< Previous30 C EO M I D D L E E A S T NOVEMBER 2020 PANDEMICS, POLITICS AND THE IMPACT OF WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP ROLES DESPITE ENORMOUS STRIDES IN BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND OTHER AREAS, WOMEN DON’T ALWAYS GET THE RESPECT MEN DO FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP ABILITIES, EVEN WHEN THEY CAN BOAST GREATER ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY ANDI SIMON, PH.D. HE COMBINATION OF A PANDEMIC, a recession and an election that 2020 brought could be the impetus for changing the way people view women and their leadership styles, a development that many would argue is long overdue, says Andi Simon (www. andisimon.com), a corporate anthro- pologist, founder of Simon Associates Management Consultants, and author of the upcoming book Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business. Simon is a trained practitioner in Blue Ocean Strategy and has conducted several hundred workshops and speeches on the topic as well as consulted with a wide range of clients across the globe. “It’s time we started seeing women leaders through a fresh lens,” Simon says. “When we do, we will all benefit from their styles and their successes.” Because presidential candidate Joe Biden picked U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, the country po- tentially could have its first female vice president on Jan. 20, 2021. Meanwhile, around the world, many countries led by women have fared better during the COVID-19 pandemic than those led by men, with New Zealand’s T LEAERSHIP | WOMEN IN LEADERSHIPNOVEMBER 2020 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 31 Jacinda Ardern, Germany’s Angela Merkel and Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-Wen among those being hailed for their strong leadership. Simon says anyone surprised women have what it takes to emerge as great leaders may have fallen for myths that surround both men and women when it comes to taking charge. “Men communicate a myth about women that emphasizes their soft sides, their kindness, and their weakness, not their decisiveness, strength and ingenuity,” she says. “Women might lead differently, but they can and are achieving remarkable results through collaboration, coordination, and crea- tive communication, as opposed to the command-and-control methods men often employ.” Simon is the author of the award- winning book On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights. She also has a successful podcast, On the Brink with Andi Simon, that has more than 125,000 monthly listen- ers, and is ranked among the top 20 Futurist podcasts and top 200 busi- ness podcasts. In addition, Global Advisory Experts named Simons’ firm the Corporate Anthropology Consul- tancy Firm of the Year in New York – 2020. She has been on Good Morning, America and Bloomberg, and is widely published in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Business Week, Becker’s, and American Banker, among others. She has been a guest blogger for Forbes.com, Huffington Post, and Fierce Health. She offers a few observa- tions about women, leader- ship and where things could be headed: Research shows women score better on leadership qualities. Research published last year in the Harvard Business Review showed that, over several surveys that asked the same questions, women ranked higher than men on almost all key factors meas- uring leadership capabilities. “Manag- ers, even male managers, saw women as more effective than men in virtually every area, including areas typically viewed as male strongholds such as IT, operations and legal,” Simon says. Women ranked high in taking initiative, acting with resilience, practicing self- development, driving for results, and showing high integrity and honesty. More female mentors and role models will mean more female leaders. As more women gain leadership roles, the number of women in such roles will build on itself, Simon says. “The script on women changing male-dominated workplace culture is still being written,” she says. “But one thing is for sure: The more women become leaders and assume positions of authority, the more they can help other women on their way up.” An anthropological approach can help. Simon is both a business consultant and an anthropologist, and she believes mixing the two is beneficial. “My career advice for women in leadership roles is to be a little anthropological when you are trying to find your own way in your job or business,” she says. “Do some observa- tional research. Experience your product or service from your customer’s point of view, or your employees’ point of view. You’ll be amazed at what you discover, and the innovative ideas that come to you for solving unmet needs.” “Our cultural biases lead us to believe that something created by a woman is not as good as something created by a man,” Simon says. “For us to see the work of women as at least equal to that of men, those biases must change. The question for all of us is: Can we change them?” “IT’S TIME WE STARTED SEEING WOMEN LEADERS THROUGH A FRESH LENS. WHEN WE DO, WE WILL ALL BENEFIT FROM THEIR STYLES AND THEIR SUCCESSES.” “EVEN MALE MANAGERS SAW WOMEN AS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN MEN IN VIRTUALLY EVERY AREA, INCLUDING AREAS TYPICALLY VIEWED AS MALE STRONGHOLDS.” BIASES MUST BE CHANGED. The script on women changing male- dominated workplace culture is still being written,” says anthropologist and author Andi Simon. COVER STORY | OWEIS ZAHRAN 32 C EO M I D D L E E A S T NOVEMBER 2020 “OPPORTUNITIES ARE BORN FROM CHALLENGES.” THERE IS NO SECRET FORMULA TO ENSURING YOUR COMPANY SURVIVES A CRISIS, BUT ALL BUSINESS LEADERS NEED TO ENSURE THEY ARE CREATING PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS FOR THE CURRENT REALITY, SAYS ENTREPRENEUR OWEIS ZAHRAN BY JOLA CHUDY COVER STORY | OWEIS ZAHRANNOVEMBER 2020 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 33 WEIS ZAHRAN IS ONE OF THE REGION’S HIGH-PROFILE BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS. The auto indus- try entrepreneur is well-dressed, articu- late and confident, but as any successful businessman or woman will attest, behind the sparkle of success lies the grit of hard work, self-belief, focus, and not least a few hard-learned lessons along the way. Hav- ing worked with his father, a successful businessman, during his formative years, Zahran has had a front-row seat to the reality of global business challenges, di- versity and the importance of leadership. He tells CEO Middle East about his latest ventures, which have been launched despite the challenges of Covid-19. He is the chairman of OWS Automo- tive, which works with governments and businesses in the region, and has a series of joint venture companies that work across sectors including accident re- sponse, e-hailing, spare parts distribution and other automotive industry sectors. OWS Capital is one of your newest ventures and takes a departure from the automotive industry. What are your aims and objectives in this new project and how does it complement your exist- ing business offering? We’ve been thinking of launching a fund, a business that is more agile and flexible within the financial institutions world. O The name OWS derives from our auto- motive business which is well recognised in the region and so because of that we didn’t want to deviate too far from it because it carries trust, reliability and re- spect in the region. OWS Capital will do the things that OWS Automotive doesn’t do by virtue of the name – OWS Capital will focus on angel investing, capital in- vestments. OWS Capital is our platform of diversity. We would like to be able to provide exceptional value to the busi- nesses we will embark upon. These would include venture capital, food & beverage, healthcare and entertainment areas. Is it a risky time to be launching a new venture? Risk is subjective! If you look at some of the Fortune 500 companies, they launched during times of crisis. Uber launched in 2008. There is a lot of oppor- tunity; some businesses have been hesi- tant to make any investments because of the instability that Covid-19 has brought along, but at some point you have to jump forwards. Watching the markets carefully, you want to make investments that are time-sensitive and for this world we live in today, and not the world we have left behind seven months ago. I think as long as you are careful then risks can be mitigated. OWS Capital is not a commonly known investment fund, more a private investment ve- hicle; I think investment in the region is a little harder to come across at the moment, and where we might step in. We are a boutique entity. Along with OWS Capi- tal, you have also set up Buraq, a new car-hail- ing service in Sharjah. We are excited to be “YOU WANT TO MAKE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE TIME-SENSITIVE AND FOR THE WORLD WE LIVE IN TODAY, NOT THE WORLD WE HAVE LEFT BEHIND.”34 C EO M I D D L E E A S T NOVEMBER 2020 “WE DON’T LIVE IN A PERFECT WORLD AND I WAS PRETTY EXCITED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO NAVIGATE AROUND THIS CRISIS AND COME OUT OF IT STRONGER, WISER AND MORE SUCCESSFUL.” COVER STORY | OWEIS ZAHRANNOVEMBER 2020 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 35 the third e-hailing platform in the UAE, which has been done with our partners in the Sharjah government. Buraq is more personalised than conventional e-hailing companies, and we look to the details from sanitisation and Covid-19 safety, to the luxurious experience. We use a fleet of BMWs and a very personalised service that is more of a premium level. We are targeting people that are looking for that more personalised level of service. At saturation we will have around 700 vehicles, which are all our own vehicles and drivers, so we have a better control of quality. The service will be able to pick up clients in Sharjah and take then anywhere throughout the UAE. Buraq has been a work in progress for the last 24 months. Did you consider postponing the launch because of Covid-19? From a regulatory perspective and a peo- ple perspective, we were ready to launch. We could have chosen to launch now or try to wait out the pandemic and we de- cided to launch. One of the first projects we signed was the delivery of Sharjah government’s documents, we are now the central focal point for that, because it is done with more care and safety. Success is a mix of preparation and good timing. As a leader you have to look at plans that may have been set out for a while, and adapt them very swiftly in times of crisis or challenge. How do you encourage that kind of nimble mind-set in yourself and your organisation? If we think hard enough, there has always been a crisis of some sort. If not a pandemic, then an economic or political crisis. We don’t live in a perfect world and I was pretty excited to figure out how to navigate around this crisis and come out of it stronger, wiser and more successful. My partners have been understanding of that message and philosophy. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. What are leadership traits that are especially important during a time of crisis or challenge? Transparency, integrity and diversity. Every business has had to assimilate those traits in one way or another. We have had to address consumer fear and employee fear and the fear of stakehold- ers, while making significant changes, and doing so while avoiding making deci- sions based on fear or lack of trust. At OWS, during this time, we have sought to find a balance between working remotely for those employees whose function didn’t require a physical presence, adher- ing to the rules set out by the government and of course looking at the requirements Team players. The OWS corporate culture champions diversity, transparency and integrity, allowing it to be nimble during tough times. COVER STORY | OWEIS ZAHRAN 36 C EO M I D D L E E A S T NOVEMBER 2020 of the business. Merging these across the board required a lot of our focus. Being nimble and adaptable, fortunately for OWS and the group of companies, we have always understood that there is never a certain ‘mode’ that lasts forever. You always have to adapt to the next cli- mate that comes along. This understand- ing allows us to never operate too long in one comfort zone! Remote working is one trend that was growing before Coronavirus and has now become prevalent. Along with this, are there other big changes in the busi- ness landscape that you have observed? The biggest disruption to our day-to-day lives is the new reality we are forced into by the spread of the virus. Countries in the West were shifting towards remote working over the past decade for vari- ous reasons but predominantly to reach broader expertise and lower wages. This was obviously expedited in 2020 to reach up to 90% of workers providing services virtually. Another major disruptive measure is business travel, I highly doubt it will come back and will struggle to reach pre-covid levels with the likes of zoom platforms making it so much more convenient to meet individuals across the globe from the comfort of home. Are you more open to flexible working than you were before lockdown? Absolutely, I for one was not a fan of remote working. I spend 12 hours at the office almost every day and now I doubt I will ever go back to spending more than a couple of hours during the day at the office, with the majority of my work being done from home. Where have leaders gone wrong in 2020, and where have they gone right? I think the biggest mistake businesses made in 2020 was the lack of making a decision with hopes of the economy bouncing back. Many a large company has met its end from not acting early on and overlooking the devastating reality of cost exceeding revenue. Personally, I don’t believe closing down economies is the right solution. I don’t know if that will happen again as many economies simply cannot afford it. As someone who has seen many businesses fail during the pandemic, I believe businesses need to develop products and services for right now. Understanding the challenge at hand is where they need to start. There is no ‘crystal ball’ view with Covid-19. A virus nobody can see has paralysed the biggest economies in the world and there is no secret formula. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve had to impart to your team? The biggest reminder to us all in OWS was the fact that crises come in many forms; mostly they have derived from economics not a virus. But the reality of the matter is we have to be flexible and agile to adapt to the various surprises of the years to come. “BUSINESSES NEED TO DEVELOP PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR RIGHT NOW. UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE IS THE FIRST PLACE TO START.” Decisive action. Despite the challenges of Covid-19, Zahran launched several new businesses in 2020; he is pictured here at the launch of e-hailing company Buraq.NOVEMBER 2020 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 37 Why is it important to remain entrepreneurial even while ‘circling the wagons’? Opportunities are born from challenges. The saying ‘never let a good crisis go to waste’ couldn’t be fit for a better example. I believe entrepreneurs are committed to what’s coming next and the ability to brag about being “pandemic proof” isn’t taken lightly by companies in 2020. “I DOUBT I WILL EVER GO BACK TO SPENDING MORE THAN A COUPLE OF HOURS DURING THE DAY AT THE OFFICE, WITH THE MAJORITY OF MY WORK BEING DONE FROM HOME.”38 C EO M I D D L E E A S T NOVEMBER 2020 IGNIFICANT PROGRESS towards Arab women’s eco- nomic empowerment has been achieved this year, with the UAE’s decree on equal pay for equal work being one of those milestones. But the “journey ahead is still long,” says Salma Al-Rashid, the ‘sherpa’ (or- ganiser) for Women 2020 (W20) Covid-19 has slowed down the rate of this progress, given the high percent- age of women who work in sectors which have been drastically impacted by the pandemic, said Al-Rashid, who is chief advocacy officer of the Al Nahda Phil- anthropic Society for Women, a Saudi- based organisation. Speaking on the second day of the W20 summit, Al-Rashid discussed the key recommendations from the W20 communiqué which was presented to the G20 leadership at the summit’s virtual opening ceremony on Wednesday. How has Covid-19 impacted the pro- gress made towards women’s economic empowerment? SR: The Covid-19 pandemic has dis- rupted all our lives completely but it is a gendered pandemic; it impacted women much more than men. This is because women make up 70 percent of the front line workers. Also, there are 740 million women in the informal sector. So you can imagine how that impacts their livelihood: they are in the informal sector so they cannot reap the benefits of the social protection mechanisms they would have been able to access in the formal economy. So we are not saying “oh be kind to women”. No, the only way to ensure an S LEADERSHIP | SALMA AL RASHED CORONAVIRUS HAS SLOWED THE PROGRESS TOWARDS ARAB WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, SAYS SALMA AL-RASHID By NABILA RAHAL WHY THE JOURNEY AHEAD IS ‘STILL LONG’ FOR WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE EASTNOVEMBER 2020 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 39 employ women and it can help women enter the labour market. For example, we are receiving a lot of reports which indicate that, because of the pandemic, couples are struggling with who stays home and who goes back to work. Most likely it is women who stay home even though sometimes they are the main breadwinners. How does the progress towards eco- nomic empowerment that women in the Arab region have achieved compare to their global counterparts? SR: One thing worth noting is that in the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law report, which tracks laws that affect women across 190 countries, six of the top ten countries that improved the most in 2020 were from the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and the UAE were among the most to improve in six of the key areas measured such as women’s mo- bility, retirement age, economic recovery or wages. We have seen a measured and serious will to move in the right direction. There is still much more to be done, and we need to ensure that Covid-19 will not set us back, but we have seen improvement in the MENA region. Can you elaborate on this point? SR: Despite the progress we see meas- ured in the World Bank report, dis- criminatory laws continue to threaten women’s economic security, career goals and work-life balance. In the Middle East, women have only half the legal rights of men so this is still an area for improvement. Eliminating all forms of discrimi- nation against women would raise the global productivity level by 40 percent. Women are an untapped potential and, in our region, it is even more magnified. What were some of the unique ele- ments of this year’s W20 communi- qué? SR: In the W20 we have three main fo- cus areas: women’s financial inclusion, labour inclusion and digital inclusion. Every year, every presidency introduces a new topic they feel is relevant.Women entrepreneurship has historically been part of the financial inclusion discus- sion and it tended to take over that discussion. This is an issue because we recognize that, even in G20 countries, there are millions of women who are unbanked and don’t have access to financial services. So if we focus on entrepreneurship, which is important too, we miss out on the banking discussion. To give both topics the focus they deserve, we pulled out entrepreneurship and had it be a cross-cutting topic which is relevant to the three key areas. We also introduced inclusive decision making: you cannot achieve anything without ensuring that women have a seat at the table where decisions are made. We are also doubling down on what our Japanese colleagues have initiated on holding G20 countries accountable. equitable economic recovery is when we include women and engage them and address the gendered impact of this pan- demic on women. How about its impact on women in the Arab region? SR: I don’t have figures on how Covid has impacted women in the region but we can draw assumptions based on the figures we know. We know that in the MENA region specifically, there is a huge majority of women who we call NEETs (Not in Edu- cation, Employment or Training) and this was before the pandemic. The pandemic only exacerbated pre- existing inequalities. So if these women were not in employment, education or training before, now the pandemic is adding greater pressure and risk on these women, especially in the region. You mentioned earlier that women should be part of the economic recov- ery. What are some tangible ways to achieve this? SR: One of the key things we are call- ing for at the W20 is inclusive decision making. We need to ensure that women are represented at every point of the decision-making process. This goes beyond having women as CEOs or on boards. It’s really about asking ourselves at every point of this decision-making process: are women being represented? Are they part of the committees that put together the recov- ery plans? We need that gender lens and that diversity in these teams. Another thing is addressing the care economy. We know and we recognize women’s roles as caregivers. Because of that, we need to ensure that we have ac- cessible, high quality and affordable care. The whole care economy is really a multiplier because it can create jobs and “IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WOMEN HAVE ONLY HALF THE LEGAL RIGHTS OF MEN SO THIS IS STILL AN AREA FOR IMPROVEMENT.”Next >