By Alex Bolotovsky, CEO of J Leaders
Parsha in a Nutshell
Bamidbar (“In the Desert”) opens with God telling Moses to take a census of the nation. But the language used is unique: He doesn’t say “count them”; He says Se’u et Rosh Benei Yisrael—literally, “Lift the head of the children of Israel.” The process required every person to come forward and identify themselves by their name and their family lineage (Numbers 1:2).
Diving Deeper: The Sabbatical Mindset
In the corporate world, “headcount” is often a cold term. It’s about budget, capacity, and overhead. But in the Torah, the census was a mechanism for giving an individual value.
When Moses “lifted the head” of each person, he was doing two things:
- Validating the Individual: By counting “by name,” he was signaling that the mission couldn’t happen without this specific person.
- Creating Value: When you are in a “wilderness,” or, more likely, a high-pressure project or an uncertain market, it is easy to put your head down and just grind. A leader’s job is to walk through the camp and force people to “lift their heads,” reminding them of their skills and their value.
Bamidbar teaches us that as we refine ourselves, we must also refine how we see others. True authority isn’t about looking down at your followers from a mountain; it’s about looking them in the eye and “lifting” them into a position of importance.
Weekly Leadership Challenge
- The “By Name” Check-In: When you’re giving a shout-out or an update this week, don’t just say “the marketing team did a great job.” Use names.
- The Value Reset: If a teammate has been struggling or “heads-down” in a rut, ask a question that forces them to look up: “What part of this project are you most proud of right now?” Force the “head lift.”
- Audit the “Headcount”: Look at your team or your peers. Is there someone who has become a “number” to you? Someone you only interact with when you need a task done? This week, make a point to “lift their head.”