Exclusive Trusted Magazine Q&A with Al Anoud Al Hashmi, CEO and Founder The Futurist Company.
How could you describe your career path in few words? Unique!
My career to date has been an adventure, I learn every day from those around me in every situation, I have good mentors, started few companies, I learn from failures, I work and build a strong product, combining my passion with what I am good at, and now I am doing what I am passionate about and good at and feel liberated to achieve and give back to my country, the planet and humanity.
What was your most challenging experience and it has changed your mindset?
Being myself when everyone else expect you to be someone else, being authentic to myself, building my experience and finding my passion, the right path, right team and to focus. Combining all I mentioned is what I feel in my opinion the key to success.
My mindset has developed into one where I approach my business with a humble self confidence that drives me towards people who have true ability.
I am no longer affected by someone’s position or role in a business setting, I am much more likely to be inspired by those talented and passionate people who shine in any environment, irrespective of job title.
When you get surprised by unusual or uncertain context, what do you think? We are constantly being surprised by the great teams that we work with because of the very nature of working with creative innovators, across many different business areas and global locations.
It is truly inspiring to work with global teams that represent the best in class in their respective specialisations.
In most circumstances where I am sent into a different direction, I re-assess then rethink my approach, then I will work with my teams to find a solution and then make it happen.
My go to solution is a simple three steps that work most of the time.
What’s the key success factor for a female entrepreneur in cross cultural context based on your experience?
As a female entrepreneur, working in a multi-cultural and diverse environment in Dubai, I find that this allows me to build on the wide range of experiences that are available to the business community here.
The key component for success in this environment, in my opinion, is to be able to show empathy and consideration for all those you deal with, but above all to be able to communicate clearly on the topics you’re working on.
I have been blessed to be able to speak five languages, so this also helps me communicate across different languages as well as my own, which of course helps me considerably.
In this context I would also say, don’t wait for someone to validate you, be you, believe in yourself and go ahead. We are great when we work on something that we believe in, so don’t waste your time on something you don’t believe in or working with people who do not share your drive. Follow your passion and focus your mind to achieve it.
Based on your experience, what’s the key success factor for a female leader / manager?
In my experience it is essential that you be yourself, fear no one, think smartly, build your strategy, and learn from others, their successes, and mistakes.
Innovators never follow the typical path of those who work in large companies, we are always drawn towards the challenges of new ideas and the way they can help address the problems we face in today’s modern society.
It is essential to have confidence in your own vision, to be constantly testing this with those around you that you respect and refine your approach to solving the problems and challenges that we all face in business.
I would say that you should also Build your community, network, and focus on your goal, never give up, get the right team, and marry the supporting husband.
Don’t compromise, you can have it all !
