Over the past year and a half, Israeli companies have been thrown into repeated states of emergency—each one demanding immediate decisions, rapid shifts and clear communication. In moments like these, leaders face impossible questions: Should we pause business activity? What do we tell clients or global investors who expect stability? How do we support employees who can’t safely reach the office?
While responses may differ across industries—from tech to manufacturing—the core dilemma remains the same: balancing operational responsibility with human sensitivity. And there's rarely a perfect answer. But one principle stands out: radical transparency builds trust, both internally and externally.
Resilient organizations are not only those with strong leadership, but those that decentralize responsibility. In Israel, we see this clearly in large institutions like banks and health care systems, where every team knows their role—even when senior management is offline. In startups, this structure is harder to maintain, given the lean nature of the teams—but all the more important.
The companies that cope best are often those that plan in advance. Those that rehearse crisis scenarios, assign backups to key roles and integrate emergency readiness into the daily fabric of operations. In Israel, this shouldn't be a crisis response—it should be standard practice, especially in times like these.
Tools adopted during the COVID era have proven their worth: hybrid work models, emergency task forces, distributed communications and cloud-based operations allow businesses to continue functioning even when offices go offline. These systems are no longer optional—they're the infrastructure of modern resilience.
But some strategies have failed. Attempts to enforce remote micromanagement—such as daily activity reports and Zoom surveillance—have been shown to erode trust and morale. The strongest organizations are those built on clarity and mutual trust, not control.
Dr. Amit SerusiIf there’s one rule for crisis leadership, it’s this: people don’t expect certainty, they expect presence. Employees don’t need all the answers—they need to know someone’s steering the ship, with them, in real time.
Israeli leadership culture, shaped by constant uncertainty, is uniquely adaptive. While other countries begin to explore agile management and real-time response, here it’s second nature. Israeli managers bring more than just strategy—they bring grit, speed and a deeply human approach. And in today’s world, that might be the edge that matters most.
- Dr. Amit Serusi is an Israeli-born strategic consultant and angel investor based in Philadelphia.