The NileView
Leading Change in Challenging Times: Lessons of Disruption and Innovation from Egypt – Thoughts, Observations, and Reflections
Human capital has always been at the center of my interest. People are the most invaluable asset in any society, the building block for any economy, and the most competitive enabling platform for any potential development, growth, and prosperity. Everyone is good at something and has exciting ideas to share but needs a chance, an opportunity to demonstrate what they are capable of.
I have spent most of my professional career involved in the domain of human capital development, whether working in academia and government, engaging with the private sector or privileged to be given the opportunity to support a diverse number of civil society organizations and networks in Egypt and elsewhere. I have always been passionate about motivating and empowering people, helping them improve and excel, and inspiring them to make a difference in society. My focus has been explicitly on youth and how to push them to unleash their potential. They represent the future and deserve all the care, attention, and exposure.
Investing in human capital through lifelong learning is a journey––never a destination. It can be delivered in many formal and informal ways, including academic degrees, professional development, vocational training, workshops, conferences, seminars, life experiences, observations, brainstorming discussions, and social interactions. The key is always to listen, understand, learn, and reflect. Human capital and capacity building are essential to societal development in today’s flat, interconnected, and continuously disrupted and changing global environment. People can be the game-changer that effectively and expeditiously help transform Egypt socially, economically, and politically. It is important to note that a well-educated and healthy society represents the primary building block for a robust, sustainable, and competitive economy.
Interestingly, the more we dig deep into various educational and knowledge dissemination platforms across different disciplines, we realize how much we need to learn to remain relevant and agile. In my case, books, journals, magazines, work experiences, and travels taught me a lot. Also, interactions with people from different cultures and walks of life, including mentors, scholars, workmates, and friends, represented an incredible learning experience. As for my family, they inspired me the most intellectually. Furthermore, working in academia––where I spent the last thirty years––and given the many generations of students and learners I engaged with represented a rich, diverse, and interactive learning ecosystem fueled with youthful, energetic, innovative, passionate, ambitious, and proactive minds offering ample opportunities to learn to all stakeholders, me included.
Sharing the knowledge and experience acquired with others is always important to scale up the impact. It is an integral component of being a responsible member of society and contributing to its advancement. Giving back is not just an obligation; it is a privilege and an honor. It also helps in encouraging more interactions, exploring innovative ideas, creating new opportunities, overcoming emerging challenges, and paving the way for a better society through the democratization of knowledge.
Therefore, early in 2014, when I decided to step down as dean of the School of Business at the American University in Cairo at the end of the academic year 2013/2014 and go on sabbatical to join my family who lived in Montreal, I was determined to make the best possible use of my time. The plan was simple; to revive my research outcome, which has been relatively less productive since I became dean in 2009, and go for long daily walks, which I genuinely enjoy. However, the main project I had in mind was to write a book to document my thoughts and observations on my deanship tenure at this gem institution that in 2014 was approaching a century of remarkable impact on Egypt, the region, and beyond through a broad portfolio of academic and community development programs, initiatives and activities in addition to generations of leaders, entrepreneurs, and change agents who had their mark on different walks of life including in the private sector, government, and civil society.
The motivation of writing the book was inspired by the fact that while my tenure started with the conventional challenges of any dean of a business school in the context of an emerging economy, just over a year later with the developments that took place in Egypt in January 2011, the nature and magnitude of the challenges changed given the continuous and dramatic social, political, and economic transformations that took place. This was not a typical term for a dean of a business school. It was never business as usual. The circumstances were altered, the dynamics were changed, the impediments were magnified, and the standard operating procedures became irregular and changed virtually week-in-week-out.
The book’s emphasis is on leading change in a transformative and disrupted environment based on my background, experience, and the dynamic circumstances the entire school team had to endure during that unique period in Egypt’s modern history and undoubtedly one of the most studied events and developments in my beloved country from different social, economic, and political perspectives since the turn of the 21st century. I want to note that the journey of the School of Business was filled with valuable experiences in various organizational aspects, including but not limited to governance, crisis management, innovation, autonomy, strategy formulation and execution, continuous improvement, resilience, adaptation, connection to business and industry, and the prospects of the School of Business as an educational partner to help create a nationwide entrepreneurial ecosystem especially with the growing number of tech-enabled startups and the digital transformation taking place across different organizations. In addition, the book compiles a collection of personal thoughts and observations on Egypt, history, youth, the economy, leadership, politics, culture, education, management, business, ethics, society, the future, and many other aspects that shape our lives.
The journey of writing the book started on Friday, June 20, 2014. However, what began as a book that covered my tenure as dean from September 2009 to June 2014, changed to include the historical and societal events that took place before that time both at the American University in Cairo and in Egypt, coupled with my personal development and career progress with its ups and downs that affected and inspired just about everything I attempted to be part of, thought of, and tried hard to achieve to be able to realize a positive impact on the School of Business during my deanship.
In December 2014, I chose the title of Leading Change in Challenging Times: Lessons of Disruption and Innovation from Egypt – Thoughts, Observations, and Reflections. Ironically, a title that is very much relevant today given the developments that happened over the past two years––who knew!
I am truly thankful to Professor Lisa Anderson––President of the American University in Cairo (2011-2015) ––for writing the book forward. I seize this opportunity to thank her for believing in me and helping me during my tenure as dean and beyond. Even when I decided to leave in the Spring of 2014, she was supportive and offered me various options to be with my family as I had planned and stay connected to the school and the university. I remain grateful for her understanding, friendship, and collegiality.
As is the case in many aspects of life, one can plan as he wishes, but things happen differently. The plan usually deviates a bit, and the time frame for its execution gets delayed. That is precisely what happened with the book, taking more than seven and a half years to finish, which is way more than double the initially planned time. It was a long journey, but it was all worth it, and I am glad that the book is finally published.
I wrote the book as an administrator sharing my experience as dean of a business school; as an academic who started as a part-time visiting lecturer and went on to become a tenured professor of management, sharing my thoughts and ideas with younger generations and soon-to-be graduates destined to become the agents of change in society; and as a member of a family that has always been inspired and committed to learning which affected the interest and career of many of its members. I wrote the book as a passionate Egyptian who grew inspired by its history, attached to its cultural heritage and its exceptional and resilient people––the descendants of one, if not the greatest, civilization in history––as I observed several twists and turns in its journey.
This is a hybrid of a book that is part memoir, part institutional history, and part inspirational business leadership advice. It is an evocative mix of many elements that keep me busy thinking and, I hope, will inspire its readers. The book’s underlying theme stems from the fact that I firmly and profoundly believe in Egypt, its people––the exceptional fabric of its society––its future, and its unlimited potential and prospect. For me, Egypt remains uniquely positioned as the land of unparalleled opportunity, yet so much of that remains untapped. I dream and aspire that Egypt becomes an intellectual, cultural, economic, and geopolitical powerhouse to reckon with in a dynamic and changing world.
I dedicate this book to my family for their love, help, and encouragement throughout the different stages of my career; their role has been and will remain instrumental in my professional journey; and to my parents, my mother, for everything she did for her family, her endless love and infinite care, and my father, who has been and will always remain my role model and inspiration. His guidance, wisdom, and continuous support have been influential and invaluable to me throughout my life and during the various stages of my career. I will remain indebted to him in everything I accomplish.
About the author: Sherif Kamel is Professor of Management and Dean of the School of Business at The American University in Cairo.
29 January 2022
Issue #21
Congratulations Dean Kamel. Looking forward to reading the book. Wishing you all the best.
You touch on a very important point. We see humans as expenses when we should see them as assets. This changes how we treat/deal with them.