“It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it”

– Rabbi Tarfon, Pirkei Avot

These words appear in the Mishna, the first major work of Jewish Rabinnic Literature.  The passage quoted is found in so many places that inspire and give meaning to people.  It is of particular relevance to those of us who work for change – in business, politics, science, or culture.  As entrepreneurs, we tend to think ahead – very far ahead.  We have a sense for some future version of the world and the steps we can take today to move it closer to that imagined reality.  Change, of course, is risky business.  Most things, even those that are legitimately deemed a success, seldom follow the course imagined at their outset.  And if that spark of creativity originally emanated from your own mind, you likely harbor all the knowledge of what didn’t work out.  You know every way reality diverged from your plans, and you sometimes dwell on what more could have been accomplished.

I’ve heard this from very successful entrepreneurs, ones who made millions from selling their companies and who are, by all accounts, incredibly successful.  A common refrain: “it could have been so much bigger”.  It’s much easier to be right about the ‘what’ of the future than the ‘when’, and some changes that seem obvious actually take a generation or more.  I sometimes think this way about Orchard, the company that I and my partners started in 2013 and sold to Kabbage in 2018.  Our mission at the outset was to revolutionize the world of lending by bringing advanced data analytics, automated trading, and real-time, liquid secondary markets to an industry where so much was still done by hand or over the phone.  To us, it was obvious that at some point in the future, the origination, funding, and secondary trading of consumer loans would be completely automated and data-driven.  This would lead to increased access to capital for people and business on better, fairer, more transparent terms.  And so we started the work.  

Orchard was a success in many ways.  We hired incredibly talented and passionate people who advanced their careers with Orchard and have gone on to do great things.  We built impressive and useful technology.  We raised the bar for data science and analytics in online lending, and we increased consciousness about fintech and the transformation of financial services.  While we had an exit to Kabbage, we didn’t “finish the work”, at least not as originally conceived.  We didn’t build an independent billion-dollar company.  But the work, at least as far as the mission, still continues.  There are so many amazing people in fintech who are doing great things. The potential for change and lasting impact is now larger than ever.

This principle is not limited to business – far from it.  Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision, courage, and voice sparked incredible change in civil rights, but he was assassinated long before so many of his dreams could be realized. Theodor Herzl dreamed of a free Jewish homeland but died in 1904, long before the establishment of the modern state of Israel. Looking back again to the Bible, the great prophet Moses died after 40 years wandering through the desert, right before the Jews were able to cross into the promised land of Israel.

Personally, I confront this dynamic when thinking of the many problems that exist presently in our world.  The conflicts and tragedies seem so large, so intractable, that the seeming impossibility of solving the entire problem makes taking a single step difficult.  Where to begin?  If I can’t solve the problem, can I do anything to help?  Can I help move anything in the right direction?  How can I make a difference?  Again, it is helpful to remember.  We are not obligated to complete the work, but we may not neglect it.  Anything we can do for a just cause has merit.  Any contribution or impact moves things in the right direction.  We must not underestimate the impact or importance of our actions, however small they may seem. We all stand on the shoulders of giants, even the giants.

Indeed, the march of progress is long and takes place over many generations.  Consider another quote, from one of our nation’s founding fathers:

“I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine.”

– John Adams, letter to Abigail Adams, 1780

John Adams was a founder of the United States, but he didn’t complete the work.  He moved things forward, made an impact, and laid the groundwork for those that would come after. Our great nation is still imperfect, and there is more work to be done. Let us not shy away from work we may not complete. Forward progress is more important than exact timing, and sometimes, the most important thing is to begin.