Dubai uncomfortable breakfast

Personally, I find the series of uncomfortable breakfasts to be quite insightful in the way that different topics are tackled by different organizations. Leading With Talent – which was the topic of the latest uncomfortable breakfast sessions held in Dubai, was no different. It was a great opportunity to understand how some of the leading organizations in the region view talent. Afterall the key to the success of any organization, lies with its people, hence making sure that your company has the right calibre, is crucial for the future of the organization.

The event which was held at the Facebook offices, was as usual a full house, that included several experienced Marketing professionals across various industries. Our guest speakers comprised of a group of senior leaders across different functions, like HR, Marketing and operations. This in turn was quite useful to see how they each tackled the topic differently. In general there was a lot of consensus on several points, such as the necessity for talent to have certain qualities, like enthusiasm, ownership mindset and curiosity. Other strategies differed from one organization to the other, such as internal hire versus external. Overall the topic triggered various areas for discussion and encouraged a lot of participation from the crowd. 

Some of my takeaways from the panel discussion included the following key points:

Sourcing talent

It is important to be able to source the right local talent that understands the region and its cultural complexities. If you are trying to find the right talent for your organization, then you need to be talking to the right local partner that has access to talent pool.

It ain’t about the money

Make sure the people that you are attracting are not considering you just for a better package or a few more benefits, otherwise 6 months down the road they will be moving on to the next highest bidder

Have a plan

As an organization, you need to be well prepared for the next five years. There needs to be a plan set in place to be able to identify talent within the organization that can help drive growth. 

In today’s world, several industries are going through massive transformations in the way they operate. Whether it’s consumer demand, technology or any other examples, disruptive factors are reshaping the business world and businesses need to reinvent themselves to remain relevant – which also means they need to be equipped with the right talent that can embrace and lead this journey or rediscovery.

By Mohamed Sheiha, Marketing & PR Manager at Turner