A PODCAST FOR AMBITIOUS WOMEN BY AN AMBITIOUS WOMAN Obai and Hill’s Women Power Podcast hosted by Wafa AlObaidat Leading PR and Design Firm, Obai and Hill, launched a podcast last year, for ambitious women based in the MENA region with global outreach, the Women Power Podcast by Wafa AlObaidat. The Podcast was launched in April 2020, and each week it has honest, vulnerable, authentic conversations with inspiring women and these guests on the podcast share their experiences and stories on what it takes to build a successful business and career, whilst tackling relatable stories on growth and rising towards the individuals they are today. The podcast further shares insight and inspiration with the aim to support women in achieving their highest potential. The Podcast aims to present successful female leaders in diverse fields; who will be highlighting partnerships at the workplace, emphasizing communication and the forging of stronger relationships within teams and through the workplace. The theme of each season of the Podcast revolves around ‘Inspiring Action and Leading Change. Season 1 of the podcast featured renowned women like Hadley Gamble, Rana Salam, Alya Mooro, Deena Ansari, and many more. These amazing women shared their insights on Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and persevering through hurdles that every woman is challenged with. Season 2 included another round of trailblazing women like Zainab Salbi, Raha Moharrak, Farah Nabulsi, Marriam Mossalli who with their spirit and grit share their progressive stories! Season 3 received amazing feedback and hosted women like Fouz Al Fahad, Ghizlan Guenez, and Reema Juffali. With each season, the podcast celebrates the elegance of womanhood and fostering a sense of community and oneness, and creating more impact by breaking barriers, recognizing their goals, and achieving them. Some big names from Season 4 include Alaa Balkhy, Rana Alamuddin, and Joy Ajlouny, Emon Shakoor from Season 5 respectively. The podcast just commenced Season 6 and has also featured some trailblazing women like HH Basma Al Said, HH Nourah Alfaisal, and Ghada Khunji. Furthermore, the Women Power Network has successfully engaged with & created an impact with the support of 400+ Women Leaders across various industries and walks of life, 6000+ ambitious participants at our forums, 200+ Partnerships, and 64 Media Partners since 2018. In just over a year, the Podcast has grown immensely and has been able to showcase opportunities for partnerships and collaborations by onboarding a number of renowned brands like Bath & Body Works, Zain Bahrain, Healthy Calorie, and many more. Their vision is to partner with brands that share the same goals and resonate with their mission to connect and empower women by providing them with access to networks and knowledge that can allow them to be innovative and succeed, by unleashing their power to create positive change. Wafa AlObaidat, Host of the Women Power Podcast, CEO of Obai and Hill, Founder of the Women Power Network, and Co-Founder of Women Who Read shares “The positive impact and efforts of driving change in the direction of women empowerment have been relentless and we’re truly grateful and thankful to all those who have supported us in making this platform what it is – a safe space for women to learn and lead their life with purpose”. The Women Power Podcast has garnered more than 80k downloads and has published over 80 episodes so far! The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and many other podcast platforms. The content produced is predominantly focused on inspirational storytelling, motivational pieces, and actionable resources. According to EMNES, only 21% of women are participating in the labor force in the MENA region. Investing in women will boost the growth of the economy as a whole. Hop on the bandwagon and expect to hear more inspiring stories on personal struggles, entrepreneurship, womanhood, and much more! You can follow the Women Power Podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to receive daily updates on their episodes! Executive-Women had the pleasure of running a one-on-one interview with Wafa Alobaidat, click here for the full article.
Rita Rhayem: Paving the Way for Women in the Humanitarian World
Rita Rhayem: Paving the Way for Women in the Humanitarian World What inspired you to embark on this journey in the Humanitarian Field? It was by accident. When searching for a job, I never considered the humanitarian field, until I started working with “Doctors Without Borders”. I discovered a field that leads you into new roads and new sectors. I never imagined that the Humanitarian field required such professionalism and such a deep and diverse knowledge in sectors that I probably never knew about. It challenges the way you see life and forces you to shatter your egoism and preconceptions. It is a field where you change someone’s life (even a community) and get the chance to see this change. It helps you understand how really an act of kindness can be a life changer. When you work in the humanitarian field, you become part of an international family where you work with people from different nationalities and backgrounds to advocate for a certain topic. You don’t work to increase the financial capital of a firm but to increase the quality of life of people who are complete strangers to you. Over the years, what has been the role of women in shaping the humanitarian field? The humanitarian field categorizes women as a vulnerable group, yet they are not. Women are the first responders to any crisis. They are the front-liners providing food assistance, shelter, health services…. and most importantly they are very vigilant and can work on preventive measures to reduce the impact of any crisis. Over the years, the shift from victim to responders have started. Women have demonstrated an ability to understand people’s needs and shape the humanitarian response accordingly. Their presence in the field plays an important role in recognizing and respecting local culture, in building and preserving the peace process, in delivering the services in a more effective and transparent way, and so much more. Introducing gender to the humanitarian field helped shape not only the women’s portrayal but as well as the response: more than ever, protection is an important issue along with safeguarding and the use of technologies to advance human rights. Tell us about your journey with Doctors Without Borders. In what ways did it affect your calling to pursue humanitarian work? It was like opening a Pandora box of emotions and curiosity. I had the preconceptions that the humanitarian work is completely based on volunteering and there is no career path in this field. Doctors Without Borders changed all of that. I worked with people coming from different countries to help my country. I learned that standards and professionalism are a condition sine qua non to help people. I was deeply touched every time I walked into a completely destroyed village in the South of Lebanon and met resilient people who refused to leave their houses and wanted to build it again. It was a mix of emotions; discovering a field with no limit while at the same time helping my own people. How did your experience with Sphere impact your thinking on humanitarian crises? What was your role in setting the standards to be applied in humanitarian response? When a humanitarian crisis occurred, people tend to think that they are the only one to experience trauma. We forget that there are crises happening across the globe. This is the first reminder while learning Sphere standards. Then you discover how standards and principles should be adopted during emergencies to preserve people’s dignity, to protect vulnerable groups, to make sure that no one is left behind, and most importantly, to learn to listen to people’s needs while respecting their culture and values. Sphere is a universal way of dealing with emergencies. Humanitarian agencies will be then talking the same language and avoiding as much as possible duplication. “Accreditation of NGOs Health Centers” is the name of your book. What inspired you to write this book? Can you tell us more about it? What level of education and awareness will this book bring in to the medical & humanitarian fields combined? The right to health is an important part of human rights, but what about the quality of the service? Privileged or not,everyone without exception has the right to access quality health care services; accreditation is the guarantee. Accreditation is associated with better performance, continuous quality improvement, all while allowing beneficiaries to be considered as stakeholders. This book was published when there was no accreditation system in Lebanon for the primary health care centers and aimed to raise awareness in the humanitarian and academic field about the importance of accreditation. Where are we now in terms of establishing non-biased communities? Unfortunately, as long as we are still in the emotional phase, we are very far. Our decisions are directed by emotions and tradition. We still take things for their face value and refuse to open up to other ideas. Until we start to question what we know as basic and what we are fed through media and culture, we still have a long way to go. Where does our responsibility – as human beings – lie in identifying bias and taking the needed measures to raise awareness and positively impact mindsets? If you don’t know that you are sick you won’t seek treatment. The same goes for gender discrimination. If you don’t recognize and admit gender discrimination you won’t try to find solutions. This is the first step but the most difficult one: recognizing the bias. Gender discrimination is so embedded in our society that we don’t see it anymore, we even sometimes replicate it on a daily basis. The advertisements that replicate gender roles, literature and movies representing women as the victims who need to be saved by a very masculine man, the news portraying refugees’ women and their struggle to survive but never portraying vulnerable refugees men…There are other forms of discrimination that are so visible yet we choose to turn the blind eye especially if we thought that this
Data Protection: A Necessity in Today’s Digital Era
Data Protection & Privacy: A Necessity in Today’s Digital Era “Historically, privacy was almost implicit, because it was hard to find and gather information. But in the digital world, whether it’s digital cameras or satellites or just what you click on, we need to have more explicit rules – not just for governments but for private companies”. Bill Gates Privacy is not an option, but rather a necessity, and should never be the price we pay to access the internet. Almost every aspect of our lives revolves around data, and almost every service we use involves the collection and analysis of our personal data. Therefore, in this ever-evolving digital era – where data can be easily accessible or hacked – what is the importance of private data? How can individuals protect and keep their data private? And what are the consequences should they not? Data privacy has always been valuable. That is why people rent safe boxes in banks, and lock their filing cabinets. However, the more data becomes digitized, and the more information is shared on the web, the more important data privacy becomes. Personal data is very important. It helps companies develop business models, conduct effective marketing campaigns, understand their customers, and develop various products and services accordingly. Yet, companies should protect this data and use it in a very responsible way, in order to prevent third parties from misusing it in fraud or identity theft. In fact, we have witnessed several cases of personal data breaches worldwide such as Facebook, eBay, Adobe, Yahoo, and Equifax, whereby personal data (such as social security numbers, addresses, credit scores, etc.) of millions of individuals was violated. A regulation called The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was introduced in Europe in April 2016 (and became enforceable in May 2018) in order to set the standards of how businesses and organizations should handle the private information of individuals they interact with. It affirms that an individual’s personal data belongs to the individual, and imposes substantial fines on companies not abiding by the rules. These fines can go up to EUR 20 million or 4% of a company’s worldwide turnover, whichever is higher. The main objective of the GDPR is to give control back to EU citizens and residents over their personal data and protect their privacy, as well as to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU. In order for companies to comply with the GDPR rules, here are some examples of what to do: Inform individuals about the company’s activities in a transparent manner, and clarify to them why the company is processing their personal data. For this reason, companies should post Privacy Notices and Privacy Policies on their websites, and modify their agreements to include GDPR clauses; Manage – through a Data Processing Agreement – the controller/processor relationship, which is a relationship with all third-party organizations, agents, contractors, or other parties working on behalf of the company; Assign a Data Protection Officer(DPO) for the company whose responsibility is to oversee the company’s data protection strategy and its implementation to ensure compliance with the GDPR; Keep a record on the use of data; Manage efficiently the rights of the individuals, and be ready to act quickly in case any individual wants to exercise their right according to GDPR. Those rights are as follows: The right of an individual to access his/her personal data, to receive a record of the data that the company holds, to have the data corrected in case of errors, to have the data deleted if certain criteria are met, to have the data transferred under certain circumstances, and to object or restrict certain uses of the personal data. Set up procedures to handle personal data breach within 72 hours, identify the steps a company needs to take in order to minimize risks, and notify the concerned individuals as well as the supervisory authorities. Review and assess the impact that every new activity/product may have on data subjects, and analyze the possible risks through a process called the Data Protection Impact Assessment(DPIA). In fact, every individual should be concerned about data privacy and not consider that data privacy is just a business concern. The more individuals know about data privacy, the better they will be able to protect themselves from a large number of risks. Individuals should not think that there is a trade-off between security and Privacy. In fact, Technology allows having both. Here are some simple tips to help individuals protect their personal data: Use a locking mailbox at home, so that fraudsters cannot steal the mail. Shred discarded documents, including receipts, as well as bank and credit card statements that contain personal information; Secure the home Wi-Fi network and other devices so that cyber criminals cannot spy on an individual’s online activity; Use strong, unique passwords for all online accounts; Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs provide online privacy and anonymity by creating a secured, private network from any Internet connection, whether accessed from a home Wi-Fi or from a public Wi-Fi hotspot; Regularly assess the privacy settings on Social Media accounts. In conclusion, Data will become even much more valuable in the next coming years than it is today. Therefore, the more efficiently we store and protect our data, the more it is beneficial for our businesses, companies, and ourselves. By Nadine Ghosn Eid, Director of Compliance at areeba, Legal & Anti-Money Laundering Specialist To know more about the author, click here. For the full interview on executive-women.me, visit this link.
Transforming Human Resources: A New Era of Agility
Transforming Human Resources Bringing in a new era of flexibility, agility and adaptability If you asked me two years ago about the future of Human Resource (HR) management in organizations, my answer would be very different to what it is today. Let’s be honest, the whole world has been dramatically transformed in the last two years due to the global pandemic that was felt on all levels from countries, cities, organizations and businesses. We have all had to adapt, and as renowned author and management consultant Peter Drucker once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” It’s still up for debate how well we could have predicted this crisis, yet the outcome has taught us to consider worst-case scenarios when thinking about the future and in doing so, it has provided us with an opportunity to take a step ahead of the game. The Evolution of HR The development of human resources over the past decades is like the transition from a black and white TV to a colored one, the process is gradual for the manufacturer but quick and exciting for the consumer. Either way, there is no turning back. In the 1970’s and 80’s, HR was known as “personnel management” and the department dealt with administrative issues that no one really liked, such as maintaining records, hiring and firing employees, managing time-keeping and other such mundane activities, none of it which was really ground-breaking. By the 1990s, words like process and productivity were starting to come to light in the context of how to optimize the performance of employees. By the 2000’s HR had evolved to talking about strategy, how to contribute to the company’s bottom line as well as topics such as employee motivation, loyalty, and commitment. During that period, so many famous books from Sun Tzu’s Art of War to Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Emperor have been used to model different types of leadership in the workplace. In the last two decades, all kinds of new words and phrases have been created from HR gurus which have pushed this field into the limelight. “Our people are our greatest assets”, “the war for talent”, human capital or human investment, diversity & inclusion, talent management, HR business partner model, amongst many others; all of them highlighting the growing role of HR as an essential contributor to the organization’s vision, mission, strategy, goals and objectives. While many of these changes have been labelled as “old wine in new bottles” symbolizing non-original ideas that are being rehashed and packaged as something new. Over the last year I believe the role of HR is becoming more synonymous with “new wine in old bottles”, meaning we are still dealing with the same topics but having to do so with fresh ideas and perspective. So, what exactly have we learned from this past year that will catapult HR into the future? Make better decisions, faster In many workplaces, decision-making is cumbersome, requiring a lengthy approval process and agreements from different stakeholders. In the last year, changes that would normally take months, even years, in the face of “this is how we do things”, were implemented in a matter of days. These same organizations have found they are able to move quickly, to change workplace practices and think outside the traditional structures that have governed them for years. Even organizations that never relied on being tech-savvy have put communication tools in place to make remote working a reality. This shows us that when quick decision-making is a necessity, change can happen without process obstacles. This momentum needs to carry on now that we are returning to a somewhat normal situation. Many organizations are coming up with remote working policies, and more flexibility in working hours and location as they have witnessed the benefits first-hand. The 9-5 working protocol has one leg out the door bringing, which is resulting is increased flexibility and a dynamic energy that will change the way we work. Rethink the Employment Contract Now that remote working has been tried and tested (and in many cases it has proven to be very successful), organizations may rethink the employment contract altogether – perhaps replacing the notion of fixed-term or full-time employees with more part-time workers and greater flexibility, thereby also reducing the organization’s fixed costs. Furthermore, now that the millennials and the oldest Generation Z’s (around 23 years old) are soon to be the majority in the workforce, they come with a set of expectations that defies the 9-5 working hours. HR practitioners will need to make themselves aware of the factors that motivate these generations, such as flexible hours, teamwork, advanced technologies, flexible benefits, and so forth. As we move into post-pandemic mode, HR will need to rethink working arrangements and the traditional employment contract, and focus on how to add value to the changing demands and workforce demographics. Shift towards More Trust-Based Leadership For many organizations, this crisis has provided a huge opportunity to build or enhance a culture of trust. Traditionally, many organizations have expected their employees to be in the office, to be present physically in meetings, and their presence in the office acting as an accountability of hours worked. Moving forward, employers have no choice but to empower their employees and to trust that work responsibilities and deadlines will be met. This changes the whole employee-employer dynamic. This autonomy communicates to employees that their leaders trust them. HR needs to ensure that the quality of the employer-employee relationship will be enhanced so that the employer becomes a more trusted partner to the employee, who in turn will increase loyalty and trust towards the employer. Provide the best possible Employee Experience Organizations have made a lot of effort in the last year to ensure employee wellness and well-being. We have all heard the stories of some employees suffering through this period due to isolation from friends, families, and colleagues, typically accompanied by mental health challenges. Organizations cannot ignore this.
The L word – Leadership Coaching with Love
The L word – Leadership Coaching with Love “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” Eleanor Roosevelt Love & Leadership? How do those two fit together? During these unprecedented times, leadership has been more in demand and has become more challenging in the world. But how can we lead with love when leaders are afraid? Fear has taken over almost every part of our lives, and rightfully so. Many companies do not even have foreseeable revenue to sustain the economic storm beyond COVID-19. Mass layoffs, rising unemployment, and overextended debts have created a warranted crisis of leadership. Today, the world needs more conscious leaders leading with love, empathy and inclusiveness. When a leader leads from a place of fear, it can create a culture of distrust, with communication barriers and a lack of safety. They create more “dis-ease” in the organization when they are expected to lead others. The opportunities for vulnerability, inclusion, or belonging are missed, creating systemic gaps in the workplace. The impact on the product that is distributed out to the world is also impacted negatively. How can we prevent this “dis-ease” and create a culture of conscious leadership where leaders open their hearts to those they lead? I use this 7 Step process to help leaders or organizations lead with love. Step 1: Be Authentic.: By definition, authentic leadership emphasizes a leader’s transparency, genuineness and honesty within the workplace. But it is more than that. Many leaders struggle to be transparent, to create a culture open to vulnerability, to build courage in others, and to dare to lead with trust and integrity. What happens when we aren’t authentic as leaders? We sabotage ourselves blocking innovation and creativity. Leaders need to create an environment where individuals feel safe enough to say “I need help,” ” I made a mistake”, “I need more training.” Then the question arises: How do we become more authentic at the workplace? “A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.” Brené Brown Leadership courage is a skill that can be taught and learned. Authentic leaders can start by being in integrity. They can reflect upon their decisions, actions and be mindful about their strengths and weaknesses without any bias. For example, if a leader is aware enough of their trigger and the reaction that is happening in their body, they can pause during the conversation and ask themselves, “What is really bothering me? What is the underlying cause? What part of me am I not supporting that the other person is expressing to me on the outside?” Then bring compassion for the other person. At the end of the day, that person is just like the leader, maybe with a different skin color, a different lived experience or with a different worldview. But on so many levels, they are not that different. We all want safety, shelter, love, and acceptance. So now if the leader just takes a step back and recognizes that however this person is showing up has nothing to do with them and it’s not personal, the whole energy of the conversation would be shifted to a more constructive and progressive direction. Step 2: Be mindful.: Leaders who are currently immersing themselves in understanding, learning and cultivating to become the best version of themselves, are helping to meet today’s challenging circumstances with compassion, wisdom and clarity. Mindfulness is a key part of conscious leadership. What is mindfulness? My definition: Mindfulness is the constant awareness of being unmindful, along with a focus on conscious, moment-to-moment awareness. By building that self-awareness muscle we can take away all the judgements. We become aware of where the emotions are appearing from. Once we recognize the sources we can turn these emotions into our power. The capacity to make intelligent decisions directly impacts the effectiveness of teams and functioning of an organization. Even though this can be an in-depth personal development program, you can start practicing and introducing mindfulness at work. It would be a huge leap toward creating a positive environment and increasing productivity. As Peter Drucker’s said “You cannot manage other people unless you manage yourself first.” Step 3: Lead with love.: Love in the corporate culture often gets overlooked. Leaders do not feel comfortable to show their love as it’s often perceived as their weaknesses or vulnerability. Sometimes ego or other negative thoughts prevent them from expressing their love in the workplace. Love is a magical energy. It has a vibration of care, gratitude and authenticity. When we lead from scarcity and fear we create a more toxic environment. Love can emit light in this condition. Showing empathy towards the team or others is magnetic. It has a ripple effect on others. It connects people with compassion, improves productivity, and boosts organizational growth. Even starting with a few small steps can shift the dynamic of the organization. For example, as a leader we can make conscious decisions of how much are we asking of people at this time. Are we taking the feedback from the team and setting realistic goals? Are we being really effective by calling many meetings we’re asking our team to attend? As leaders, are we being conscious of a work-life balance? Are we leaving late from work and creating expectation for our team to leave late? Are we expecting them to answer emails around the clock? How can I support you? Listen, learn, love and lead. Step 4: Have a Growth Mindset.: Having a growth mindset is vital in conscious leadership. It helps leaders to get comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty. Leaders with a fixed mindset believe that they have only basic abilities, intelligence, talents and their underlying goal is to look smart and never fail. They usually will not go out of their comfort zone, because of fear of failure. They only want to do what they know that they can do well. On