It's All about Passion

Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "There’s a kind of fire that nobody can put out."

I still remember the day I applied for a job in Dubai. I was working for Middle East Airlines then at Beirut International Airport.
Dubai fascinated me, without even seeing it; I used to chat with the passengers who always talked about this emirate with such a passion that made me really eager to discover this modern yet Arabic country. I didn’t really know The Jumeirah Beach Hotel at that time, but still I applied. What am I going to lose?

I went to the interview and met with Serge Zaalof. I can’t recall the discussion we carried out, nothing was really unusual except the way Serge described the company, he talked with great passion and enthusiasm about the hotel, with devotion and such a feeling of belonging that I left with one impression; this is where I want to be.

I came to Dubai and joined Burj Al Arab. My first contact was with the Executive Assistant Manager who showed me around. I admit, I was dazed, by the magnitude of the building, but honestly, in the first place, I was amazed by the excitement and the sparkle in his eyes when he talks about every single part of the hotel. It didn’t take much to realize that I took the right decision.
Working at Burj Al Arab was a fulfilling experience. I was standing with one of my colleagues at the back of the house trying to convince him to go the extra mile and I said: “we have to do this, we are the best hotel in the world” when I heard a voice from the back saying: “that’s exactly what I like to hear” I turned around and saw Mr. Lawless. So I thought to myself, My God that’s true, we are the best indeed!

When Nicolas Ghrayeb interviewed me for the opening at the Emirates Towers Shopping Boulevard, I recognised his passion for the Boulevard, he was talking about the boulevard as if he were talking about a person, a very dear person, and I read between the lines: Rania, take care of my little baby!

Later, I knew that Jumeirah Hospitality is recruiting for a Marketing Communications Manager, so I wanted to apply. All I new about them is the outstanding work of the Boulevard Night, and it had a great impact on me. But still I asked my friend at the banqueting department:
“What do you know about Jumeirah Hospitality?”

She answered: “Rania it’s beyond imagination, we went to the desert, in the middle of nowhere, we did a huge set up for an Arabian night theme, it was something like 1001 night. Everybody is so enthusiastic, and they were all waiting for the General Manager to come, he’s got the final word on the set up and decoration. Rania you wouldn’t believe how creative his is….”

And I saw it for myself; Abdin is a passionate man in the first place, to the extent that sometimes you just feel that you cannot coop with his rhythm, he’s definitely asking for the impossible, only to realize that with passion and devotion, the impossible for others becomes ordinary.


So I wondered: is Passion contagious? What really makes us content and passionate about work? I had a small glimpse to my journey with Jumeirah International and I realized that:
- It’s human relationships in the first place: how the leaders manage to impact human beings around them by every activity they do in a human way.
- It’s when the employees themselves (me for example) discover the organizational values (mission and vision) that arise from the brand itself (Jumeirah International) and by definition reflect the passion and beliefs of the people (staff, guests and the whole world)
- It’s the fact that everybody is on the same side and speaks the same language; we all contribute to the building of Jumeirah International, which only results by going from great to perfect.

I realized that Passion is not an event it’s a process. And the end result of the process is a feeling, not a fact.

So why Passion? Well, they say, “Passion moved the hand of Michelangelo. Passion wins Olympic medals. Passion creates heroes. Passion marked the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the creation of great nations, and also the creation of great companies.”