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To live the future and be afraid of its consequences is not necessarily a contradicting reality. One obviously cannot predict tomorrow’s realities based on the past, but one can definitely predict rising emotional fears based on yesterday’s panic.

A dear friend, mentor and vital member of the Yoyah Group, Lester Thurow, passed away last week. A larger than life, amazing personality, Lester touched all of us with whom he worked with his intellect, vision, charm and warmth. Changing and educating an management culture of a country to ‘go global’, is one thing, but convincing Lester Thurow the guru of globalization, to come to Israel to guide the effort is a whole different story. As we men quite often say, there is a great woman behind every great man (a mom is considered one as well…). As an Israeli citizen, Anni, “the Love of His Life” as Les called his wife, literally told him that there was no question about his helping Israeli companies and management. That was the beginning of our amazing friendship.

Can you mark any sort of accomplishment or development in life achieved by fear or worry? Anger is actually an expression of fear, and fear as I just mentioned, does not contribute anything to your well being. So why give in to anger at all? If you are unhappy – change it! If you are not living your dreams, start living them even if you start small. It sounds so trivial and simple but we all need to be courageous and decide to dream in color… more

People on the streets, with nothing to eat, are smiling. The beggar, standing on the traffic island in the middle of the noisy and polluted intersection, perspiring from the humidity of the tropical weather, is smiling, the guard in front of the hotel working a twelve-hour shift, is smiling, the President of the hotel chain, walking in a hurry, is smiling. Something here in the Republic of the Philippines, makes people smile

If for some reason you hate what you do at work, and/or see no future with your significant other, or if you are simply unhappy, what are you doing about it?! What is your “Photograph from the Future?” Did you make a difference in the world? Who did you help? Did you leave a positive dent behind? If any of these questions leave you scratching your head without truly having an answer, it is time to think of life in these terms

When contemplating on which company will survive deep into the future, we must look at the possible realities of that time. Will we use fuel or sun energy? Will we be structured in the same security/economic environment we are living in today? Will we have an abundance of food or scarcity like many claim? Obviously, many questions like these arise, and those companies which will consider as many scenarios as possible – in my opinion will be more ready for the future

What if we could project into the future? Charles Darwin once said: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives or the most intelligent, but rather the ones most responsive to change.”

On May 22, 2012, during a dinner organized by the German chapter of YPO/WPO (Young and World President Organization), I, Yoram Yahav, son of Eugene and Kathy, grandson of Antal and Carolina, all victims of Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution” program – was eating dinner as a privileged VIP guest at The Reichstag Parliament… Here I was, at ten o’clock at night, sitting across some wonderful and successful German friends, but could not stop thinking of the feeling of closure taking over me.

There is a natural tendency for human beings to be afraid of the unknown especially if it represents a deviation from our day to day comfort zones. Even so, I would like to risk it, and share some of the events which could happen, in my humble opinion, sooner than later. Israel is doing well by all economic measures. Israelis have good reasons to be proud. The Shekel is one of the strongest currencies in the world. The Governor of the Bank of Israel, Professor Stanley Fischer, runs the country’s financial structure with strength and determination. Relatively, the streets are safe, due to the wall built between the major Palestinian population and Israel, and crime over the last three years has gone down significantly. So what’s wrong?!

“Even those who want to go to heaven, don’t want to die”, Steve Jobs. My loving mother died a few months ago. She was still young and active, desired to live a long life and definitely did not want to die. Fortunately, when it happened it was quick and painless. Even more fortunately, the whole family was all around. With great sadness, we kissed her calm face and said goodbye. Now we have all accepted her passing and moved on in life to spend more time and enjoy my wonderful dad. I ran across an article written by an 85 year-old who found out that he was about to die. My translation is an appropriate reflection of some of my thoughts on life… Here is what he wrote: “If I were to live my life again, I would allow myself to make many more mistakes and not try to be so perfect. I would rest more, lie on my back more and play foolishly more frequently.”

Though I manage a company which advocates the methodology of formulating our “Photograph from the Future,” I am definitely not a prophet, nor a mystical persona who can tell what’s coming. My intuition however, tells me that the environmental crisis we are facing, and our capacity to be there for the other, will come to test sooner than later. So here is my “litmus test” for self questioning regarding friendship…

My Dear friends, if you have experienced our methodology first hand you must be familiar with our practice. For the sake of those who haven’t yet heard about it, watch our CEO, Yoram Yahav, introduce the entire doctrine in just three minutes!

I know it may look strange at first glance, but trust me, if you analyze your dreams and your current realities in the “face of the future” and be totally honest about your truths, sooner or later, you will end up living them. I am absolutely shocked these days from the breakthrough outcomes I see with leaders and organizations that are willing to dare and ask the right questions about their own livelihood

I was asked to give The Photograph From the Future presentation to the YPO (Young President Organization) chapter of Mexico. The experience in Mexico had a tremendous influence on me. We spoke about several interesting topics, one focusing on the environment issue. No matter where I speak or travel to, no matter how intelligent or foolish, rich or poor, liberal or conservative people are, all of the above express their concern and worry about the future of the environment

Buddha spoke about anger as a form of fear. Nothing he said, should bring us to any level of anger. But can we humans truly contain our anger when we see stupidity and lack of emotional intelligence in so many acts of insanity around us?! How can one build a positive strategy or design one’s future if the realities of the present are clouding the potential for a better tomorrow?

"Either you are wrong or I am right”? How many times have you met or spoken to people that all you heard was their "right” point and your "wrong” point? How many times have you walked away from a person only because you felt that he or she was too invested in hearing themselves?

A gorgeous couple, completely naked except for white socks and white shoes, stared back at me from the storefront window. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I might have mistaken them for Greek or Roman sculptures standing frozen half facing each other, breathtakingly beautiful, perfect bodies, deep blue eyes, her long blond flowing hair and his Elvis hair style. I noticed a sign in English positioned next to a small red bucket sitting on the ground. “There is a center for blind people in New Delhi” the sign said. “They need money to eat. They can’t see, so if you CAN see and like what you see, please place any amount you wish in the bucket and we promise to deliver it to the center.” Below was information on the center and its mission, how to donate, etc.

Readers around the world are probably tired of reading my pieces about the uncertainty, changes and challenges occurring in our lives these days. However, speaking about changing times, I suspect that the essence of virtual employees and offices will become a prominent success factor for many of us. Until recently, having an office, with a front desk secretary smiling and responding to every stranger who calls or walks in, was a must. Having a secretary radiated comfort, professionalism and respect. This reality is changing along with our transient societies

Though I believe that we posses optimism exactly for the purpose of being hopeful, excited and energized, when arrogance and cynicism enter the picture, we tend to ignore reality. This relates to companies as well. Take for example the Israeli cellular industry. Three major companies were holding the majority of the market. They were doing well with a captive audience in a country with one of the highest rates of cell phone usage. “What can break it?”, is something I heard and sensed from many of these companies’ executives for years. “Whatever can happen – will happen”, says Murphy’s law, and in times like these, whomever denies this notion, will eventually fall…. more

I am neither a scientist nor a researcher on climatic trends. But, I can quote and learn from the experts. There are several panels, discussions and debates on whether the world is experiencing a “collapse” of its existing systems due to global warming, air pollution, excessive energy use and more. I honestly don’t know what the reasons are for this situation, but I am ready and able to warn the industries and countries experiencing the weather-related disasters, that they should assume the situation will only worsen…

Pharmaceutical drug company – Teva, is an example of a corporation I truly admire. Established over a hundred years ago, the founding families never realized that it was going to turn into the world’s leading generic drug company.

I am shocked these days by the fairy tales about stability, the optimists, masquerading as realists, are telling us. They dismiss legitimate warning signs which are all around us and avoid and deny the coming of perhaps the biggest dual economic and environmental crises in recent history. Courage is essential to honestly consider realities which fall outside our conventional set of hopes and beliefs. Our natural tendency is to expect and consider only the GOOD. “Think positive” we were told when we were kids and therefore we rightfully anticipate that the future will be better than the past. Optimism makes one’s heart smile, however, this is true ONLY if tears of desperation, disappointment and sorrow don’t penetrate our own sensitive “echo-systems” that reverberate with questions and anxiety. A few years ago, on the Greek island of Santorini I met a monk whose mentors in the States lost 80% of their funds because they were convinced by one of their disciples to invest their “holy assets” in his successful company’s stocks. The monk described the level of depression that even those “spiritually enhanced individuals” were feeling. Many of us can relate to this scenario and know that feeling down, is a legitimate human emotion. We were created to feel pain, loss and depression in order to be able to learn from our experiences, become wiser, and better in how we think and what we do.

Regardless of one’s intelligence, self confidence, comfort zone or position in life, we all maintain a “red line” which we are not willing to cross. Recently I have been pondering much about this notion and wanted to share my thoughts about my own. I ask myself: What am I willing to do and where will I draw the red line? My experiences around the globe and the type of work I am engaged in today, require me to notice how people around me feel, think and express themselves. But how vital is it for me to worry about their thoughts and statements?

In the beginning it was tough for the spoiled kid who did not want to fly coach. But slowly, he started to like the people who lived a simple and honest life style. In the winter of 2011, just before returning to the States, he decided to hike down the river for two days. The two days were over when he realized he got lost. When his cousin and a search team found him, he nearly collapsed. They brought him back home to safety and he eventually recovered. I am writing this story in such detail because Mark’s awakening has and will happen to many of us… more

How would you feel my San Diego friend if rockets were shot from Tijuana, Mexico into your neighborhood? How would you feel Senator Joe Blow if rockets shot from Cuba would land on the roof of your children’s school next to Dupont Circle in Washington DC? And how would you feel Mr. Erdoğan of Turkey, if a Syrian kid playing in the backyard of his parents’ house, would shoot a long range missile right into Ankara? Well, allow me to speculate on your feelings and reactions my dear virtual friends. Basically, you would be infuriated, you would want to catch those responsible for these preposterous and despicable acts

Today I am convinced that one of the foremost reasons for me practicing martial arts was to overcome my inner fury. As a child, many frustrations arose in my fragile heart when I was punished for not behaving properly. In my young mind, the deep frustration and unbelievable anger created inner "storms” which made me not only shout from within, but also curse so loudly and shamelessly till no one had the nerve to punish me.

I have recently received many requests to write about the "Light House” and the business of "looking from the future”. I thought that I would revisit something I once wrote since it responds directly to the question – What it is all about!

We have been writing these newsletters for over six years. It started as an after thought when a friend told me that it would be wise to enrich others with the lessons we learned at TIM and now at Yoyah. Since then, we have grown and our mailing list includes people from over ninety countries representing a wide variety of thoughts and roles. Recently, a friend asked if my newsletter section, (other sections are featured by Prof. Shlomo Maital and more) which resonates to some extent an emotional non-conventional writing, gets the type of response I would expect. We do receive indeed an overwhelming amount of responses every month so I decided to approach two conservative executives in the States and England and asked for their honest opinions. I thought one of the responses reflects the reason why we write the way we write

At a time like this, when the news is filled with cases involving unnecessary shootings and killings, I couldn’t resist but to address the issue. There is no reason for it and the death toll could be reduced drastically. Americans should realize that the so-called “Gun Control” which already exists in so many countries does not burden the individual’s freedom. Isn’t it worth the many lives that could be saved in the future?

I am writing this note from the island of Koh Samui, Thailand. Thailand of the magical sunsets, exotic tastes, unique smells, colorful and tropical fruits, happiness, and also, believe it or not, some local sorrow… But why? This is not my first time in Koh Samui. For as long as I remember, the island has been a lively and exciting place. But never did I notice the gestures of the local taxi drivers as they wave their hands in disappointment while saying “Samui, much change.” Samui has changed from a peaceful island, to a hectic one…

Individual action becoming routine is the fundamental building block of the shift in consciousness that humanity’s survivors will need in order to sustain themselves in a world providing less free services of clean air, water and arable land. Individuals taking responsibility and maximizing the welfare of the most vulnerable, both human and environmental, leads to a collective responsibility and synergistic enhancing of social and environmental justice

As one who is researching the connection between economy, business and ecology, I just completed an inspiring new book, Earth, Inc. Gregory Unruh posits five fundamental rules of the biosphere, applying them elegantly to business to achieve such a synergy that once followed, sustainability is simply embedded in the culture and operations of a company. Value chains with each end open are reconfigured into ecology-mimicking value cycles with continual feedback, use and re-use. Powerfully innovation is unleashed around and back again, from producer to consumer to decomposer.

We are all links in a chain of humanity stretching forward into a common future, and our actions will impact generations to come, who following the same wisdom will pick up from wherever we leave off and perhaps finish the task. Your decision to shed fear and passivity in favor of action may determine the destiny of the entire world...

It was with great pleasure that I found “The Sustainability Revolution – Portrait of a Paradigm Shift” by Andres R. Edwards. With remarkable clarity Edwards explores the principles that are emerging from diverse sources to form an ideology to guide us on the road to a sustainable global political economy. “The Sustainability Revolution is challenging business managers to reevaluate how they operate their enterprises and how they measure success.” Businesses are being increasingly pushed to accept greater responsibility to the society in which they operate

Business means to make money, and so it must if it has any pretense of success. Yet companies are beginning to perceive that corporate responsibility and sustainability, as an all embracing concept of good corporate citizenship, offers opportunities to add positively to the bottom line. Corporate value will be increasingly tied to satisfying the needs of a broad array of stakeholders over time, rather than today’s narrow focus only on maximizing value for shareholders

As I listened to Paul Simon singing “Kodachrome” I could not help but think that each and every picture in my most recent photo album from the future with “the nice bright colors” of Kodachrome shows me that climate change has happened and continues to occur. Whether these are five, ten or fifty year glimpses, the overarching reality of climate change appears to be with us for many years to come. So, what have we done along the way to mitigate impacts or adapt to hotter days and extreme climate events ahead? When did we finally make the serious reductions in the use of carbon intensive fuels to begin stabilizing Greenhouse Gas emissions and in the longer term, the climate itself? How did the pace of our actions compare with the intensity of the changes?

“Hot today and even hotter tomorrow”. A weather forecast that is becoming all too familiar, even in the middle of winter. All of us are feeling it. Everywhere temperature records are falling, both short and long-term records. They say no one can predict the future, nor is it like the past. It seems a safe bet that records will continue falling, just not global temperature. If this were a sporting event, we might celebrate these records, but this is not a game. It is real life. None of us can predict the future, but as the evidence mounts, climate scientists’ most dire warnings are being corroborated. So it seems a sure bet that next year will again see the hottest global average land surface and ocean temperatures.

As we face more frequent and severe extreme weather events, we fact an “extreme whether” – act now and sacrifice 1% of global GDP to curb greenhouse gas emissions and initiate the transition to a carbon-free economy OR continue pursuing economic and energy growth, fracking the way to condemning future generations to suffering and adapting to a planet much more hostile to human life than we have ever known…

Eaarth is the latest call for deepening our understanding of the climate induced crises we face leading us inevitably to a future so altered that we lack the vocabulary to adequately describe what will be required of humanity to maintain the comfort and dignity of modern civilization. Expressing frustration at the failure of even the term sustainability to capture the gravity of our future challenges, Bill McKibben suggests: Robust, Durable, Stable, Hardy, and Sturdy; one and all solid, serious words.

Given our current corporate-dominated global economy, I have no doubt that if the industry is not able to profit from the transition to a new energy economy, the necessary actions to halt climate change probably won’t happen, though my view is skewed by my almost complete lack of faith in government to lead us forward than anything else. At the same time, it should come as no surprise that an international system still dominated by addiction to fossil fuels and focused on short-term profit seems to also be utterly failing to contend with the urgency of the tasks before us and the grave unseen dangers just beyond the horizon

As we marvel at the Chinese model of rapid development, we tend to see their current extraordinary growth as proceeding perpetually toward inevitable world economic leadership. If China were to cease its use of coal and focus on sustainable alternatives the pace of growth might just continue. However, if the dirty and cheap path is pursued equally aggressively then the environment may become a significant obstacle to further prosperity; leading to a serious slowdown or maybe even a systemic crash. Along with China, the rest of the nations of the world face similar choices.

We are the proverbial frog in the slowly boiling pot of water. As it gets hotter we first ignore it, then we seem to adjust, then we struggle, then… it is too late. The frog metaphor cautions us to be aware of ignoring even gradual change especially when the consequences concern our very survival. Why is humanity not jumping out as month after month record average temperatures are soaring to new heights? The latest data show unanimously that May 2016 was the twelfth straight month of record monthly temperatures globally and continues a string of 369 consecutive months at or warmer than average. May was “only” 1.11°C above average across the planet, following the staggering rise in April of 1.28⁰C.

While it may yet not be too late, we are walking a fine line with our modern comfortable, progressive life-style and civilization in the balance. Warnings have been sounded for many years. Those years have been wasted on failed international negotiations and all government’s failures to assume responsibility for creating a better, more secure climate future. All the while carbon emissions have consistently risen. Why will it require courage? Simply put, though climate change is by now settled scientific fact, it remains an unseen threat...

Imagine a business world where environmental concerns are fully integrated in corporate strategy, becoming a core consideration in building and nurturing mutually satisfactory relations and outcomes together with a broadly defined array of stakeholders. Without putting any spiritual spin on it, it would be a more harmonious world in greater balance, resting on the three pillars of economy, society and environment. Companies have left behind their wasteful battle against environmental regulation, on the contrary having taken a seat at the table, they are increasingly out in front of the government anticipating and initiating new market-based approaches that achieve more protection, less pollution and more profit

Courageously encountering the world anew each day brings fresh perspectives. My wife, older son, who is completing a BSc in Environmental Sciences, and I, met our younger traveler son in Myanmar. We had visited Burma thirty years ago. Apparently, one upside of the repressive, anti-democratic 50-year old military regime and its steadfast refusal to permit rampant consumerism and development is a remarkable sense of environmental preservation. Eighty-five percent of the population still lives and works on the land…

Compromises leave everyone unhappy. The Paris Climate Agreement is no different. Breaking sharply from long-standing past failures, delay and denial, however, is no guarantee of future success. Will the “Conference of the Parties21” (COP21) be hailed as the “grand global turning” – away from wasteful reliance on fossil fuels towards the uncharted territory of sustainability? Or will Paris be seen as just another colossal failure in a string of frustrating international efforts to face the immediacy and enormity of the unseen threat to humanity posed by a warmer world?

In these dark days of winter we are reminded of the natural rhythm of time. Not the acceleration of constant information exchange, nor the intensifying pace of change in all aspects of human society; rather we attune ourselves to noticing budding winter flowers and events each coming in their season. All this reminds us that we are a part of, not apart from nature. Separation is an illusion.