A foot in two different worlds | Daniel Sharaiha
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Balancing heart and mind.
This “Messy” conversation is a bit of a departure from previous episodes as I talk to a bank executive in the Middle East who also works with NGOs and charities.
Daniel Sharaiha grew up and lives in Jordan with one foot in business and the other in the NGO world. That tension, he says, keeps him humble: his head and heart never quite fit neatly into either sector, and that’s exactly why he sees complexity and the mess of leadership clearly.
From welcoming millions of refugees in a water-scarce country to championing women’s participation in the workforce, Daniel frames leadership as service rooted in empathy, justice, and hope. He argues that empathy isn’t “soft” but rather it’s a strategic requirement that fuels organisations. His empathy stems from his identity as being an outsider, which provides a unique vantage point. He views influence and trust as the essential commodity for leadership in any organisation.
In a world where “the unusual is now the usual,” Daniel leans on humour, improvisation, and resilience. He believes that we are in a world that requires generalists, and the ability to cross-train and build complementary skills the way a runner swims to become a better runner. He’s candid about failures (including a teenage hair-tonic misadventure that left him bald) and why leaders must bridge what seems as polar opposites: head and heart, profit and purpose, certainty and curiosity.
Underpinning Daniel’s leadership is “hope”, and a desire to make the world a better place: building tables (sometimes literally) where people can gather, argue, laugh, and keep going together.
Key lessons:
• Empathy as an edge: it strengthens your leadership impact
• Humour lowers defences: laughter opens the “window”
• Improv is survival: change is “business as usual”
• Cross-train your strengths
• Dialogue over monologue: making meaning together
This “Messy” conversation is a bit of a departure from previous episodes as I talk to a bank executive in the Middle East who also works with NGOs and charities.
Daniel Sharaiha grew up and lives in Jordan with one foot in business and the other in the NGO world. That tension, he says, keeps him humble: his head and heart never quite fit neatly into either sector, and that’s exactly why he sees complexity and the mess of leadership clearly.
From welcoming millions of refugees in a water-scarce country to championing women’s participation in the workforce, Daniel frames leadership as service rooted in empathy, justice, and hope. He argues that empathy isn’t “soft” but rather it’s a strategic requirement that fuels organisations. His empathy stems from his identity as being an outsider, which provides a unique vantage point. He views influence and trust as the essential commodity for leadership in any organisation.
In a world where “the unusual is now the usual,” Daniel leans on humour, improvisation, and resilience. He believes that we are in a world that requires generalists, and the ability to cross-train and build complementary skills the way a runner swims to become a better runner. He’s candid about failures (including a teenage hair-tonic misadventure that left him bald) and why leaders must bridge what seems as polar opposites: head and heart, profit and purpose, certainty and curiosity.
Underpinning Daniel’s leadership is “hope”, and a desire to make the world a better place: building tables (sometimes literally) where people can gather, argue, laugh, and keep going together.
Key lessons:
• Empathy as an edge: it strengthens your leadership impact
• Humour lowers defences: laughter opens the “window”
• Improv is survival: change is “business as usual”
• Cross-train your strengths
• Dialogue over monologue: making meaning together
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction to Daniel Sharaiha: a leader combining intellect with humanity
- 01:54 Personal background and social justice mission
- 05:19 Working with refugees and NGOs in Jordan
- 08:01 Identity and perspective as a minority
- 11:35 Empathy in leadership and the Monkey Experiment
- 13:43 The importance of empathy in modern leadership
- 16:43 Humour, storytelling, and learning from mistakes
- 19:27 Adaptability and change in leadership
- 22:18 Learning from failure: the hair-tonic story
- 24:56 Jordan's role as a safe haven amid regional conflict
- 28:23 Personal interests and leadership advice
- 32:36 Closing thoughts on leadership in a messy world
