7 Learnings from My Catalyst Journey

Before I jump in, I will take a moment to explain what Catalyst is for the readers that might not be working at LinkedIn. Catalyst is an EMEA & LATAM Leadership program that was launched in 2020 and focuses on developing high potential future leaders for LinkedIn from Under-Represented Racial Groups in the region. 

Now that we have got that out of the way, I can start to share my story with you. I never thought about my diversity at work before joining Catalyst or thought of myself as a racially diverse leader. And being an introvert, I wasn’t even sure if I should join the Catalyst program; but a good friend and colleague of mine Prashanie Dharmadasa, who was in the previous cohort reached out and encouraged me to take the leap and I will forever be grateful to her for doing that.  

I joined the program in March 2021 and today I really feel I have transformed not only on a professional level but also on a personal one. I feel more myself than I ever felt before, and I feel confident about the value that I bring to the table as a racially diverse leader. And so, as I sit here with the final Catalyst session around the corner, I started to think that the learnings I am lucky enough to carry forward with me are ones that we can all benefit from even if some of you might not come from Under-Represented Racial Groups, so I wanted to make sure I share them with you all hoping that they would add value to you as much as they did for me. 

Take a deep breath and look in the mirror 

In today’s busy world we are always on the run, it feels like the marathon doesn’t end and we tend to forget to pause or take a water break. That’s how my journey with Catalyst began, with a pause, before even meeting my Cohort colleagues and instructors I was asked to “Take a deep breath” think and reflect on some very personal questions that I never thought about before. This was my time to look in the mirror, and think about my identity, my race, what I celebrated about it, where I came from and my values. I never took the time to reflect on all those topics and I now feel doing that has allowed me to find and reconnect with the truest version of myself, the one who is proud of all these things and views them as the qualities that set me apart. I am an Arab Woman, I am Lebanese, and I am not afraid to say it. Having self-awareness will ground you and will allow you to start viewing yourself in a different light. We should all take that time to re-connect with ourselves and with our history because that’s the only way we will be able to tell our story and move forward. 

Find your voice  

One of the biggest revelations for me in the last few months was noticing that I was always trying to fit in with my team, I didn’t want to be seen as someone who was different, and to do that, I was not speaking up or sharing my thoughts, I was simply toning down my diversity. I think deep down I felt “less than” in a way and so I didn’t want to add more layers to that.  Once that clicked for me in one of the workshops, and I started to see my diversity as a strength and understand that my biggest limitation was not believing in myself, I felt that I had found my voice again. It didn’t happen overnight, but meeting after meeting I was able to start speaking up and sharing my own opinion on things, which allowed me to gain confidence in myself and what I bring to the table because the reality is “I am not less than”. I can add value, and share different perspectives, as well as challenge the status quo. It’s my duty to do so as a racially diverse leader. Think of times where you have decided to take the back seat in a conversation and ask yourself why? What are you afraid of? And then challenge yourself the next time you observe this and speak up.  

Be your authentic self 

What does it really mean to be authentic? For me, it’s having the courage to be yourself unapologetically. It’s not changing who you are for others and never compromising your values. It’s even sometimes asking yourself the question when you are in the middle of the situation “Am I being ME right now?”. This topic of authenticity and authentic leadership was one that was addressed in the program and one article that stuck with me was “Managing Authenticity, The Paradox of Great Leadership by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones” where the authors compare being authentic to a “Chameleon” and how it’s all about adapting but never losing your identity along the way. You can be an authentic leader by adapting to your audience, understanding their needs, and just wearing different hats for each occasion, so adding dimensions to yourself rather than taking ones away. Another thing that really resonated was that as an authentic leader you need to “focus on where you are going but never lose sight of where you came from”. Think of the different identities that you identify with and then the value that each one of these identities contributes to the person you are today. It’s only by embracing ALL aspects of yourself that you will be able to truly be an authentic leader. 

Recognize your leadership purpose 

Who are you and what makes you distinctive? What kind of leader do you want to be? What do you want to be known for? When you think about your leadership purpose more as an answer to the previous questions you will realize, the way I did in the program, that you already know the answer. You know what you’re good at, you know what sets you apart, and you know how you want to be as a leader because you have experienced different leaders in your professional life and have identified the characteristics that you like and those you don’t. Finding your leadership purpose will answer the main question we all have which is “Why?”, which will in turn give your work the meaning you are looking for and it will act as your true north star for you. So, lean into the characteristics that set you apart and lead with them. 

Identify your inner saboteurs and call them out 

“Saboteurs are the negative thought habits and patterns that live deep in our unconscious and derail our performance and happiness.” I always knew I had negative thoughts as I tend to doubt myself a lot, I replay conversations in my head and take too much time thinking of how other people perceived me, but I never really went further than that. During the program I was asked to do an assessment that will allow me to clearly identify my saboteurs and it was an eye-opening experience for me. Allow me to introduce you to my top 4 saboteurs: Hyper-Achiever, Controller, Avoider and Restless. As soon as I got my results, I directly started remembering incidents where these 4 made appearances, and it was so empowering to be able to identify them. And so, for the next few weeks each time one of them popped up in my mind, I would call them out and they would lose their power over me, and I could push them to the side and move forward. I even started calling out saboteurs that I saw in my friends while we were having conversations. Being able to identify your saboteurs is the first step to being able to defeat them and reaching your full potential professionally and personally, so what are you waiting for? Go and meet them! 

Ask for feedback  

I always knew feedback is a gift and that’s why I particularly enjoyed the “I lead 360” exercise that I did. We were all paired up in a buddy program and we had the task of interviewing 4-6 of our buddy’s colleagues. It was so interesting to first be that neutral party which allowed the people interviewed to be fully open and transparent, but also to realize that as racially diverse leaders there are certain areas of improvement that my buddy and I had in common.  What I also discovered when my buddy was reading to me his summary from my colleagues is that I was being known for the traits that I want to be known for but also, they clearly called out the fact that I wasn’t speaking up which is something I never thought anyone realized but me. The reason I included this learning is really to emphasize that taking the time to hear from your colleagues and managers will only benefit you and your growth so don’t shy away from doing it. And believe me when I say that they will know what you thought that you only you knew. 

Build a network of advocates 

I used to believe that performance was the key to how successful you could be at a company, but what I learned is that to make it in today’s world you also need to start thinking of your image and the exposure that you have within the company. It’s not anymore just about doing a good job; it’s about what people think of you and who knows you and your work. In fact, I learned that the actual split is as follows: 60% Exposure / 30% Image / 10% Performance. During a stakeholder workshop, I was asked to map out my stakeholders, asses the relationships I have with them and start working on a clear action plan to either improve or maintain them. Writing down their names, I noticed there were relationships I hadn’t invested enough time in, and the road ahead became clearer. I also broadened my vision and didn’t just think of my direct team, because that’s how you can start building that exposure. Building a network of advocates in the business will only serve you and support your aspirations as you advance in the company. Think of the people that have influence but that also have an interest in your success, then put in clear actions with them so they get to know you and your work better. 

During my Catalyst journey I was pushed outside of my comfort zone into what our instructors called “the zone of uncomfortable discovery” and although I didn’t enjoy it every time, I knew that I had to commit and just take a leap of faith and trust the process. And I did, and that’s why I can show up today as the true authentic Zeina, the one who is not afraid of speaking her mind, being herself and pushing through. I hope that I can encourage others around me to do the same and for those of you who are from Under-Represented Racial Groups at LinkedIn, I strongly encourage you to apply to the Catalyst program, because it will change your life. Each one of you will go through a different journey depending on the experiences you’ve lived but you will walk away a better version of yourself. 

I can’t leave you without thanking the people that made this journey possible for me, my managers: Francesca Felet and Christina O'Connor, the LinkedIn DIBS Executive team: Rosanna Durruthy and Jeanine Francis, the instructors from the Diversity Practice: Paul Anthony, Tina Dean, Taz, Carol Campayne, my Impact group: Rebecca Da Costa Mitel, Ezekiel Taiwo, Vibha Adlakha, Volkan Callar and Tatiana Desouza (The Waves 😊), my buddy Farhad Andalibi, and the 2021 Leaders Cohort!