Reflections from the past four weeks
There is no honest way to write about being in the UAE right now without first acknowledging the full weight of what the past few weeks have felt like. It’s a particular kind of vertigo that comes from watching the familiar skyline appear in international news feeds alongside words like ‘interceptions’ and ‘debris’, leading to a rollercoaster of emotions. Disbelief. Anxiety. Hope. Confusion. Relief. Stress. Anticipation. Guilt. Exhaustion. Doomscrolling. Sleeplessness. I could go on. I have felt all of it. Most of us probably have.
But when I sit with those emotions and let them settle, the one that keeps rising to the surface consistently, stubbornly, almost defiantly, is gratitude.
What I feel most deeply is gratitude for the nations leaders and to our Armed Forces for protecting our borders and our airspace, while we go about our daily lives. Gratitude to the constant buzz of the hundreds of delivery drivers who continue to bring food and essential supplies to our homes. Gratefulness to the cabin crew and pilots operating flights in and out of a region under extremely volatile conditions. Gratitude to the airport staff who keep the terminals functioning despite continuous disruptions, to the mall security guards who smile and greet shoppers in busy malls, to the supermarket shelf-stackers who kept the aisles full, the petrol station attendants, the hotel staff, the nurses and doctors running on fractured sleep. To all those who show up again and again, day after day, because their city and country need them to do so. There is a particular kind of quiet courage in turning up for your ordinary job during extraordinary moments.
I also feel a huge sense of gratitude for the wonderful lives we created in the region. My husband and I have spent twenty+ years in Dubai, we have built our careers, our 10 year old daughter Ayana was born and is being raised here, and like many others, we are surrounded by a wonderful community of friends, colleagues, family and support systems. It is not just a place where we live, it is home. A home not just in terms of its physical space, but a forever, visceral feeling of familiarity, belonginess, safety and contentment that we have felt for over two decades. While that feeling of safety may be currently compromised to some extent, it doesn’t take away from the love we feel for a city and country that is home.
I do want to acknowledge that gratitude is not denial. It does not erase the fear of waking up to the phone alerts we’re slowly getting used to, the low hum of anxiety that has become a background note to daily life, or our apprehension about the future, as we watch the news unfold before us. It is an acknowledgement that just like ups and downs in our lives, our countries and the region will also continue to have its fair share of crises and challenges. Such is life. It is how we react in times of extreme disruption and prolonged catastrophes that truly demonstrate what we are capable of, as individuals, as leaders, as a community, a nation and a region.
Personally, for me, while the conflict is still unfolding, what truly stands out is how the country is responding. Not with panic. Not with chaos. With something that, on reflection, can only be described as quiet, deliberate, dignified resilience.
Despite an on-going, extended conflict, with unprecedented disruptions to energy, supply chains, tourism and aviation along with the limited physical impact of strikes and interceptions, day-to-day life is as normal as can be under the circumstances. In the UAE, as well as in other places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the supermarkets are well stocked, the roads are busy, the malls are bustling, restaurants are open and a general sense of everyday life prevails. Keeping in mind that Ramadan is typically a quieter, slower time, compounded by fewer incoming tourists, several families choosing to travel since schools declared an early spring break followed by distance learning, and companies continuing to implement work-from-home protocols.
Amongst our immediate circle of friends, colleagues and family, most have chosen to stay on, while others may be travelling temporarily. Affordability, job security, work commitments and personal circumstances of course dictate the decisions people can make. While most choose to stay, for others it is not as easy to leave.
In all of this humdrum, there is a specific kind of reassurance in carrying on with our ordinary lives that no news channel or press briefing can fully articulate - the reassurance of a society that is, at its foundations, genuinely functional.
I have been equally struck by the consistency and tone of communication we have been receiving from official channels. UAE authorities advising residents to continue carrying out their usual activities while exercising caution, in a way that is not alarmist, nor dismissive. I have personally found it reassuring, measured and balanced, with a healthy sense of realism, ensuring that relevant and timely information is shared, and disinformation and rumors don’t create unnecessary panic.
What has been remarkable, but not surprising, is how our nation’s leaders are role modelling solidarity in a time of crisis, where there is no meaningful distinction between nationals and the millions of expats who call this country home. Every resident treated as equally worthy of protection, equally deserving of care. In many other places in the world, the hierarchy in a crisis is clear: citizens first, residents second, visitors a distant third. Here, I have seen that hierarchy collapse. This is because the UAE understands, intuitively, practically, socially and economically, that identity is not a function of a passport. It is a function of the life you build, the work you contribute, what you give back and the community you become part of.
Here is what those watching from the outside may not fully appreciate. This is not the UAE’s first test of this kind. When the COVID hit in 2020, at time when other countries were descending into confusion and institutional breakdown, the UAE moved with speed, preparedness and clarity which should become a case study in crisis management.
While the context was completely different of course and does not in any way take away from the gravity of the current geopolitical conflict, common patterns have become apparent over these two crises, in terms of mobilizing supply chains, ensuring food security, limiting stock piling, ensuring our kids were safe in school bubbles, while employees could work remotely.
Nothing came to a standstill during the pandemic, and a sense of normalcy prevailed back then as it does now, considering that these are extraordinarily unusual times. What was most amazing during the pandemic was the level of healthcare provided to one and all, irrespective of residence status, nationality or socio-economic status. My whole family, including myself, my immediate and extended family were quite unwell and underwent different treatments at government COVID facilities at various times. The level of genuine care and unconditional support we received, at a time when we experienced deep personal loss, will forever remain etched in our memory.
It took a crisis like COVID when UAE truly started to feel like home for my family and I, and that memory has not faded. It is part of why, now, when the sirens sound and the news is alarming, we, like many others, have trust in the country and its leadership.
The ability to activate and mobilize teams, resources and safeguards in unprecedented situations as the one we face today has required deliberate scenario planning and preparedness across the entire governmental eco-system. Learning from the 2008 financial crisis, COVID and other world events, the UAE and other countries in the region, have taken a number of proactive steps to ensure business continuity planning for critical services such as airports, airlines, food security and supply chains, healthcare, defence and financial systems. It has also made positive strides in terms of policy changes such as in legislation and employment laws. Introducing golden visas for expats is one of the master strokes in terms of helping a larger community of non-nationals to consider UAE as home, instead of a transient, temporary place to work and live.
Is it perfect? Of course not and it would be very unfair of me to paint an unrealistic picture. Along with current areas to address and improve, the conflict will change the region in one way or another.
There will be more lessons learnt, and emerging geo-political, socio-economic and business risks to navigate. And this is how we will continue to learn, evolve and grow, as individuals, as leaders, as a nation and as a unified region.
Writing from an organizational and HR lens, I find myself thinking about a parallel story unfolding inside thousands of companies across the UAE and the region, perhaps less visible than the geo-political headlines, but no less consequential.
From what I am seeing so far, business continuity has largely held. Most larger organizations have broadly been operating according to some level of crisis management and planning, with companies continuing to serve customers, maintain supply chains and provide services without meaningful interruption. Post conflict, we may continue to improve and accelerate more formalized approaches to resilience planning including secondary work locations, replicated technology infrastructure, an accelerated adoption of AI and digital services and enhanced business continuity frameworks. In many ways, the resilience shown by the public sector has necessitated a sense responsibility for private sector organizations to match that steadiness with their own.
Having said that, our SME community will probably face greater strife during these times, due to the immediate impact on their businesses, cash flows and general uncertainty. We all have a responsibility to actively support our smaller, local businesses during such crises, ensuring we help keeping their lights on.
For HR leaders specifically, this period has once again put the spotlight on aspects that are typically considered ‘a tick in the box’ such as contingency and remote work frameworks, emergency communication protocols, mental health infrastructure, EAP programs, repatriation considerations, which are all being tested in real time. Some organizations found they had robust systems, others discovered gaps they now need to close. Continuing to stay agile, empathetic and human is the most important work people functions can do in the weeks and months ahead.
Having said this, business resilience and operational responsiveness is the floor, not the ceiling. What distinguishes people centered organizations at times like this is how we show up as leaders. It’s not what is said, but how we make people feel, that will be remembered long after the conflict is over.
I am not naïve about the road ahead. The disruptions are real. The psychological toll is real. What we are feeling and how we are feeling are not abstractions. Our feelings, our emotions, our thoughts are valid, deeply personal and completely normal.
But I also know that this won’t last forever. That we will emerge stronger as individuals, as a community and as a nation. For those who were born here as well as those of us who came from somewhere else and found something worth staying for. I will hold on to hope. For the life we chose. For the nation that is holding strong. For the leaders who prepared before the rest of us knew preparation was needed. For the heroes protecting us while we sleep. For the quiet, unsung army of people who are keeping our cities functioning, even in its hardest weeks.
That is not nothing. That is everything. And for those of us in leadership positions, let us be worthy of that trust.
Note: This article reflects my personal views and reflections since the beginning of the conflict. I also want to acknowledge that while we are experiencing a relative sense of normalcy considering the circumstances in the UAE and perhaps the rest of the GCC, others in the region and some around the world have of course been much more severely impacted through sustained and longer-term strife, chaos and geo-political conflict.
Reflections from the past four weeks
There is no honest way to write about being in the UAE right now without first acknowledging the full weight of what the past few weeks have felt like. It’s a particular kind of vertigo that comes from watching the familiar skyline appear in international news feeds alongside words like ‘interceptions’ and ‘debris’, leading to a rollercoaster of emotions. Disbelief. Anxiety. Hope. Confusion. Relief. Stress. Anticipation. Guilt. Exhaustion. Doomscrolling. Sleeplessness. I could go on. I have felt all of it. Most of us probably have.
But when I sit with those emotions and let them settle, the one that keeps rising to the surface consistently, stubbornly, almost defiantly, is gratitude.
What I feel most deeply is gratitude for the nations leaders and to our Armed Forces for protecting our borders and our airspace, while we go about our daily lives. Gratitude to the constant buzz of the hundreds of delivery drivers who continue to bring food and essential supplies to our homes. Gratefulness to the cabin crew and pilots operating flights in and out of a region under extremely volatile conditions. Gratitude to the airport staff who keep the terminals functioning despite continuous disruptions, to the mall security guards who smile and greet shoppers in busy malls, to the supermarket shelf-stackers who kept the aisles full, the petrol station attendants, the hotel staff, the nurses and doctors running on fractured sleep. To all those who show up again and again, day after day, because their city and country need them to do so. There is a particular kind of quiet courage in turning up for your ordinary job during extraordinary moments.
I also feel a huge sense of gratitude for the wonderful lives we created in the region. My husband and I have spent twenty+ years in Dubai, we have built our careers, our 10 year old daughter Ayana was born and is being raised here, and like many others, we are surrounded by a wonderful community of friends, colleagues, family and support systems. It is not just a place where we live, it is home. A home not just in terms of its physical space, but a forever, visceral feeling of familiarity, belonginess, safety and contentment that we have felt for over two decades. While that feeling of safety may be currently compromised to some extent, it doesn’t take away from the love we feel for a city and country that is home.
I do want to acknowledge that gratitude is not denial. It does not erase the fear of waking up to the phone alerts we’re slowly getting used to, the low hum of anxiety that has become a background note to daily life, or our apprehension about the future, as we watch the news unfold before us. It is an acknowledgement that just like ups and downs in our lives, our countries and the region will also continue to have its fair share of crises and challenges. Such is life. It is how we react in times of extreme disruption and prolonged catastrophes that truly demonstrate what we are capable of, as individuals, as leaders, as a community, a nation and a region.
Personally, for me, while the conflict is still unfolding, what truly stands out is how the country is responding. Not with panic. Not with chaos. With something that, on reflection, can only be described as quiet, deliberate, dignified resilience.
Despite an on-going, extended conflict, with unprecedented disruptions to energy, supply chains, tourism and aviation along with the limited physical impact of strikes and interceptions, day-to-day life is as normal as can be under the circumstances. In the UAE, as well as in other places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the supermarkets are well stocked, the roads are busy, the malls are bustling, restaurants are open and a general sense of everyday life prevails. Keeping in mind that Ramadan is typically a quieter, slower time, compounded by fewer incoming tourists, several families choosing to travel since schools declared an early spring break followed by distance learning, and companies continuing to implement work-from-home protocols.
Amongst our immediate circle of friends, colleagues and family, most have chosen to stay on, while others may be travelling temporarily. Affordability, job security, work commitments and personal circumstances of course dictate the decisions people can make. While most choose to stay, for others it is not as easy to leave.
I have been equally struck by the consistency and tone of communication we have been receiving from official channels. UAE authorities advising residents to continue carrying out their usual activities while exercising caution, in a way that is not alarmist, nor dismissive. I have personally found it reassuring, measured and balanced, with a healthy sense of realism, ensuring that relevant and timely information is shared, and disinformation and rumors don’t create unnecessary panic.
What has been remarkable, but not surprising, is how our nation’s leaders are role modelling solidarity in a time of crisis, where there is no meaningful distinction between nationals and the millions of expats who call this country home. Every resident treated as equally worthy of protection, equally deserving of care. In many other places in the world, the hierarchy in a crisis is clear: citizens first, residents second, visitors a distant third. Here, I have seen that hierarchy collapse. This is because the UAE understands, intuitively, practically, socially and economically, that identity is not a function of a passport. It is a function of the life you build, the work you contribute, what you give back and the community you become part of.
Here is what those watching from the outside may not fully appreciate. This is not the UAE’s first test of this kind. When the COVID hit in 2020, at time when other countries were descending into confusion and institutional breakdown, the UAE moved with speed, preparedness and clarity which should become a case study in crisis management.
While the context was completely different of course and does not in any way take away from the gravity of the current geopolitical conflict, common patterns have become apparent over these two crises, in terms of mobilizing supply chains, ensuring food security, limiting stock piling, ensuring our kids were safe in school bubbles, while employees could work remotely.
Nothing came to a standstill during the pandemic, and a sense of normalcy prevailed back then as it does now, considering that these are extraordinarily unusual times. What was most amazing during the pandemic was the level of healthcare provided to one and all, irrespective of residence status, nationality or socio-economic status. My whole family, including myself, my immediate and extended family were quite unwell and underwent different treatments at government COVID facilities at various times. The level of genuine care and unconditional support we received, at a time when we experienced deep personal loss, will forever remain etched in our memory.
It took a crisis like COVID when UAE truly started to feel like home for my family and I, and that memory has not faded. It is part of why, now, when the sirens sound and the news is alarming, we, like many others, have trust in the country and its leadership.
The ability to activate and mobilize teams, resources and safeguards in unprecedented situations as the one we face today has required deliberate scenario planning and preparedness across the entire governmental eco-system. Learning from the 2008 financial crisis, COVID and other world events, the UAE and other countries in the region, have taken a number of proactive steps to ensure business continuity planning for critical services such as airports, airlines, food security and supply chains, healthcare, defence and financial systems. It has also made positive strides in terms of policy changes such as in legislation and employment laws. Introducing golden visas for expats is one of the master strokes in terms of helping a larger community of non-nationals to consider UAE as home, instead of a transient, temporary place to work and live.
Is it perfect? Of course not and it would be very unfair of me to paint an unrealistic picture. Along with current areas to address and improve, the conflict will change the region in one way or another.
There will be more lessons learnt, and emerging geo-political, socio-economic and business risks to navigate. And this is how we will continue to learn, evolve and grow, as individuals, as leaders, as a nation and as a unified region.
Writing from an organizational and HR lens, I find myself thinking about a parallel story unfolding inside thousands of companies across the UAE and the region, perhaps less visible than the geo-political headlines, but no less consequential.
From what I am seeing so far, business continuity has largely held. Most larger organizations have broadly been operating according to some level of crisis management and planning, with companies continuing to serve customers, maintain supply chains and provide services without meaningful interruption. Post conflict, we may continue to improve and accelerate more formalized approaches to resilience planning including secondary work locations, replicated technology infrastructure, an accelerated adoption of AI and digital services and enhanced business continuity frameworks. In many ways, the resilience shown by the public sector has necessitated a sense responsibility for private sector organizations to match that steadiness with their own.
Having said that, our SME community will probably face greater strife during these times, due to the immediate impact on their businesses, cash flows and general uncertainty. We all have a responsibility to actively support our smaller, local businesses during such crises, ensuring we help keeping their lights on.
For HR leaders specifically, this period has once again put the spotlight on aspects that are typically considered ‘a tick in the box’ such as contingency and remote work frameworks, emergency communication protocols, mental health infrastructure, EAP programs, repatriation considerations, which are all being tested in real time. Some organizations found they had robust systems, others discovered gaps they now need to close. Continuing to stay agile, empathetic and human is the most important work people functions can do in the weeks and months ahead.
Having said this, business resilience and operational responsiveness is the floor, not the ceiling. What distinguishes people centered organizations at times like this is how we show up as leaders. It’s not what is said, but how we make people feel, that will be remembered long after the conflict is over.
I am not naïve about the road ahead. The disruptions are real. The psychological toll is real. What we are feeling and how we are feeling are not abstractions. Our feelings, our emotions, our thoughts are valid, deeply personal and completely normal.
But I also know that this won’t last forever. That we will emerge stronger as individuals, as a community and as a nation. For those who were born here as well as those of us who came from somewhere else and found something worth staying for. I will hold on to hope. For the life we chose. For the nation that is holding strong. For the leaders who prepared before the rest of us knew preparation was needed. For the heroes protecting us while we sleep. For the quiet, unsung army of people who are keeping our cities functioning, even in its hardest weeks.
That is not nothing. That is everything. And for those of us in leadership positions, let us be worthy of that trust.
Note: This article reflects my personal views and reflections since the beginning of the conflict. I also want to acknowledge that while we are experiencing a relative sense of normalcy considering the circumstances in the UAE and perhaps the rest of the GCC, others in the region and some around the world have of course been much more severely impacted through sustained and longer-term strife, chaos and geo-political conflict.