Research Question
Research question: How did Manahel Thabet become one of the most successful female leaders in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region? The identified research question will be answered based on the primary and secondary evidence, including the literature review and interview. It is significant to answer this question to learn more about female leadership strategies and determine any challenges and gaps that need to be addressed in the future.
Introduction
Dr. Thabet is a prominent economist, scientist, and consultant. In the Arab world, she became the youngest and the only Doctor in Financial Engineering, and this leader received her second Ph.D. degree in the field of Quantum Mathematics. In 2013, she was rated “100 Most Powerful Women in the Arab World,” according to Arabian Business magazine (“100 most powerful Arabs under 40,” 2015). The leadership style applied by this leader may be identified as centered leadership since she assigns engagement, inspiration, connection, and positive thinking a top priorities.
Secondary Research
Manahel Thabet has numerous awards, including those for humanitarian work within the United Nations (UN) and scientific achievements (Jacobsen, 2016). Her intelligence quotient (IQ) is 168. In 2012, Dr. Thabet developed an innovative formula for calculating the distance in space without taking light into account (“Dr. Manahel Thabet, PhD,” 2018). This leader traded till 2008 and anticipated the global financial crisis. The representation of the Synergy School of Business in Dubai and Dr. Manahel Thabet reached an agreement on the patronage of the MBA program called Women’s Leadership (Jacobsen, 2016). It is a program designed to assist talented Arab women leaders who have great potential to reach the world level in managing and inspiring others by employing a centered leadership model.
The centered leadership model was created by McKinsey experts in 2004 and served as an incentive for the study among female leaders to discover the principles they use in their work. Barsh, Cranston, and Craske (2008) identify five following dimensions, which, in their opinion, compose the core of central leadership. They are finding meaning in work, strengthening ties and acquaintances, transforming negative emotions into opportunities, taking action in the face of risk, and managing energy (Barsh & Lavoie, 2014).
Primary Research
To collect primary data, an interview with Dr. Thabet was initiated. Before it, informed consent was sent to her, and the approval was received. The interview session lasted approximately half an hour, and all questions about leadership were answered. The obtained data were recorded and analyzed as appropriate.
Findings and Discussion
Both the literature review and the interview show that Dr. Thabet is an outstanding female leader, who achieved great results in her career and leadership. Despite living in a male-dominated society, she could overcome challenges associated with cultural perceptions and succeed in being a good leader. Two doctoral degrees as well as various awards received by Dr. Thabet illustrate her knowledge, skills, and competencies that she effectively applies in practice. In addition, the given leader seems to be focused on society and related issues such as humanitarian help, assistance to talented women, and so on. One may, for example, note the Women’s Leadership MBA program that is under the patronage of Dr. Thabet. It was created to support female leaders, who want to develop their business and entrepreneurial skills. In particular, the program allows getting acquainted with global standards, perfect the art of negotiating, and learn strategic management fundamentals.
As President of WIQF, Vice-President of the World Intelligence Network, and President of Smart Tips Consultants, Dr. Thabet integrates the principles of centered leadership. She endows her life and works with meaning, finding strength and enthusiasm as she is personally interested in the goals set. Since the very childhood, she was interested in space, and now the leader continues working in this area. Positive framing is another dimension that can be noted in the views of Manahel Thabet. Living and working in a patriarchal country, she constructively transforms business processes and makes women closer to leadership (“An interview with Manahel Thabet,” n.d). In modern conditions, leaders increasingly depend on the ability to manage a complex network of contacts that do not fit into the old scheme of traditional hierarchical communication (Barsh & Lavoie, 2014). Thabet is an expert in building relationships with people in the environment, in which they do business, thus making a valuable contribution to solving problems.
In times of changing business environment, avoiding risks can become a serious threat. Manahel Thabet is a leader, who may recognize these emotions and help colleagues and employees in gaining courage and showing tremendous potential to confront challenges. The engagement dimension may be traced, for example, in the Women’s Leadership program or sincere assistance to the gifted population. The last dimension of managing energy can also be observed in the performance of the identified leader. It seems that she would not be able to maintain involvement unless systematically restoring her physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy to serve other people as a good example.
Conclusion
To conclude, it was revealed that Manahel Thabet is a passionate leader, who is sincerely interested in her work and personal effectiveness to inspire and lead others. As a successful female leader possessing such characteristics of centered leadership as meaning, positive framing, engaging, connecting, and managing energy, she achieved significant success, both in her professional and personal development. Therefore, centered leadership can be considered as a relevant approach to managing in terms of change and new opportunities.
References
Barsh, J., & Lavoie, J. (2014). Centered leadership: Leading with purpose, clarity, and impact. New York, NY: Crown Business.
Barsh, J., Cranston, S., & Craske, R. A. (2008). Centered leadership: How talented women thrive. McKinsey Quarterly. Web.
Dr. Manahel Thabet, PhD. (2018). Web.
An interview with Manahel Thabet PhD. A beautiful mind!(n.d.). Web.
Jacobsen, S. D. (2016). Dr. Manahel Thabet: WIQF, president; Smart tips consultants, president; World intelligence network, vice-president. Web.
100 most powerful Arabs under 40. (2015). Arabian Business. Web.