Ramy Ballout | Executive Leadership CoachRecently I returned from a trip to INSEAD in Fontainebleau, where I joined electives with an existing EMBA cohort. It was the first time since graduating from the same program 11 years ago that I had stepped back into a classroom for more formal education. The classes were on Storytelling and Psychological Issues in Leadership, […]
Read more →I really want to make a change, but I’m afraid of what I’ll lose in the process. Although I know I need to move on to a better and more rewarding role and career, it’ll take me forever to establish myself in a new company. I’m older now and in an expertise that pays me […]
Read more →This topic is amongst my favorites because it relates to all of us in our constant attempts at creating a better more fulfilling reality for ourselves. Before we get going, I hope you’re up for practicing a nice little exercise I do with some of my clients. Since you’re reading, when I get to the […]
Read more →Make no mistake about that statement. The emotions you represent today, will define you long after the worms have had their feast. Whether you believe, want or wish to create a legacy for yourself, there is no escape in how emotions define and represent us, not just long after we’re gone but immediately after we […]
Read more →The statement in the title applies to much more of course than just the customer in the way we traditionally have viewed “the customer.” Today your customer is not just the individual or entity “pumping in the green” into your channels of revenue. You would of course be quite mistaken in thinking that and my […]
Read more →One the hardest and most difficult things to grapple with is finding meaning to what it is we do. This particular alignment of our current state of mind with our greater purpose is tough – most especially when we are going through transitions and phases in our lives where we question so much of the […]
Read more →What do we all have in common with Marc Anthony’s first English hit single? Everything! We all need to know! Seriously. A maybe can make us go a little mad at times, especially when so much is at stake. It keeps us forging ahead with the possible and yet can equally lead us down the […]
Read more →That’s right. Instead of planning for events, plan for emotions. As we collectively inch closer to a new year and begin to make sense of what just happened over the last 365 days, we don’t seem to take too much time before many of us find ourselves planning for the next. “Out with the old, […]
Read more →Years ago, reaching your 500+ connections on LinkedIn had an alluring flair – it made many of us feel confident in the strength of our network and provide those who visited our profiles an impression of strong established credentials. But today let’s admit it. Connections in our professional online networks can feel like antique collectable […]
Read more →It sounds cliché but its practice is everything useful and pragmatic. You’ve probably heard the saying, “Hope isn’t a strategy” and although there is so much truth to that statement, you’re left with the feeling of asking, “Ok so what is a strategy and more importantly, what is my strategy?“ So that I can be […]
Read more →I just finished a 10 week program called Y Combinator’s Founders Track where a group of a few thousand startups from all around the world take part in a 10-week program in assigned groups of about 15 early stage startups. The group is then advised by someone who in our case was a former Y […]
Read more →There is no struggle more difficult than that of our quest to understand our purpose. The title and screenshot above comes from the movie, “The Land Before Time,” which was released in 1988 – I was 7 years old. For those that have never seen the movie, take some time to watch the clip below […]
Read more →Definition | The Art of the Delay: The most productive alternative to airports forced waits, layovers and delays by networking professionally and in-person with other travelers. Those who master the art of the delay, grow their network and are more likely to gain business opportunity. No this isn’t a sequel nor is it related to […]
Read more →I don’t think more than a few minutes pass by before I tune back into the news about what happened to Dr. David Dao on the United Airlines flight out of Chicago O’Hare on Sunday night. I thought about reposting the video, but I’d rather leave up to you to do a basic search instead. […]
Read more →Like the cookies your mother kept shifting from cupboard to cupboard thinking that the next time she surely would out maneuver your sneaky tactics, you again proved her deceptively wrong. As you transformed into a spider monkey with super powers you managed to climb – jump – tippy-toe – balance – hold your breath, and […]
Read more →They talk over you. They are louder than you. Interruption is second nature to them. Moody and self absorbed. Boastful about a kingdom where their presence alone is the nourishing nucleus of prosperity. We are the ears to their incomparable woes of life’s hardship and unkindness. Our minds become wells that run as deep as […]
Read more →So you think you’ve got the next best thing coming? Do you believe that you’re the best at what you do? Are you the one to get the job done? Should people be listening more to what you have to say? And you’re sure that with your leadership you’ll make the best return on investment […]
Read more →Thinking: The action of using your mind to produce ideas, decisions, memories, etc. – Merriam Webster. By all means, take the time to think. Reflect on past decisions made and on learning experiences that will help you grow into the better person you want to see for yourself. Thinking is an opportunity for clarity, reassessment, […]
Read more →On December 17th, 2015 I gave my valedictory address in Singapore to an auditorium filled with the INSEAD Global Executive MBA graduating class of 2015. Yours truly, was one of them. If at anytime in my life did I feel special, well this was one of those moments. INSEAD was recently ranked #1 MBA program […]
Read more →Dharma: Conformity to one’s duty and nature. Although there are several more detailed definitions of Dharma, most notably in Hinduism and Buddhism, there is an amazing lesson and more importantly, a real moral and realistic dilemma that I came to terms with during my latest trip to India. Out of respect in learning more about […]
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