Tonight offered another one of those honorable experiences. I work hard in life to serve others because my moral compass directs me in that direction, but its always gratifying when one's recognized for his effort. Some may think I'm too serious or ambitious, but I honestly believe that I have a purpose to fulfill in life and I won't let anything get in my way, God willing.
Ever since setting foot on London Business School's campus, I felt blessed with an opportunity of a lifetime. Attending LBS had been a dream I fought gallantly to bring to fruition. Every time I see the LBS logo when I walk to school, I thank God for answering my prayers and bringing me here. On my end of the bargain, I feel like I need to give it my best shot in whatever I do while I'm here. My UVa experience taught me one key lesson, 'what you put into it is what you'll get out of it.' And that philosophy has guided my efforts here at LBS.
Several weeks ago I received an enigmatic email in my inbox inviting me to dinner at the residence of Sir Andrew Likierman, Dean of LBS. Now you must understand that the LBS Dean is a superstar here on campus. He currently serves as a Director of Barclays Bank and has served in various leadership positions at several prestigious organizations, such as the Bank of England, the Cabinet Office, and the United Nations. Nevertheless, he is extremely modest, courteous, and cordial. I was absolutely honored to receive this invitation.
According to the invitation, "Every year the Student Association holds a Recognition Dinner in order to reward students who have made a significant contribution to deepen and strengthen the LBS community." Now this may be too much to credit me with, but I must admit that I've done all that I can to make LBS a more enriching experience for my fellow colleagues as well as for myself. I've served as the Academic Representative for my class and volunteered my time on the Middle East and Africa clubs. On the side, I've done what I can to help Egypt by volunteering my time in the Association of Graduate Egyptian Students. Now I'm not listing all of this experience to brag, but I want to record it for my memories. When I serve others, when I have an impact in the communities in which I offer a helping hand, that's truly feel like I'm fulfilling my purpose in life.
When I arrived at the Dean's House, which occupies the magnificent building built by renowned architect John Nash in the 1800s, I was received by a hostess who welcomed me into a elegant lobby. The floor was furnished with exquisite, maroon oriental carpets, a art-nouveau chandelier hung from the ceiling, and, in general, the house had a very aristocratic feel to it. I made my way up the semi-circular staircase to the wonderful sound of live piano. When I entered an even more splendorous room, I was met with by a group of finely dressed guests chatting over cocktails. This reception reminded my of the many diplomatic functions I had accompanied my mother to in Istanbul. Upon my entry, they all turned their attention to me and I introduced myself. The Dean paused his conversation with the President of the Student Association to come and personally welcome me to his home. His grace and humility put me at ease all of the sudden.
I soon realized that this dinner was for a selected few, only one student from each of the school's masters programs was chosen to attend. I was honored to be selected from my class. This recognition ceremony was reminiscent of the time the Z Society had recognized me at UVa. Words can't explain how blessed and honored I felt to be recognized once again. I mingled and chatted among the privileged few who also had the honor to attend. Each of them came from such diverse backgrounds. I talked to an Indian, a Canadian, an Australian, an American, and the list goes on. Whenever I mentioned that I was Egyptian, people were awed. The inquired about our Revolution and about my future. Without trying to be too pompous, I tried to portray that my future was dedicated to serve this revolution in bringing peace, liberty, and prosperity to my beloved country.
Once the guest of honor arrived, we were directed to the dining room by the butler. Mr. Antonio Horta-Osório, member of LBS Governing Body and Chief Executive of Lloyds Banking Group, was by far the highlight of tonight. This gentleman leads the largest commercial bank in the United Kingdom and manages about 41% of the country's wealth, yet he managed to make time in his schedule to join us at this dinner. His presence made the night another one of those rare opportunities to reap the gems of wisdom from someone who's steered a successful career. Mr. Antonia informed us of the banking situation in the United Kingdom after the crisis and his career as a manager, but there was a common theme throughout his talk that interested me even more.
Mr. Antonio, who held executive positions at the top banks worldwide, summed his formula to success in three key points:
1. Put your values before your profession.
2. Be good at coordinating and building teams.
3. Have character.
In every decision he made, he always stuck to his principles. A couple of minutes through his talk over the dinner table and I even forgot there was food in front of me. I was amazed by how candid and altruistic Mr. Antonio was. Here was a top CEO dedicating his time to give us sincere advice. My account of my experience of listening to him does not do justice to how benevolent this gentleman was. At the end of the discussion, he left us with the advice that we truly are a selected few who must be willing to serve the world and others regardless of their culture, religion, or race. This idealism reminded me that one must always dream big. If someone like Mr. Antonio could make it to the top of the corporate world's ladder with this idealism, ambition, and perseverance, then anyone can if they have the right values and dreams.
This discussion gave me so much hope. Although some might perceive my hard work as being "nerdy" or "too ambitious," I'll never let that get in the way of allowing me to live out my purpose here in life. As always, I am grateful to God for all he's bestowed upon me. This dinner was the perfect dose of confidence I needed to go out and make it big in the real world!
