Being a great leader and running a high-performance organization generally does not come naturally – an extraordinary leader possesses three characteristics that take experience to develop, they must have a deep understanding of what matters to the people on their team. They must have a durable commitment to outcomes that inspire themselves and others and they must be able to communicate that commitment to their teammates in a way that has the teammates take on that commitment as their own. There are many ways to accomplish this but all of them require practice.
Helping business leaders achieve this is where Dovid Chaim Hoffman, Founder of CoAxis Leadership, specializes. Hoffman is incredibly passionate about human behavior, having spent some time at Rockefeller University as a researcher in the neuropsychology department. He was fascinated about how all responses have triggers, and that these responses are predictable if enough is known about the organism and its dynamics. In other words, he took the position that if enough is understood about any organism or system, the outcomes produced would become predictable. Hoffman eventually left research and began traveling the world, as he felt that the knowledge he needed most, would be gained by testing his philosophy against real-world experience.
“I have learned as much from tradespeople as from people with PhDs,” Hoffman says. “I’ve conversed with people from all walks of life – wise old men and women, soldiers and generals, tribal healers, religious and cult leaders, politicians, top-tier athletes, and CEOs. In these encounters, I have sought common threads in the understanding of human thought, performance, and most importantly, teamwork.”
It’s this interest in human behavior that led Hoffman to the world of leadership and business consulting. For many years, he ran a construction company that focused on constructing green buildings in the Hudson Valley of New York. In 1996, one of his clients asked Hoffman for help solving some business problems, and this became his first consulting client. Soon after, he found himself focusing more on business consulting than construction, and he eventually switched careers, founding CoAxis Leadership.
Hoffman’s approach is called Generative Leadership, a model he developed over the last 25-plus years, that focuses on producing the results that are most important to the client, while creating an environment where leadership, followership, and innovation abound. He helps individuals develop the skills to navigate challenges, build strong relationships, and achieve their objectives – ultimately creating positive and sustainable change in the organization. Essentially, he makes himself obsolete within the client company. On CoAxis Leadership’s YouTube channel, Hoffman speaks with business leaders from different fields, sharing knowledge and providing various leadership insights.
Despite being of Jewish heritage, Hoffman did not grow up as an observant Jew. However, a pivotal moment in 2014 changed his life. During a business trip to Stockholm, Hoffman was invited to attend an event about the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, particularly in Scandinavia. Following the event’s conclusion, Hoffman did some serious soul-searching.
Hoffman says. “After some solitary time, I realized that I felt like I was betraying my people. Back then, I did not have any outwardly visible signs that I was a Jew. I was living a secular life and at the same time, Jewish people were being targeted for being Jewish. Half my family tree ended during the Second World War, and those who survived were the ones who were able to escape Europe between 1889 and 1905, during the days of the pogroms in the Russian territories.”
Shortly after that, Hoffman had a dream about a Jewish ritual, putting on Teffilin, and this prompted him to get in touch with a Hasidic rabbi. Over the next six months, he became an observant jew. He moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and began learning both ancient and modern Jewish texts. According to Hoffman, his encounter with Hasidic teachings has a profound influence on his work in generative leadership, as does all of his life experiences.
“I'm an observant Jewish man, and my learning and my practice are fundamental aspects of my life. In the past I visited churches, mosques, and temples all around the world, I climbed mountains in India and sat in sweat lodges, talking with religious and spiritual leaders and learning from them,” Hoffman says. “I looked into every culture I could find, because for me, it was always clear that there is a universal truth beyond our understanding, and engaging with that truth is of great value. In Hasidic Judaism, I found my home. My mission is to access knowledge, understanding, and wisdom and deliver it to others in a way that makes a difference.”
Media contact:
Name: Dovid Chaim Hoffman
Email: [email protected]
