I was born and grew up in Israel which is known as “the startup nation”. My first experience with entrepreneurial life began in 8th grade when I was introduced to my school’s entrepreneurial club where we were tasked to think up a startup idea and execute it. We learned all the different components that a company required from product concept to design, marketing, management and sales. I did not realize it at the time but this experience set the stage and desire for a series of startups I developed throughout the years.

Developing entrepreneurs from a young age is part of the reason why Israel has over 6,000 startups and an economy dominated by industrial high-tech and entrepreneurship. Israel is known for disruptive innovation across various industries and is rapidly changing the global corporate landscape, creating new challenges and opportunities for businesses. Industry and government in Israel are aware that traditional business models are running the risk of becoming obsolete if they do not continuously innovate and evolve with the world around them. 

Consequently, Israel's business ecosystem and management DNA are very successful at answering changing needs and demands brought up by constant changes. Multinational corporations such as Apple, Cisco, Facebook, GE, Google, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Philips, Lucent, Siemens and hundreds more harness the talent Israel has to offer.
Israel’s entrepreneurial spirit, profitable business opportunities and broad innovation capacity did not happen by mistake. I believe some of the same components that made Israel the success it is can and must be adopted by Taiwan and its industries not only to thrive but to survive on the global stage. 

I observe a lot of parallels between Taiwan and Israel. I also see big differences in application which can lead to opportunities if managed properly.

Understanding the reality of Israel sheds light on the mentality that leads to its success. Israel became a country in 1948, less than a year before Chiang Kai Shek moved the Nationalists to Taiwan. Looking at the history of the state of Israel it is fascinating to see how 9 million people managed to have such an oversized impact on nearly 8 billion people and the future of the world. The years since 1948 saw tremendous growth in Israel, mostly as a result of necessity. This necessity materialized in a few hard learned lessons which I believe can be serve as a foundation and applied in Taiwan:

1. Self-sufficiency is paramount. An island in the desert is no different than an island at sea.
   Hostile & challenging environments require determination and creativity to achieve your objectives. Israel had to develop itself from a mosquito infested marsh land and desert into one of the most advanced countries on multiple fronts including technology, hardware, software, medicine, agriculture and tourism. A lot of accomplishments for a country with 9 million people. Necessity led to creativity and entrepreneurialism. All this had to be bootstrapped. Israel did not have many allies and it was surrounded by a sea of enemies that sought its destruction. 

2. Define a strong core identity.
   The Jewish homeland. There is only one. Whatever the disagreements are between people, and there are many, there is a constant thread between Israelis which binds them. Israelis come from diverse backgrounds, but they are Jewish and they are Israeli. A strong sense of identity at the end of the day unites the population.
   
   For over 5,000 years Jews all around the world understood they have one home and they have to protect it by all means necessary. A few times in the past the homeland was destroyed but the Jewish people survived. This survival alone is a miracle as many other societies in similar circumstances perished. A strong identity kept the Jewish people alive.
   
   The Jewish people knew that history repeats itself and that a secure homeland is the only way to assure safety. This was especially important after seeing the cruel efficiency of Nazis and Germany and the horrors of the Holocaust where millions of jews were systematically killed. They also saw other European countries turn a blind eye to the horrors of concentration and extermination camps. The surviving Jewish population made its way to its historic home land that is today the Modern state of Israel only to find that the British which controlled it (after the Ottoman empire lost it to the British) were not too supportive or welcoming of the Jewish Population.
   
   This nightmare scenario embedded into the Jewish understanding of the world and their place in it with the simple lesson that if Jews do not make and protect their home, no one else would do it for them.
   
   As such, Jews, as a collective, made it a point to always have Israel, the Jewish homeland, despite overwhelming odds and that this homeland will survive no matter the challenge. This is how the modern state of Israel was born.

3. Invest in multiple prosperity channels. Not just specialize in one in order to survive and thrive.
   Israel built all of its industries, including its military, from scratch. It tied a lot of its R&D to the needs of the military whose purpose was to assure the continuity of the Jewish state. A lot of the developments and innovation made their way into the civilian market and many companies grew as a result. One thing that the Island of Israel tried to assure was vertical integration of supply chains. Supply chains could easily be disrupted or politically cut off as, after all, there were over a billion Arabs in the middle east that wanted to leverage their disdain for the young state by waging war and by attempting to bully other states financially into embargoing trade with Israel. 
   
   Israel had to be reliant on Israel first. The rest of the world second. Innovative energy plants were built. Creative farming solutions were formed, desalination plants erected as well as heavy industry which could build cars and tractors as well as tanks, airplanes and satellites. 

4. People are your biggest asset. Treat them as such. Invest in them. Creative thinking should be encouraged.
   Hard times call for creativity. Creativity is also called entrepreneurialism. Seeing not a problem but an opportunity is a valuable skill to develop. “Good enough” (差不多) is not good enough. Israel could not have survived much less thrived if the individual within the community was not valued and was not enabled to achieve their goals as well as their community’s objectives.
   
   In Taipei, many of my friends who work in companies are unhappy with their jobs because their lifestyle lacks balance. There is little to no separation between work and non-work hours.  Staying after hours, working on weekends, poor managerial conduct at work, monitored lunch and bathroom breaks during the day followed by constant phone calls from middle management after work hours at home do not make employees productive. This lifestyle only burns them out faster and reduces their work product. At a minimum employees need time to relax and destress. Happy employees are productive and energized to create more. Unhappy and stressed employees will barely do a “good enough” job to simply get to the next day.
   
   On the other hand, Israeli society emphasized that every individual is valued and important. Work is demanding and can be stressful but each individual is enabled and expected, to their ability, do their best.  In Israel, personal resolve and problem solving was ingrained from an early age; it manifested in life, in business and in the military. “Avoiding trouble” is not realistic. Every problem solved means that something was improved.

5. Lead from the front and inspire others.
   For the team to succeed, every member should be valued from the leader to the most junior team member. Israeli managers typically served in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) as officers where they are taught to lead their teams from the front and to value each member of their unit. They were taught that each life is precious. They would not expect their team members to do something they would not. They are also taught to never leave anyone behind.
   
   The result was that they earned the respect of their team members and incredibly dangerous missions were successfully accomplished by the team against all odds. The sad reality is that a lot of officers did not return home as they put themselves in harm's way, at times ahead of their team. Comradery not only strengthens the resolve of individuals. It makes the team much more effective and hence seemingly impossible goals are made possible.
   
   This mindset translated to business where successful management leads its teams from the front.  Not only finding creative solutions but rallying the teams around common objectives and goals while making sure to not abuse or make unreasonable requests. The result is that the most junior team members respect the leaders and the leaders respect everyone in their team.
   The projects are a team effort that benefits all and the results are often above expectations. 
   
   I would proffer for your consideration that structured micromanagement, which focuses on individual output and KPIs is faulty management since it devalues the individual, erodes creativity and creates an “us versus them” rift between leaders and subordinates.
   
   A repeating term I heard from friends in the workforce in Taiwan is that they feel like cows. 
   They are told what to do, when and how by management. Not to think. Just to do. At times these demands are completely irrational and knee jerk which in turn leaves employees directionless, frustrated and soon, looking for new work. 
   
   One highly talented friend of mine started as a PR Manager at a fast growing Taiwanese company. Soon his role became that of a PR director and he was tasked with taking the company public. He took on the job but stated he has no experience and that specialized people should be hired. This was brushed aside. Unsurprisingly, when that IPO did not go according to plan, he was faulted for the failure of a job he has no experience doing and was not supported in. There was a lot of fallout from the failed IPO. Many people quit and bad news began to spread about the company. 
   
   My friend was soon directed by upper management to issue correcting PR, some of which was essentially attacking the ex-coworkers yet meanwhile he was asked to privately reach out to the ex-employees in order to stop any further bad press from them. There is no reality in which this would work. 
   
   Management failed to put the right people in the right positions, failed to support them, failed to correct course and failed to stop the employee exodus. Instead of admitting their mistake and making themselves accountable, they blamed and began attacking subordinates.  Seeing how unsustainable his job became, experiencing daily stress and anxiety with him literally losing hair from the stress and lack of sleep, I advised my friend to quit. Soon thereafter upper management attempted to intimidate him into staying and when that failed, offered him a raise. This is a case study in failing to lead and inspire people. 

6. “Good enough” is not good enough. Everyone must strive for excellence.
   While creatively cutting overhead and complexity to safely accomplish goals faster is a hallmark of clever thinking and successful projects, avoiding “trouble” and doing a passable job is not. 
   It creates a mediocre end product and does not inspire the team. “Good enough” typically results from a lack of individual care or investment in the work or the goal of the team. 
   
   While all team members are not the same, it is the responsibility of the leader to inspire, invigorate and energize the group towards accomplishing a common goal. Few things destroy a project or team faster than for the team members to see themselves devalued as tools towards an end the manager desires and majorly benefits from. 
   
   The issue of “good enough” can often be seen in many government and e-commerce portals. Anyone who has used similar products from other countries will be quick to point out that many online services and apps in Taiwan suffer from a poor UI/UX experience that is not only initially deployed but later on kept.  Little was invested in the way of quality control, target audience testing and process flow. A directive came from above, management pushed a deadline and overworked employees just did what they were told with no regard for usability or user experience much less pride of work. A mediocre portal was hastily deployed, each employee and manager achieved their specific granular goal and the end result is extremely underwhelming and disjointed; however everyone is happy to report a complete success on their specific task. 
   
   A good way to avoid this unnecessary situation is for the leader to understand the different needs and wants of each of his team members. Unify them around the ultimate goal and get them excited about the value each one of them brings to the success of the project. All employees are seeking equitable pay but some might be seeking a promotion, others might seek equity, others simply want recognition for their work. A good leader asks, hears and understands the team and the individuals. The number of motivators typically exceeds the number of team members. Understanding the motivators helps bring individuals together into a much more effective and harmonious team which results in a superior end product.

In conclusion- no place is perfect, especially Israel being a small country with many challenges. 
Some might even say it is one of the most challenging places in the world to live in. Israel, against all odds, managed to not only survive but place itself as a very respected world leader in many diverse areas by virtue of its challenging environment. 

Adverse geopolitical realities might crush most people into submission. However, when the people know that is not an acceptable option, they find a way. Israel and its Jewish people showcase the triumph of the human spirit and the value of individuals as part of the group.  The adverse situation Israel was (and is) exposed to did not crush its people. It instead inspired them to rise up and take control of their own destiny and future while not allowing others to do so for it. 

There are many lessons to be had in the history and perseverance of the Jewish people and the Modern state of Israel. Lessons for countries, groups of people and individuals. For example, most will say that having a small population is a hindrance.  However, Israel used this reality as an asset to quickly pivot with its circumstances. Most say that having little in the way of infrastructure is a problem but a creative and inspired mind will see it as an opportunity since innovation is a necessity.  

The most important lesson to be had is that necessity, paired with the resolve of individuals and proper motivation leads to innovation and desired results. This innovation can be unlocked by valuing every group member. Be it a team at work or a nation. When people are properly inspired to make a result happen, they will rise to the occasion. 

 (This piece reflects the author's opinion, and does not represent the opinion of CommonWealth Magazine.)

About the author

Jon, a Taiwan Gold Card holder, graduated from Rutgers University where he earned a Doctorate in Law and founded multiple companies in different spaces which are attributable to his broad experience in Technology, Real Estate & Entertainment. Jon is an innovator, patent holder and writer. Welcome to connect Jon with his [LinkedIn] [Instagram]

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