Stressed.

    Going through the motions of change just trying to survive the day.

    So I did something no management book teaches.

    I opened the contract.

    I scaled back the consulting.

    And I extended the timeline by a year and a half.

    Yes, a year and a half.

    Because real change doesn’t happen under pressure.

    There are no magic tricks.

    You can’t buy it in a deck of slides.

    Real change happens

    when the pace matches the heartbeat of your organization.

    Ever tried to push a change too fast

    and the system just spit it back out?

  • My best hire didn’t check a single box.

    It all started with a conversation at an event.

    I ran into someone I know who said:

    “There’s someone you have to interview.”

    I asked, “What’s his background?”

    He said, “Humanities.”

    (At that point, I had to stop myself from raising an eyebrow.)

    I gently said:

    “Listen, I manage an industrial company.

    We usually hire engineers or business graduates for roles like this,

    not liberal arts majors.”

    But he insisted.

    So I scheduled a meeting.

    Out of politeness.

    And maybe because something about the recommendation made me curious enough to say yes.

    At the very first meeting, I told him straight:

    “I honestly don’t see the fit.”

    (Maybe I wasn’t all that polite. I hope he doesn’t remember.)

    But… he didn’t flinch.

    He listened. He responded.

    He asked smart questions. He clarified. He illuminated.

    And slowly, instead of seeing a mismatch,

    I started to see… potential.

    We met again.

    I pushed him harder.

    Raised even more concerns.

    Laid out a salary that was clearly below what he could hope for.

    And still he wanted it.

    Not out of desperation.

    Not to prove something.

    He just believed it was the right place for him to grow and contribute.

    I sent him to my boss.

    The interview ended with:

    “I see why you’re excited, but this is really out there.”

    I asked, “Is it my decision, or are you vetoing it?”

    He said, “It’s your call. Just know, it’s highly unusual.”

    I hired him.

    And today?

    He’s a senior manager. One of the best we have.

    Leadership Tip:

    If you’re hiring and aiming for excellence,

    don’t settle for candidates who just fit the job description.

    Try writing a role profile that reflects what you actually need

    not just degrees or past titles,

    but real capabilities and potential.

    Look for people who align with where you’re going,

    not just where you are.

    Sometimes,

    those who have the seed of excellence

    won’t fit the mold your organization expects—

    they break it.

    And that’s exactly why they shine.

  • Five Questions Great Managers Ask — Even When They’re Uncomfortable

    Management isn’t about having all the answers.

    It’s about knowing how to ask the questions that are easiest to avoid.

    The ones that open real conversations.

    That don’t go down easy.

    That don’t start with “How’s that task going?”

    So here are five questions that changed the way I talk to my team.

    And sometimes… the way I talk to myself.

    What do you need from me that I’m probably not seeing? (It feels risky. It’s also incredibly valuable.)

    If I disappeared for a week what wouldn’t happen here? (A good answer can show you your real value or where you’re over-involved.)

    What’s hardest for you to say to me? (Not a question about weakness. A question about trust.)

    When did you give your 100% and get nothing in return? (It hurts. But it tells you what really matters to your people.)

    What am I not asking that I should be? (This is the question of managers who know that real leadership starts with what’s left unsaid.)

    This isn’t a checklist.

    It’s a key.

    Ask one this week.

    Just one.

    And see what happens when you ask not to check a box

    but to truly listen.

  • Got a “good” question? Ask it.

    Even if you’re the manager.

    Especially if you’re the manager.

    You know that moment in a meeting when someone drops a term…

    And your whole body signals:

    “Of course. Of course I know what CAC is. I’m the manager, after all.”

    But your mind goes:

    “If someone shouts at me right now ‘What’s CAC?’ – I’ll just head out for a coffee break and never come back.”

    So you smile, jot something down in your notebook (even though you have no idea what you wrote),

    And later that evening, you ask Google.

    Or your kid.

    Or ChatGPT.

    And that’s exactly the moment you missed the chance to be a more human manager.

    Because the gap wasn’t in knowledge it was in the courage to ask.

    A simple question like:

    “Could you explain that for a second?”

    Can change the entire dynamic of a meeting.

    It shows you’re not projecting authority based on bravado – but trust.

    And it gives others permission to ask too.

    And in an age where even a dishwasher can define “digital marketing,”

    What sets you apart isn’t what you know.

    It’s your willingness to keep learning.

    And by the way? I have no idea what CAC is either.

    But I’m going to ask the chat.

    What’s worth remembering?

    The one who asks doesn’t look less smart.

    They just look like a sane manager.

  • A management tip (that I learned the hard way):

    If you start feedback with a “but” – you’ve already lost the conversation.

    I used to jump straight into feedback.

    Direct. Sharp.

    “Not accurate enough,”

    “I expected more,”

    “There’s a gap that needs to be closed.”

    From my side, it was just being straightforward.

    From their side?

    It felt like the end of the world.

    Then it hit me:

    Wait a second.

    I hate it when people start with that tone too.

    No one likes feeling like they have to defend themselves before they’ve even had their coffee.

    So I started differently.

    Something small.

    A sentence like:

    “I want to start with what worked well.”

    And that changed the whole tone.

    Not because I gave up on the feedback –

    But because I started with an open heart, not a pointing finger.

    It sounds simple,

    But it completely shifts the energy of the conversation.

    What’s worth remembering?

    The sharpest feedback is the kind that doesn’t feel like a knife.

    A good start leads to an ending someone can actually take with them.

    Good feedback is the kind the other person can truly absorb.

  • A visit to the production lines

    Once, during a routine visit to one of the production lines, I saw that the workers were struggling with a simple measurement.

    I stood on the side, noticed the confusion – and then stepped in.

    I showed them exactly how to measure.

    We solved it in two minutes.

    At the end of the day, I asked the consultant who was accompanying me:

    “So, how was I?”

    He looked at me and said:

    “Terrible.”

    I was shocked.

    “What do you mean? I solved the problem!”

    Then he said a sentence that changed everything I thought I knew about management:

    “You’re not supposed to solve problems.

    You’re supposed to teach others how to solve them.”

    And from that day on – I stopped being the hero who saves everyone.

    And started being the one who asks:

    “What do you think?” “How would you handle this?” “What did you learn from it?”

    At first, it took restraint.

    But later – it freed me.

    And it lifted them.

    A good manager isn’t measured by how much they know –

    But by how much they help others believe that they do.

  • What’s My Real Contribution, Anyway?

    When I was a young engineer, I managed projects.

    I saw things happen.

    Concrete moved, structures rose, plans became reality.

    Every progress?

    I knew exactly where I made it happen.

    Then I got promoted.

    I started managing people.

    And suddenly…

    Everyone was doing the work.

    And me?

    I was just… talking about it.

    Reviewing. Coordinating. Calming. Pushing. Holding things together.

    And in the middle of all that –

    one small, stubborn question kept whispering:

    “What am I actually contributing?”

    “Is anything happening because of me?”

    Because let’s be honest –

    Managers don’t really do anything, right?

    We just… make things happen.

    And that hurt.

    For a while.

    I carried that question inside, quietly.

    Outside, I looked like a leader.

    Inside, I felt… replaceable.

    But over time, something shifted.

    Not because reality changed – but because my perspective did.

    I began to notice:

    The goals I had set – were the ones moving forward.

    The tone I brought – echoed through the team.

    The effort I invested – enabled everyone else’s effort.

    I didn’t do the work.

    But it happened – because of me.

    ⸻

    Management isn’t about ticking off tasks.

    It’s about setting direction, holding the space, and moving things forward.

    If you’ve ever asked yourself “What am I even worth here?” –

    just know: it means you’re a manager who feels.

    And not just performs.

  • Leading by Example: Why Your Time Management Affects Everyone

    Post 8 and final in the series on Time Management for Managers

    Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored how to manage time—not to simply get more done, but to focus on what truly matters.

    We covered seven key principles:

    1. Distinguishing between important and urgent tasks.

    2. Delegating tasks effectively.

    3. Avoiding the trap of constantly reacting.

    4. Blocking time in your calendar.

    5. Understanding that time management is self-management.

    6. Setting smart boundaries.

    7. Leading by example—our final principle.

    My story:

    As a manager, I set a rule—once a week, everyone left early.

    And I made sure to follow it myself. Why? Because I knew that if I stayed late, my team would feel pressured to do the same.

    What difference did it make?

    • It freed them from the unspoken pressure to always stay late.

    • It legitimized work-life balance.

    • It created a culture of accountability for time.

    Years later, a manager who worked with me said:

    “Your example gave me the strength to be a leader who protects both my own well-being and my team’s.”

    The message is simple: Managing your time isn’t just for you—it influences everyone around you.

    How do you lead by example? Share your thoughts in the comments!

    Want practical tools to implement this? Download my free time management guide for managers + a series of bi-daily tips:

    📥 https://heartofmanagement.ravpage.co.il/free-guide

    Right now the guide is in Hebrew only.

    Thank you for being part of this series—now it’s your turn to lead the change!