3 lessons on success from an Arab businesswoman | Leila Hoteit

"Mom, who are these people?"

The speaker's young daughter asks about the rulers of the UAE and why there are no pictures of powerful women on the walls.

The Importance of Women Representation

• The daughter questions why there are no pictures of powerful women on the walls in their current location and in Lebanon where her grandparents live.

• She wonders if it is because women are not important.

• This question poses a challenge for the speaker as a parent and professional.

Growing Up in Lebanon

The speaker reflects on her upbringing in Lebanon and her journey as a woman pursuing education and professional success.

Breaking Gender Stereotypes

• The speaker grew up with supportive parents who encouraged her and her sister to pursue education, despite cultural expectations that favored sons over daughters.

• She left home at 18 to study abroad, becoming one of the few girls from her generation to do so.

• With no brothers, she became like a son to her father.

Lack of Role Models

The speaker discusses the lack of role models she could identify with throughout her career in male-dominated environments.

Absence of Female Role Models

• Despite achieving academic success and working in male-dominated fields, the speaker never found a role model she could truly identify with.

• Her mother's generation did not prioritize professional leadership for women.

• While some men offered encouragement along the way, they couldn't fully understand the challenges she faced as a woman.

Lessons Learned

The speaker shares three lessons she has learned as an Arab woman navigating cultural rigidity and striving for success.

Lesson 1: Convert Challenges into Fuel

• Resilience is the ability to transform challenges into motivation and fuel for personal growth.

• The speaker recounts an incident where her work on women's economic empowerment was met with resistance from a colleague who believed it would disrupt societal norms.

• She emphasizes the importance of using adversity as fuel for progress.

Lesson 2: Resilience

The speaker explores the concept of resilience and how it contributes to success.

Understanding Resilience

• Resilience is often touted as a key factor in achieving success.

• The speaker defines resilience as the ability to transform difficult situations into opportunities for growth and development.

Challenging Gender Roles

The speaker shares an encounter with a colleague who expressed traditional views on gender roles.

Confronting Traditional Views

• After presenting her research on gender parity, the speaker's colleague criticized her work, claiming that women should prioritize their role in the home when they have children.

• This encounter highlights the cultural rigidity faced by Arab women and the need to challenge traditional gender roles.

These are just some of the key points from the transcript.

Be Happy, It Drives People Crazy

This section of the transcript discusses the speaker's personal experiences and lessons learned in dealing with societal expectations and negative comments regarding her career and family choices.

Lessons Learned from Personal Experiences

• The speaker reflects on an incident that made her realize that she should not let other people's issues become her own.

• She emphasizes the importance of finding a supportive sponsor or mentor to navigate challenges.

• The speaker shares her determination to prove what women with children can achieve in their careers.

• She acknowledges that negative comments about her choice to balance career and family can be hurtful but reminds herself that they are not her issues.

• The speaker chooses not to internalize negativity and instead uses it as fuel for personal growth.

• She believes that success is the best revenge against those who doubt or criticize.

Societal Expectations for Women in the Middle East

• The speaker highlights the importance of being married to someone supportive of a woman's career in the Middle East.

• Arab men are often not expected to contribute equally at home, which creates additional challenges for professional women.

• Society assumes that a woman's primary source of happiness should be her family's well-being, limiting opportunities for personal fulfillment outside of traditional roles.

Balancing Career and Family Life

• Professional Arab women face the challenge of maintaining a perfect home, caring for their children, and managing demanding careers simultaneously.

• The speaker emphasizes applying professional skills to personal life, such as carefully selecting childcare options and empowering caregivers.

• The speaker prioritizes dedicated "family time" in her schedule to spend quality moments with her children.

• Even when traveling, she uses technology like Skype to stay connected with her children.

• The speaker acknowledges that sometimes family members can play a significant role in teaching and supporting each other.

By navigating societal expectations, empowering herself and others, and prioritizing family time, the speaker shares her journey of finding balance and success in both her career and personal life.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses the unique approach that successful Arab women have found in balancing their roles as career women and mothers. They emphasize the importance of being present in both aspects of life.

Finding Balance and Being Present

• Successful Arab women have found their own approach to balancing their responsibilities at home and work.

• It is not just about surviving in dual roles but also about being present in the moment.

• The speaker focuses on turning moments with her children into memorable experiences by truly connecting with them.

New Section

This section explores the visibility of Arab women in the public eye and its impact on their representation in politics.

Limited Visibility and Networking Skills

• Arab women have been less visible in the public eye as they grew up, which may explain why there are fewer women in politics in the Arab world.

• However, this limited visibility has allowed them to develop strong networking skills behind the scenes.

• Networking is considered a crucial social skill for success among Arab women, who often have large networks of friends and acquaintances, mostly consisting of other women.

New Section

This section highlights the difference between competitive behavior among ambitious Western women compared to supportive behavior among Arab women.

Supportive Culture vs Competitive Behavior

• In Western societies, ambitious women often compete with each other to be recognized as the most successful woman in a room.

• This leads to a competitive environment among professional women where there is limited room for others to succeed or be supported.

• On the other hand, Arab women have not fallen into this psychological trap. Faced with a patriarchal society, they understand that helping each other benefits all.

New Section

The speaker shares personal experiences where the support of other women played a significant role in her success.

Support from Other Women

• Despite being the most senior woman in her previous job, the speaker received significant support and opportunities from other women.

• The head of marketing suggested her as a young global leader to the World Economic Forum based on her media engagements and publications.

• A Saudi lady and friend helped her sell her first project in Saudi Arabia, which opened doors for more projects in the country.

• The speaker believes that investing in the success of other women is key to her own success.

New Section

This section acknowledges the progress made by women in advancing their roles globally and specifically in the Arab world.

Progress and Pushing Boundaries

• Women are making progress worldwide, although not at an ideal pace.

• The Arab world has also seen advancements despite recent setbacks.

• The UAE appointed five new female ministers, bringing the total number to eight, which is nearly 28% of the cabinet. This exceeds representation in many developed countries.

• These achievements are attributed to great leadership and strong Arab women who continuously push boundaries.

New Section

The speaker expresses hopes for her daughter's future and challenges traditional gender stereotypes.

Hopes for Gender Equality

• The speaker hopes that her daughter will be proud to call herself both her mother's daughter and father's daughter when she stands on stage years later.

• She also hopes that by then, terms like "her mother's son" or "mama's boy" will have a different meaning, challenging traditional gender stereotypes.

Timestamps may vary slightly depending on video version.