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On a Wednesday evening at around seven o\u2019clock, Dhari Alawwad picked up the phone and called Jazeera Airways. At the time, he was working for Kuwait\u2019s Directorate General of Civil Aviation during the COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating one of the country\u2019s most urgent digital projects: introducing QR codes across airport terminals and linking them to the Ministry of Health\u2019s systems. Everything had to be ready before the Minister of Health arrived for an inspection on Sunday.<\/p><\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll provide you with all the data you need,\u201d he told his counterpart at Jazeera Airways. \u201cI want everything implemented by Saturday at the latest because the Minister of Health will be visiting on Sunday. I\u2019ll personally inspect your terminal, and I want to see everything working.\u201d The man listened carefully. \u201cOkay,\u201d he replied. \u201cAre you done with your request? \u201cYes,\u201d Alawwad said. \u201cCan I speak to you for a few minutes?\u201d The conversation lasted two and a half hours. \u201cI\u2019ve been observing you for the past three months,\u201d the man told him. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure how to reach you, but now that you\u2019ve called... What are you going to do in government? What\u2019s your future? Do you realize what you could do in the private sector? I know it\u2019s COVID\u2026 I know people are losing their jobs... I know it\u2019s a risk\u2026 But risk comes with benefits.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n
By the end of the call, Alawwad had accepted an invitation that would eventually bring him to Jazeera Airways, and the man on the other end of the line would become his future manager. It would not be the first time he had taken a risk that changed the course of his career.<\/p><\/p>\n
Long before joining Jazeera Airways, Alawwad was already working full time with only a high school diploma. From 2010 to 2014, he supervised one of the Touristic Enterprises Company\u2019s facilities along Kuwait\u2019s Arabian Gulf Street waterfront. When his supervisor resigned, however, the promotion went to someone with less experience. The explanation was simple. \u201cWe know you\u2019re the most competent person,\u201d his managers told him. \u201cBut this other guy has a bachelor\u2019s degree.\u201d Rather than argue, Alawwad resigned. He moved to the United Arab Emirates, enrolled at Ajman University, and earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in Public Relations in December 2017. His university years also produced one story he still laughs about today. Most students try to graduate with the highest possible GPA. Alawwad had a different goal.\n<\/p><\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted a GPA of exactly 3.33 because I simply liked the number.\u201d\nHe even asked some professors to award him lower grades than he had earned so the mathematics would work out. \u201cI was literally designing my grades to reach 3.33.\u201d He missed. His final GPA was 3.32. \u201cI was very disappointed because I missed it by just 0.01.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n
After graduating, he returned to Kuwait and joined the Directorate General of Civil Aviation while also co-founding Bricks Design, an advertising and marketing company. For a period, he balanced both roles before eventually focusing full time on Civil Aviation. Although the business grew quickly, disagreements with his business partner eventually led him to step away. \u201cI don\u2019t regret the experience,\u201d he says. \u201cRunning your own company teaches you things you simply cannot learn as an employee.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n
The pandemic became another unexpected turning point. Working at Civil Aviation, Alawwad found himself coordinating digital systems, airport procedures, and public health requirements at a time when regulations were changing almost daily. The work brought him into regular contact with airlines and government agencies\u2014and eventually caught Jazeera Airways\u2019 attention. Today, he serves as Senior Manager of Government Relations and Projects and Head of Revenue Management, overseeing responsibilities that extend far beyond the Public Relations degree he once earned.<\/p><\/p>\n
Two programs supported by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) also shaped his development as a leader. The first was the High Potential Leader program, a three-month course that combined sessions in Kuwait with a final week in North Carolina. The second, a Harvard negotiation program, would have an even deeper impact.<\/p><\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I came back, something had changed,\u201d he says. The change was not reflected in a new title or qualification. It showed in the way he approached people. He struggles to identify one lecture or one exercise that made the difference. Instead, the change happened gradually. Before Harvard, he says, he tended to make decisions quickly. Afterwards, he became more patient. \u201cNow, before making a decision, I listen,\u201d he says. \u201cI ask more questions. I try to understand the other person\u2019s perspective before reaching a conclusion.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n
Harvard also changed the way he negotiates. Previously, he believed negotiation was mainly about convincing the other side. The program taught him something different. \u201cFirst, understand what the other person actually wants. Sometimes people ask for one thing, but what they really need is something completely different. If you don\u2019t understand that, you\u2019ll never reach a good agreement.\u201d The program also changed the way he leads his team. Today, Alawwad leads professionals from different countries, including India, Ethiopia, and Nepal. Instead of interrupting, he lets people finish speaking. Instead of assuming he already has the answer, he listens. \u201cSometimes they surprise me,\u201d he says. \u201cSometimes they see something I completely missed.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n
He also believes leaders have a responsibility to protect their teams. \u201cIf senior management has an issue,\u201d he says, \u201cI tell them, \u2018Come to me. Speak to me. Don\u2019t speak to my team.\u2019\u201d That same willingness to challenge authority extends to his own managers. \u201cI always do what I genuinely believe is right,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen someone tells me to do something and I believe it\u2019s wrong, I challenge it.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n
For young Kuwaitis considering a KFAS program, however, his advice has little to do with titles or certificates. The certificate is probably the least important part, he believes. What matters is the experience. The people you meet. The discussions you have. The different ways of thinking you\u2019re exposed to. The single lesson that has stayed with him throughout his career is neither strategy nor negotiation. It is \u201cpatience.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n
\u201cThe Harvard program taught me that. Today, before making decisions, I listen. I ask questions. I try to understand. It has made me a better leader. It has made me better at negotiations. And, honestly, it has made me a better person.\u201d <\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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