Women's Day: Women setting example for women

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Empowerment isn’t enough. Women in key positions are setting examples and lending a helping hand to those in need.

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Published: Mon 9 Mar 2015, 1:42 AM

Last updated: Mon 15 May 2023, 4:21 PM

Some women work tirelessly for their rights, others fight for the rights of others.

Meet Kyra Dupont, a French-Swiss journalist and writer based in Dubai; Miyuki Droz Aramaki, a Swiss-Brazilian- Japanese journalist; and Sadaf Jabarkhyl, Marketing Manager for the Fatima Bint Mohammed Initiative (FBMI) — leading examples of women who stand up for other women.


While Dupont and Aramaki have worked ceaselessly to raise awareness about the culture and heritage of Arab, Afghan, and Pakistani women, Jabarkhyl works for the Fatema Bint Mohammed Initiative (FBMI), an Abu Dhabi-based community development programme which is dedicated to empowering Afghan women by providing them employment opportunities in carpet production, as well as providing healthcare and education for its workers. Khaleej Times caught up with the three women for a quick chat on why they chose to champion this cause.

Dupont recently published her book, ‘Pearls of the Emirates. Who Are these Women behind the Veil (Editions du Moment)’, documenting the lives of Emirati women. “Emirati women are every where now. From Ministers to CEOs, there is a trend, a dynamic. When one of them becomes a pioneer in her field, she serves as a role model for others,” said Dupont.


Aramaki said that in Europe, there is a misconception that Arab women aren’t free. “European men and women look at the general image, see women covering their heads, being pushed into arranged marriages. It shows they can’t be as happy as Westerners.

“Many even think that the situation in Saudi is true of all Gulf countries: I’ve had people asking me if women in Dubai drive, if they wear a burqa?,” said Aramaki.

Jabarkhyl said that in her line of work, the hardest struggle is seeing Afghan women, living below the poverty line, in constant struggle. “When I look at the struggles and hardship faced by others, particularly those living below the poverty line, including the women at refugee camps, they make my hurdles look small. Given that, I would say the biggest hurdle was probably getting FBMI running to execute the project well,” said Jabarkhyl.

These women also believe that the UAE’s support for women will inspire other women in the Middle East. “In this very troubled period, they lead by example showing how the Arab and Muslim women can be in the forefront, bearing responsibilities,” said Dupont. “In less than 50 years Emirati women managed to switch between being housewives to reaching the top levels of society. I was surprised to discover that not only they have been given the freedom to do all that but it happened quickly and in a very organic way without fighting or protesting,” she added.

The women also encouraged others to be patient and have persistence. “Rome wasn’t built in a day and that is very reflective of the circumstances one faces when setting up a social business. A social business is ten times tougher to execute than a normal one therefore you must have persistent even at the toughest of times,” said Jabarkhyl. -dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

Mona Al Tamimi

VP - Marketing & Corporate Communications, Deyaar Development PJSC

Patrick Michael

What best describes your leadership style participative or delegative or dictatorial or a mix of the three?

A good leader must be able to encourage participation from employees in making strategic corporate decisions. At the same time, she must be able to delegate responsibility to individuals who have potential to grow and climb the corporate ladder. This not only encourages employees to make the right decisions for long terms benefits of the company.

What is the best advice ever given to you? By whom?

One of the early mentors in my life, CEO of a successful company and my ex-employer, shared a valuable insight. He said, “Success comes with hardwork and learning fast with the right attitude.”

The political leader you admire the most?

Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE

The business leader you admire the most

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft has created global innovations from ground up and also undergone hardships to make it a success.

A book you would recommend on leadership

My Vision: Challenges in the Race for Excellence by Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

A movie you would recommend on leadership

Lincoln, an American epic focused on United States President Abraham Lincoln was based on Doris Kearns Goodwins biography ‘Team of Rivals:The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

What, according to you, is the difference between a manager and a leader?

A leader is an individual, who is able to recognizs the strengths of the team to further develop them and identify the weaknesses and work on overcoming them. A leader also sets the path for future growth and direction to achieve long term objectives set for the organization. A leader encompasses vision providing strategic input uplifting the image of the organization among its internal and external stakeholders.

A manager is responsible to get productivity out of his team by encouraging and helping them to make the best out of their strengths and weaknesses.

Can all good managers be good leaders?

All managers don’t have to be good leaders. They must be hold people skills necessary to achieve the best results from the team. A manager may not have the ability to take risks and identify the right opportunity for organizational growth.

A leadership lesson you would like to share with others…

Leaders take responsibilities and inspire change. A good leader must have the ability to listen to his team. A leader must inspire, build trust, encouraging staff to grow with the organisation.

Rula Galayini

Founder and Creative Director of Rula Galayini luxury handbag label

What best describes your leadership style?

Participative. I am very involved in every aspect of my business, whether it is creative, marketing or financial but I do still greatly value the power of a collective.

Best advice ever given to you? By whom?

“History will not remember whether conditions were in your favour or not. History only remembers and judges the final products.” This really pushed me to capitalize on any situation I was ever put in and to never simply succumb to it if it wasn’t in my favour, but rather to continue searching for alternative routes to reach the same goal. Bechara Mouzannar — My Executive Creative Director at Leo Burnett advertising agency, at the time.

The political leader you admire most

Nelson Mandela

The business leader you admire the most

Richard Branson.

A book you would recommend on leadership

The Extraordinary Leader by Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman

A movie you would recommend on leadership

Dead Poet’s Society by Peter Weir

What, according to you, is the difference between a manager and a leader?

A leader empowers his/her team. A manager controls it.

Can all good managers be good leaders?

A good leader needs to INSPIRE beyond his good managerial skills.

A leadership lesson you would like to share with others

Not to be afraid to question the status quo. The conventional is not necessarily the optimal way but has simply become habit.

Loretta Ahmed

CEO, Grayling Middle East, Turkey & Africa

What best describes your leadership style Participative or delegative or dictatorial or a mix of the three?

Inclusive and empowering, so a mix of participative and delegative but never dictatorial. I want to build a team of entrepreneurial thinkers so I always work to encourage innovation and bravery.

What is the best advice ever given to you? By whom?

Never ever give up. Said to me constantly by Lord Chadlington, CEO of Huntsworth Plc, our parent company.

The political leader you admire the most.

Winston Churchill for giving Lord Chadlington the quote above.

The business leader you admire the most.

It changes every day. Today I admire Lina Nahhas for the work she has done to set up The Sameness Project in Dubai. Business has a new bottom line these days and I worry we aren’t all doing enough to support the communities we live and work in. We can all do more.

A book you would recommend on leadership

The XYZ Factor, by Nancy Lublin and Alyssa Ruderman. Just finished reading this yesterday. Essential reading for anyone building a business with a millennial workforce.

A movie you would recommend on leadership

A leader must always stay true to their core personal values to be truly authentic and to build trust. For this reason I would choose one of my favourite movies Braveheart. William Wallace simply never compromised on his values. He led from the front and commanded deep loyalty.

What, according to you is the difference between a manager and a leader?

A leader has to have the ability to inspire and bring about change while a manager has to make that change happen.

Can all good managers be good leaders?

The ones who go on to be great leaders are those who require less leadership themselves. It takes a different set of skills to be a leader and not every great manager has the right combination of charisma, humility, empathy, confidence and divergence of thinking to make the leap.

A leadership lesson you would like to share with others

Listen 50% more. Talk 50% less. Stay hungry to keep learning. Read, watch, listen. Keep absorbing as the only new constant in today’s world is change.

Mona Al Ghurair

Vice President – Marketing Network International.

What best describes your leadership style? Participative or delegative or dictatorial or a mix of the three?

I would describe my leadership style as a mix of participative and delegative. This style has proven very successful over the years and helped bring out the best in my team.

What is the best advice ever given to you? By whom?

Someone once told me, the key to sustained success is to know your craft well as that will enable you to make quicker and smarter decisions.

The political leader you admire the most

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. I am in awe of his foresight, enthusiasm and ever-optimistic outlook that has taken Dubai to heights that no one could ever imagine.

The business leader you admire the most.

I admire the leadership style of Shaikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

A book you would recommend on leadership.

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.

A movie you would recommend on leadership

Braveheart

What, according to you, is the difference between a manager and a leader?

I believe, while a manager reacts to change, leaders create change. A good leader leads by example and has to be a good listener. Moreover, leaders have to be visionary; they should always be able to see the bigger picture.

Can all good managers be good leaders?

The short answer is no, but a few good managers may go on to become good leaders.

A leadership lesson you would like to share with others.

It is important to always believe in yourself. You should take up the leadership role only if you are confident that you would be able to make an impact and a positive difference as a leader.

Badreya Ali Al Dashti

Head of Public Sector & Large Corporates, Noor Bank

What best describes your leadership style participative or delegative or dictatorial or a mix of the three?

It’s a mix of three, each person in the team has to be dealt with in a different way. You can’t treat people equal; you have to treat them fair.

What is the best advice ever given to you? By whom?

The key to success is to love and be passionate about what you do. My school teacher.

The political leader you admire the most

The UAE’s founding father Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and H. M. King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al Soud

The business leader you admire the most

Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair

A book you would recommend on leadership

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

A movie you would recommend on leadership

The King’s Speech, The Last Castle.

What, according to you, is the difference between a manager and a leader?

Managers direct a group of employees, but leaders create teams. Mangers take credit and leaders take responsibility.

Can all good managers be good leaders?

No

A leadership lesson you would like to share with others…

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself or herself.

Safina Ahmed

Head of Residential, CBRE Middle East, CBRE (global real estate consultancy firm)

What best describes your leadership style?

I’ve had the benefit of good and bad managers; the ones under whom I have excelled are those who allowed me to feel part of the decision making process.

It’s the team dynamic that is most important to the success of any business and I truly believe that a dictatorial style of leadership can only stifle this.

There will of course be times when there are lots of ideas or solutions on the table and that’s when only one person can make the final call.

Ultimately, it’s the young blood that keeps a company relevant but a combination of fresh ideas and experience makes a formidable combination.

What is the best advice ever given to you? By whom?

My father once told me a business is like a family; respect your elders (those WITH more experienced than you) and nurture the little ones (those with less experience).

The political leader you admire the most

Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Licia Ronzulli. The image of her with her baby in Strasbourg Parliament was so powerful. The business leader you admire the most

I really admire Anna Wintour.

A book you would recommend on leadership

I’m sure many women will say ‘Lean In.’

A movie you would recommend on leadership

Horrible Bosses

What, according to you, is the difference between a manager and a leader?

I believe in leading by example.

Can all good managers be good leaders?

Good management skills can perhaps be taught in management textbooks but a true leader is visionary.

A leadership lesson you would like to share with others

Sometimes it’s the lessons in how not to do things that make us better people, both inside and outside of the workplace. Many years ago, I had a female boss who really didn’t like working with other women. It was one of the most stressful periods of my life and the only time I ever dreaded going into work. It was only when I was out of that situation I realised the toll it took on me. I had lost so much hair and in my new role, it started growing back. That’s when I took a step back, took stock of my own experience and swore I would never put anyone else through that. .


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