I arrived in Israel running on empty. The last few months were nonstop- travel, deadlines, constant motion. Breakfast at the hotel became my reset.
As my week in Israel was winding down, I went over to Mesod, the breakfast manager, to say thank you.
We exchanged small talk, and then he asked, “So what are you doing today?”
“Geula,” I said. “Picking up a few presents for my kids.”
Mesod nodded. “Ah. I’m also going to Geula today.”
That caught me off guard. Geula is a tourist shopping strip.
In Geula- I stepped into a spice shop and left with flavors I’d never met before.
I paused. “Why?”
“There’s a man in my synagogue,” Mesod said. “For weeks now- same suit. Worn. Stained. You can tell he can’t afford another.”
Then he told me what he did.
He went over, put an arm around his shoulders, and said, “My friend, it would be my honor. Let’s go together to Geula. We’ll get you what you need.”
That was the moment.
Not because Mesod noticed.
Because he stepped in.
Most people would have done the quiet math and kept walking.
I felt myself starting to admire it from a distance. And then something sharper- I didn’t want to applaud it. I wanted to be responsible with him.
I pledged a few hundred dollars right there. Mesod nodded once. That was it.
Home again. Life back in rhythm. And then this week- a WhatsApp message from Mesod. Photos. A quiet thank you. No announcement. No credit-taking. Just done.
Shirts first. The suit is next- still finding the right fit.
Mesod didn’t see a suit.
He saw a gap- a visible gap everyone else had learned to ignore.
In companies, the biggest gaps aren’t hidden. They’re tolerated.
➡️ The issue you work around.
➡️ The friction you stop naming.
➡️ The behavior you wince at- then stop wincing at.
That's the risk- not failure, normalization.
When a problem becomes “normal,” it stops getting resources. Not because it’s solved- because it’s invisible. It starts small. Then it shows up in retention, quality, and speed.
So here’s the question. What feels normal here that shouldn’t?
Pick one. Stop walking around it.
What have you stopped noticing- and who’s paying for it?
