One of the greatest success stories in the 20^th century was the story of Kodak, or The Eastman Kodak Company, which was founded by George Eastman in 1888. In the world of photography and videography, Kodak became the GO-TO company in the industry. Essentially, through their expertise in the realm of film, they developed cameras that were available for every household, as they were both portable and affordable.  

Unfortunately, Kodak – despite, or perhaps because of their success – filed for bankruptcy in 2012. What happened? How could a leading company fail so miserably?  

According to The Strategy Story, Kodaks story of failure is a perfect case study when management fails to recognize the change in industry due to its delusion of success. It missed the rise of new digital technologies. It was over confident and failed to make the necessary changes to become a leading force in the digital arena. They left room for other companies, such as Fujifilm, Sony, and Canon, to charge ahead in the industry. 

Bill Gates once said, “Success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react, and reinvent.” 

According to Axiom Strategic Consulting, the best method to battle against complacency – which is unhealthy satisfaction – is to live in the opposite realm the realm of healthy dissatisfaction.  

In Judaism, we call this humility. Humility, like the saying goes, doesn’t mean thinking less of yourself, rather it means thinking of yourself less. Be willing to grow. Realize there is more to do. Innovate. Evolve. Change. Develop. 

The Torah tells us וישמע יתרו כהן מדין – Yisro, the Priest of Midian, heard. Many times, people in positions of authority and leadership, say a parent, a teacher, an executive, etc., feel entitled to be the talkers. They set the policies, the ground rules, and their children, students and employees need to be the listeners. 

But the Torah teaches us a secret about successful people. Yisro, the Priest of Midian, heard. It didn’t matter his high prestige, position, and ranking. He understood, at the end of the day, he is a person of flesh and blood on this world, and his job is not even close to over. He listened. He thought. He discerned. He learned. He was humbled.  

Yisro didn’t say, “I’m at the top. I’m the CEO. I’m the Priest of Midian. I made it. I’m done.” Despite his title, he did not feel entitled. He had a dose of healthy dissatisfaction. There must be more to life. There must be more to my life. There must be more to me. Let’s humble ourselves like Yisro and realize that as long as we are alive, our job on this world is not yet complete. 

Have a holy Shabbos!