The Banking Executive Magazine - January 2022 Issue

Untamable ISSUE 157 JANUARY 2022 the BANKING EXECUTIVE 31 sults would have become negative had I made different choices. It’s a case study aimed at shedding light on principles that drive our happi- ness and success. YOU ARE A RECOGNIZED LEADER IN THE BUSINESS WORLD, HOW DOES IT RELATE TO YOUR PROFESSIONAL VISION? It is my conviction that the leader’s job is to activate the potential of everyone in the organization they manage. Activating another person’s potential begins with teaching them how to navigate life. A person’s life is not limited to the job, it encom- passes all dimensions of life includ- ing the thoughts and emotions. I see this book as a tool that leaders can use to help evolve their organizations by triggering evolution on the indi- vidual human level. The evolution of people in the organization will support leaders as they shift their own leadership style to become ac- tivators of human potential instead of being solution providers. My second book – expected to be released in quarter one of 2022 addresses lead- ers and offers them a methodology to assist them in this leadership shift. YOU HAVE A DOCTORATE DEGREE FROM UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL, TELL US ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH You can probably depict from my words that I have a problem with the concept of separation. To me, people are magical and we must find ways to unleash their magic inside the or- ganization. This requires a clear methodology and it requires a reflec- tion on core organizational processes such as recruiting, decision making, performance evaluation. My doctor- ate research focused on exploring if enabling feelings of spirituality inside the organization can unleash human potential. I want to highlight that the spirituality in my research is not a re- ligious spirituality, it is defined as feelings of sense of belonging and sense of purpose of people. My re- search was implemented in the or- ganization I managed and it pro- vided evidence that when we trigger sense of belonging and a sense of purpose, and when we allow people to express such emotions inside the organizational setting, we can align them with the organizational sense of purpose and optimize the organiza- tion’s performance. Both organiza- tions and people will become winners. HOWWILL YOUR RESEARCH HELP ARAB BANKS? In the context of WUAB’s Women Empowerment Group, we have bro- ken new grounds by introducing the charter for gender diversity, it is the first time Arab Banks collectively take the gender diversity notion into new grounds, this charter was fea- tured in OECD’s publication and this is something to be proud of. This also illustrates the good will of top, influential Arab Bankers in driving a social change across the Arab World. I hope that the leadership shift I will share in my second book, will be adopted by Arab Banks and this will also become a groundbreaking achievement. Assisting individual bankers to evolve their thoughts and emotions will prove to be instrumen- tal in the leadership shift and will fa- cilitate the leaders’ transition into this new role. WHY NOW? IS TIMING OF RELEASING YOUR FIRST AND SECOND BOOK LINKED TO ANY MILESTONES? The global economy has changed drastically and we can no longer lead organizations today the same way we led them 30 years ago. New core competencies are needed such as agility and innovation among oth- ers, this requires a culture transfor- mation where collaboration, speed, collective decision-making form the foundation of the organization’s cul- ture. So yes timing is important, be- cause we need to make the leadership shift now so we can embed change readiness into our or- ganizations. WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A SECOND BOOK THAT YOU PLAN TO RELEASE IN THE COMING MONTHS, IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOUR FIRST BOOK “UNTAMABLE” AND YOUR SECOND BOOK? Yes, there is. My first book “Untam- able” prepares people on an individ- ual level. It helps them learn how to navigate life’s challenges and hard- ship, it evolves their thinking to a new dimension, it elevates their emotions, and having employees at this level will facilitate the leadership shift which is my second book. My second book offers leaders a methodology they can follow and apply to transform their culture and their organization, while my first book prepares people inside the or- ganization to embrace their leaders’ shift. WHAT DO YOU FORESEE THE IMPLICATION OF IMPLEMENTING YOUR BOOKS INSIDE ARAB BANKS? It is an opportunity to mark the world as pioneers in shifting their organiza- tions’ culture, such an event has never happened before as a collec- tive entity. It’s also a great opportu- nity to show the values and the advanced business thinking of Arab Bank Leaders. If Arab Banks succeed at making this shift as a group, they will again mark their place in the business leadership world. YOU GREW UP IN CANADA, DO YOU THINK THE INFORMATION IN YOUR BOOK APPLIES TO THE ARAB WORLD? People are people, we all have the same needs what differentiates us is the culture. The information I share in my second book encompasses ex- perience of over 40 years in multiple areas in the world including Canada, Lebanon, UAE and others. The short answer is yes the information I share in my first and second book applies to the Arab World and can succeed well in this environment given the di- versity of cultures within the Arab or- ganizational setting.