Leila Hoteit: 3 lessons on success from an Arab businesswoman
Leila Hoteit: 一位阿拉伯女商人嘅三個成功秘訣
BCG's Leila Hoteit specializes in human capital and education throughout the Middle East. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
from my young daughter Alia
standing tall in the middle of the mall.
商場正中央高處嘅巨幅海報
of the United Arab Emirates.
that these were the rulers of the UAE
佢哋係阿聯酋嘅酋長
to develop their nation
that here where we live,
where grandma and grandpa live,
of powerful women on the walls?
I've had to answer in my years as a parent
of professional life, for that matter.
to a very hard-working pilot
for the Lebanese Airlines
stay-at-home mom and grandma.
my sister and I to pursue our education
emphasized at the time
先可獲得深造嘅機會
who should be professionally motivated.
of my generation
女仔喺 18 歲出國留學
and I hope I didn't do too badly
of his would-be son.
in electrical engineering,
then consulting in the Middle East,
in male-dominated environments.
a role model I could truly identify with.
wasn't into professional leadership.
encouraging men along the way,
and pressures I was facing,
when I had my own two beautiful children.
poor, oppressed Arab women advice,
呢啲貧窮、受壓迫嘅阿拉伯女人
with different constraints.
have had to become our own role models.
必須要成為自己嘅榜樣
more cultural rigidity than Western women.
that we poor, oppressed women
呢啲貧窮、受壓迫嘅女人
certainly hard-earned lessons to share,
in the modern world.
變成你嘅燃料(動力) ]
is touting as the key to success:
奉為成功嘅不二法門:
and how do you develop it?
負能量轉化為動力嘅能力
the ability to transform shit into fuel.
well before my current firm,
we will call John.
and was working hard,
my case to make partner at the firm.
on my consulting projects,
of women economic empowerment.
to a roomful of MBA students.
工管碩士生報告研究
to the details of my study.
in apparent shame.
to an applauding audience
gender parity indices,
at the bottom of the index,
我哋依家確實處於劣勢,
that was not factual?"
"The whole premise of your study is wrong.
「你成個研究嘅前提都係錯嘅,
破壞我哋社會結構。」
break the social fabric of our society."
家庭就係歸宿。」
their place is in the home."
in the chaos of my brain was:
that partnership, Leila.
absorb this incident and its implications,
I reached three conclusions.
their issues become mine.
another sponsor, and fast.
仲係個好男仔
and boy, was he great.
人母都可以事業有成
what women with children can do.
to my personal life.
of encouragement,
by women, men and couples
with my husband and I
of a dual-career couple.
at a family gathering
you're not a great mom,
in your career, right?
these words didn't hurt.
precious thing to me,
都難以忍受
failing them in any way is intolerable.
that these were their issues,
in these situations, you have two options.
有兩個選擇
to internalize these negative messages
to ever achieve,
negativity is their own issue,
into your own personal fuel.
to always go for option two,
from strength to strength.
一個支持佢哋事業嘅人
to someone supportive of their career.
你最好搵返個支持你嘅人
if you plan to have a long career.
is not an equal contributor in the home.
冇對家庭承擔起同等應負嘅責任
our society still assumes
should be the happiness and prosperity
but it will take time.
that the professional Arab woman
得到滿足
is being taken care of
我搵到一個方法
到個人生活上
professional skills to your personal life.
has access to affordable domestic help.
how to recruit effectively.
I have based the selection
可以幫我照顧細路仔嘅人
with my children while I'm at work
for four years with my sister
was well-established.
member of our family,
since Alia was six months old.
is running smoothly while I'm at work,
for her and my children,
whatever your childcare situation,
抑或兼職保姆
that you share with someone else.
但亦都要放手畀看護人
from 7pm to 8:30pm UAE time
呢一個半鐘
ever since Alia was a baby.
to protect this time
好好同我嘅細路仔共處
to spend quality time with my children,
reading them a bedtime story
同佢哋講一個睡前故事
lots of kisses and cuddles.
in whatever the time zone,
我都會用 Skype 同細路仔聯絡
even if I am miles away.
and do basic maths.
is actually more successful
playing teacher to her little brother,
但 Alia 鍾意扮成老師教弟弟
actually improve Burhan's literacy,
Burhan 識字能力
to working their life
of responsibility in the home.
職業女性同母親呢兩種角色
about surviving in your dual role
可以同佢哋一齊
I can spend with them every day,
into memorable moments,
have not been very visible
in politics in the Arab world.
behind the scenes,
一種對成功至關重要嘅社會技能:
very important to success:
of friends and acquaintances.
often compare themselves to other women
似乎經常會將自己同人哋比較
successful woman in the room.
competitive behavior
for one woman at the top,
much less lift them up.
冇踩入呢個心理陷阱
for this psychological trap.
that by helping each other out,
senior woman in the Middle East,
係中東國家婦女之中最高
in my network of female colleagues
我投資喺在職婦女身上毫無好處
with male seniors and peers.
came through the support of other women.
都源自其他女性嘅支持
who initially suggested
出席世界經濟論壇
to the World Economic Forum.
and my publications,
to voice her opinion,
a Saudi lady and friend,
my first project in Saudi Arabia,
to gain traction in as a woman.
of very many projects for me in Saudi.
as key to my own success.
自己成功嘅關鍵。」
雖然困難重重,都有進步
despite many recent setbacks.
five new female ministers to its cabinet,
任命五位女性大臣
developed countries can claim.
Alia's favorite picture.
no doubt, of great leadership,
優秀領導之下嘅豐碩成果
of strong Arab women
pushing the boundaries.
deciding every day like me
to keep work out of their life,
when she stands on this stage
to call herself her mother's daughter
"her mother's son" or "mama's boy"
a completely different meaning.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Leila Hoteit - Women's advocateBCG's Leila Hoteit specializes in human capital and education throughout the Middle East.
Why you should listen
Dr. Leila Hoteit is a partner and managing director at BCG, based in Dubai. She leads the education and human capital development work in the Middle East.
Dr. Hoteit's career spans over 13 years in the management consulting industry. As part of her assignments, Dr. Hoteit has covered a slew of in-depth societal issues that punctuate the MENA region; these include education, women's empowerment, human capital development, employment and culture. Dr. Hoteit was named Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum in 2014 -- a multi-stakeholder community of exceptional young leaders who share a commitment to shaping the global future. Dr. Hoteit holds a Bachelor's degree and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Imperial College London, as well as an MBA from France's INSEAD. She is the author of multiple patents.
Leila Hoteit | Speaker | TED.com