Meet Ronen [Interviews Series #3]

I met Ronen only once in person, but it was clear from the start, that he is a people person. Ronen see the best in people, and more important he brings out the best of them with his insightful ideas and the training methods that he developed in his successful career.

Ronen Ben-Naftali, is happily married and has 4 kids, and besides taking care of the family, his passions include photography, candles-making and technology. Basically, he is a geek who love to make pasta in the candle light (although the pasta is his wife’s making. Don’t tell anyone!) ??

Although I would love to share with you, all Ronen’s answers (and trust me, they are all great), unfortunately the rules of this format are only 10 questions… So, let’s begin!

Q: What do you do and why?

The easiest thing for me is to say I either help people grow or help organizations with their bottom line. Although true, this is most definitely not the best way to go about it.

It is attributed to Peter Drucker to have said that "Culture eats strategy for breakfast, every day of the week". From my own experience, I have learned this to be true.

If the culture does not support execution, the management's strategy can be the best there is, but execution will fall way behind, and if you consider organizational culture - it is the sum of our collective behaviors and how we use the language.

"in order to enable transformational improvement, any leadership team

MUST

work vigorously on how they communicate,

on the quality of communication,

and the quality of dialog."

Q: What are your best tips for someone who is doing his first steps in your field?

Find your own voice. Do not try to be like someone else.

Find your unique contribution and focus on it, and remember that it takes time. This is not something that happens overnight. I would also recommend remembering that no coach is perfect. Be coachable and stay coachable for the rest of your career (and life).

Q: What was your childhood dream? What did you want to be when grow up?

I read many books as a kid. One of my favorites was Karl May (A famous wild west trilogy called Winnetou and Old Shatterhand).

I could imagine myself there, but it also made be love the native American culture and I think that realizing what the white man did to these great nations ignited the sense of justice and made me more conscious and aware of injustice around us. I am not sure how it later incorporated into what I do today, but I strongly feel that it does, in some way.

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that as a young guy (maybe a foolish one) I had this dream of becoming a prime-minister or a president, but weirdly enough, not necessarily of Israel. Don't ask me why… :-)

Q: What’s your biggest fear?

Being alone. I need time for myself and I love to be alone from time to time. But this is quality time I believe everyone needs to take (mandatory).

But being alone - scares the hell out of me! I pray to never be alone.

Q: What’s your hobby? Why did you choose that?

I actually have several hobbies, but some are in the back burner for the time being.

One of my favorites is, without doubt, photography. I've used the camera for more than 35 years. I loved taking picture of landscapes, animals and people from distance, until I took a photography class at the age of 50 - where I learned how to connect to people just by requesting to take their portraits. Amazing human experience.

I also love to make candles ("I'm a candleer"), and cooking is another big passion of mine.

Q: Each one of us has at least 2-3 core values that he/she won’t compromise them. What are yours?

Learning is, by far, the most important core value for me. I can talk about learning for hours. It is part of me ever since I remember myself. Learning is not studying!

Dignity (human dignity, respect for others, for nature) is another one.

Humility is the third value I would point out. Always talk tentative. Remember you never see the whole picture. Remember there are other options and never be arrogant about what you believe to be truth. Always have some doubt.

"Having doubt is a strength,

not a weakness."

Q: if you could go back to anytime in history, where would you go?

Wild west…. Fascinated by this time in history, in so many aspects. 

Q: If you had an opportunity to sit down for coffee with a famous character, who will it be?

Mother Teresa, with no doubt. I would like to draw on her wisdom. Not the mental one, but the emotional/spiritual one.

I think her humanity, combined with her humility (interesting how those two words sound alike, no? I would say this is no mistake) is an inspiration for me. I think she is the closest as one can be the absolute role-model for humane behavior. 

Q: Where would you like to travel? 

New Zealand. Aside the amazing scenery this country has, the culture that fascinates me.

I find it so interesting to learn about and get to know different cultures, different habits, different mindsets. And as a huge fan of nature - I think New Zealand has a lot to offer.

I also think that we, in Israel, has a lot to learn from them (not only them) on how to respect the land, the nature, the gifts which our small country has, and we just don't know how to preserve them.

"My motto in life is;

Learn one new thing on a daily basis, for the rest of your life!"

The Common Question: What is your definition of success?

Well, this is one of the toughest questions, Elad.

To me, success is a context-sensitive-word. Meaning, it depends…

In the professional arena, I would say that success to me is being able to contribute my best to enable others to become their best version.

So as Michelle Obama said, I also genuinely believe that it is not about how much money or wealth you make, it's all about how much impact and how much difference you make in one's life.

So, we got to the end of this interview, and it was inspiring! 

I want to thank to the amazing Ronen, who wisely replied on my questions, and I'm sure you will have not at least 10 good reason to meet @Ronen Ben-Naftali on LinkedIn.

Follow this hashtag #InterviewAmazingPeople for the upcoming interviews...

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