04/Oct/2018
Scientechnic CEO, Easa F. Al Gurg on his understanding of the concept of change.
Change may be intimidating, yet it is exciting at the same time. One craves it when life gets monotonous, but when something changes unexpectedly, there is that feeling of dread and fear of the unknown. Having been through several experiences, either as the change initiator or as a person impacted by someone else’s change plans, I have come to accept it as the only constant in our life.
Everything changes. Not just a physical structure but also people, skills, the culture of a workplace, management styles, market conditions, relationships, and the list goes on…
Change is not that unsettling when one is constantly evolving. To me, evolution is nothing but the willingness and desire to keep moving forward. It starts from within and is not easy – often demanding brutal honesty with oneself. My approach is to start with myself, this comes from accepting the fact that there will be gains, but one needs to be prepared for the pains that come along with it. This is how we have done it in Scientechnic, ever since I started my role here over the past eight years. Once the decision to make the change has been made, there has been no looking back, however in some instances, being able to redirect the course of change is also something that can make or break your initiative.
Sometimes one needs to take the bold step of starting from scratch all over again. It takes a lot of courage to do so, but when the foundations are strong, the rebuilding will follow naturally. Here I gain inspiration from Dubai – the city that I am proud to call my home. It started with being a small pearl fishing town till the discovery of oil.
And with time has changed its focus to non-oil industries such as tourism, aeronautics, telecommunication, information and medicine. I am reminded of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE’s Armed Forces’ assertive keynote statement at the 2015 Government summit in Dubai. He said “In 50 years, when we might have the last barrel of oil, the question is: when it is shipped abroad, will we be sad? If we are investing today in the right sectors, I can tell you we will celebrate at that moment.” In my opinion, UAE is the epitome of change and adaptability, and such teachings from our leadership are the main reasons we are who we are today.
On a personal level, I recently entered a new area of business with Idealz, an E-commerce venture that has further strengthened my belief in the power of adaptability, growth and change. My business partner and I have learnt so much each day, not just from being exposed to a new line of business but also to people of different ages and varied backgrounds. Although it is a dissimilar industry and work environment, adapting to change has enabled me to learn from each organization and contribute to both in a different way.
Finally, the core part of change is that of one’s perspective. In challenging times, the moments when I have had the courage to think outside the box or embrace a new idea have eventually led to more exciting avenues being opened up. And to this I leave you with this quote by Leo Tolstoy to contemplate on: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
@Scientechnic