Emboldening Youth and Women to Lead from the Front: Her Excellency, Laila Rahhal El Atfani

Her Excellency, Laila Rahhal El Atfani, is an inspiration to women and youth around the world. In a candid conversation with us, she takes us through her busy week schedules, shares her growth phases, talks about the inspiring leaders, who motivated her during tough times to scale new heights of excellence and success in her career. Let’s explore the journey of Laila Rahhal, through the highs and lows, tribulations and triumphs to become a truly confident, empowered woman leader.  

When you began your career years ago, did you ever imagine that you would be in a leadership role? 

When I started my career, I was fascinated by my father who inspired me and played a significant role in my sense of self confidence, self-esteem and self-motivation for self-empowerment from my childhood. Being the eldest child in the family, my father taught me to be self-sufficient, self-reliant, self-disciplined, thus leading myself without losing the ability to work with my siblings or being led in a group. This has built me up to become confident and a truly empowered woman, and a leader. 

Who inspired you to be a leader and why? 

Inspiration can be found anywhere. What inspires you may not be the same as what inspires someone else. However, we all have access to the sources of inspiration. My sources of inspiration came from various stages of our lives. As a child, I was inspired by my father, grandmother, and teachers. As an adult, I was inspired by great leaders such as Queen Elizabeth, the First Lady of the United States, the First Lady of Germany, and so on. My inspiration now comes from the rulers of the UAE, particularly Sheikh Zayed and other leaders who are truly inspirational and well-respected for their natural ability to innovate, empower, and influence others with personal values to act in meaningful ways and ultimately change the world. 

What does a day in your work life look like? 

On average I wake up at 5:00am, I prioritize and dedicate much of the morning time for meditation and prayer. After my breakfast, I mentally walk through my priorities for the day at home with family, then get dressed and head back to the office. Meeting with my employees and team, where we touch base and brainstorm client strategies, attend events, and focus on women empowerment related activities etc. I work seven days a week, and my work ends at 8pm almost all days. Towards the end of the day, my focus is on my family, back home. 

What factors impact a woman’s ability to lead others? 

Because of their professional success, women leaders frequently feel isolated, lonely, and even guilty. Nonetheless, most face significant challenges in terms of achieving work-life balance in the face of extremely busy schedules. Many women, especially mothers, are trained caregivers who deal with domestic crises with compassion and patience. They bring new perspectives, as well as structural and cultural diversity to the organizations for which they work, resulting in more successful solutions. We as women can study more minor details to see, what is going on underneath the surface with diverse views and a sense of awareness. We have increased the competitiveness, success, and productivity of businesses. However, structural barriers such as family responsibilities do impact a woman’s ability to lead. 

Some factors that impact a women’s ability to lead are common for all women, such as sexist attitudes, violence, intimidation, and perceptions on how leaders should look and behave. Other factors are shaped by intersectional factors including socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, language, age, relationship status, and indeed caring responsibilities.  It is not a woman’s identity that presents a barrier, it is society’s treatment towards the women and the systems of education, healthcare, tax, and social infrastructure, which present barriers or sometimes opportunities. 

How do you persevere through the tough times? What do you want to achieve next? 

I used diversity of thought as an essential fact to harness my collective intelligence and build trust, resilience, and long-term solutions for the pressing security challenges I face. What I hope to accomplish next is, to cement my success by empowering women and youth through the mindset, skills, and network, that I have developed. To provide system solutions for humanity, as well as business opportunities through knowledge sharing and mentoring. I’d like to share the following quote: “Dreams are beautiful but achieving them is even more beautiful.” Together I want to build a better world. 

How can women develop their leadership skills? What are your tips for growing a company? 

There are numerous ways to develop, empower, and support women to become outstanding leaders. We need to implement leadership and mentoring programs, as well as give women the opportunity to manage important projects or assignments, encourage women leaders to speak out, invest in formal education, and so on. To succeed in business today, you must be adaptable, as well as have good planning and organizational skills. Get organized, stay focused, be creative, understand the risks and rewards, be consistent, and analyze successful tactics, if you want to grow your business. 

Tell us about an instance when you had to make a tough decision, pertaining to a project when you were under pressure. 

Business is not like everyday life. Before committing to a project, research the market, key elements, hire or partner with the right people, understand the risk factors, and plan well by understanding your growth potential. The most difficult decision I’ve had to make was switching my previous team to my current team at work. If I had not made that decision, I would have had the opportunity to provide even higher-level deliverables due to the new team’s positioning, which would have provided me with an opportunity for accelerated professional growth. 

What advice would you give your 25-year-old self? 

To pursue education is the finest advice I could give my 25-year-old self. Education can help you discover the world! Maximize your use of it. Gain strength, experience life, and explore diverse cultures and people. Be straightforward and modest. Be happy. Observe respect for oneself and others. 

What do you do for fun and lighter moments in life? 

My favorite activities include interacting with others, spending time with women, and drinking coffee. As I view and learn more about art, as well as when I read books, I like and have fun. 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be like you? 

God created us with unique fingerprints. In fact, everyone is different. There are no two of us, alike. We are each special. We differ greatly from one another, even though we have some traits and characteristics in common. Every single one of us is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind, limited-edition individual! Being human, no one can be like another person, but as per human nature, we try to be similar. My advice to someone who wants to be like me is to just be yourself, to be truthful, open, and reliable, and to be confident in who you are. Be joyful and smile as a sign of your love. Keep confidence in God and never give up hope.