Authority with Attitude

MELA 3 DAY TWO, 16 MARCH 2012


Michael Kouly's session on authority and leadership is a learning vehicle that dispenses with the usual lecture paraphernalia.

Embedded among his audience, shoulder-to-shoulder, Michael and his fellow MELA members are riding the leadership train together.







Enthroned among her peers, Tala regally initiates a conversation with Michael.








Noura is rather less circumspect, and more straight-spoken about her dissatisfaction.










Adel joins Michael on stage to share one of his comfortable armchairs and crunchy green apples.










It's not long before Michael has lots of company sharing his armchairs.











Participants debate ways to meet Michael's challenge.











Elissar's quixotic attempt to get the session on track.










During the coffee break, Talal and Dan review some of the lessons of the morning.







Michael discusses five key elements to achieving our ultimate purpose -- to survive and grow -- whether as individuals or organizations: knowing oneself, knowing others, knowing systems, knowing authority, and possessing leadership skills.







Jim Crupi shares a personal story to pave the way for participants' own leadership stories in the breakout groups.








Suhail Jouaneh is Co-Founder & Chief Learning Officer, Better Business. He guides participants through the DISC assessment in preparation for tomorrow's session on emotional intelligence.






Ahmed puzzles over which adjectives best describe him for the purposes of the assessment. Brave? Open-hearted? Refined?

Surely there should be a box marked "All of the above"?







The adjectives best describing Nahla, Youssef and Sami are "red and white."







The evening is given over to the first round of Small Group Discussions, led by knowledgeable business leaders from the region.

Hassan Alkabbani (Chairman, IKK Group, Saudi Arabia) leads the discussion on "Becoming an Entrepreneur: Starting and Growing a Business." Next door, Suhail Jouaneh leads the discussion on "Hiring and Firing," while Tommy Weir (Executive Director, EM Leadership Center, UAE) addresses the question "Finding Your Leadership Style."





Ritu Upadhyay (Producer, Bloomberg Television, UAE) speaks on "Effective Communication: The Role of Stories in Leadership."






With deepened self-awareness of our attitudes towards authority, improved in our story-telling skills, and more effective as communicators, we bid goodbye to the second day of MELA 3! See you tomorrow!