Dr. Dina Faidi

Founder/ Leadership Growth Advisor at CREATIVITY AND BEYOND LIMITED

Founded Creativity & Beyond Consulting Firm (UAE) in 2004. Partnering with clients both public and private sectors in the emerging markets to empower the human capital through learning...

Leadership Development: Enhancing skills for effective leadership
Cognitive Skills Training: Building critical thinking and learning abilities
Innovation Methodologies: Exploring creativity for innovative solutions
Emotional Intelligence Mastery: Understanding and applying emotional intelligence strategies
Executive Coaching Techniques: Guiding leaders to achieve peak performance.

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Dina Faidi

“Today, human capital development is needed more than ever.”

The last appeal

Tricky Workplace Situation Handled

Listen, discuss, assess, let them make a decision of what is best to do.

tom reaches assumption and does not listen to seek facts. he is obviously in a rush to make a sale rather than showing empathy to customers. He embarrasses himself and the customers at the end.

show empathy, clarify, paraphrase and ask open-ended questions

I noticed lately you are coming late to meetings, is there something holding you that I can help you with?
Your feedback is highly appreciated, I would like to hear you but can we leave comments till the end so I can present the full picture?
It is clear the effort you on this project, perhaps we can work together on fine tuning it a little more.

then we can understand what they really are trying to tell us and they will know that we really care about their needs.

the second one as clearly he is communicating with body language and not only words. open arms show openness and welcoming to the other.

The first one looks shy and conservative. it can also look like he is showing respect and being polite. the second one looks more authoritative and confident. it can also look like he is overruling and showing more power than the opponent

the first is smiling and showing engagement with the other person while the second the girl has her hands on her cheeks with a face of being bored and uninterested.

I would show empathy and offer options without enforcing an increase of rate if there is really difference that the customer must pay.

i will show empathy at the beginning and be clear on the purpose of the email. I will also give an outcome that will be satisfactory to the others.

Lose customers, lose revenue in other markets, bad reputation, becomes a political issue.

Be very careful when launching an ad by using a local expert to avoid this serious offense to happen.

7 because the customer had voiced her experience with them that it was not 100% satisfactory and yet the customer service ignored it. All she cared about was the rating.

She could had empathised with her but the issues she mentioned about the product.

i would have listened better than I did to make sure I understand what they are telling me and to show them that I care. it would have gained me their trust better and have been more satisfied.

I need to learn not to interrupt when the other is speaking. to listen with my full senses and leave my comments if asked and at the end. I am good in empathising while listening, and in giving the space for the other to reflect.

I will calm him down first and listen carefully. we need to make that we empathize with them. then we take care of the problem. Will also find a way to make him happy and satisfied by offering something extra

This is something that we will take very seriously. allow us to apologize and move you immediately to our best suite after making a complete check that the suite is 100% clean.
completely understand the frustration. Such dish should be eaten at certain temperature to be enjoyed. Will bring you a fresh one immediately on the house.
I do understand your anger but allow me to explain. I will also talk to my manager if you will let me to waive these fees out.

Absorb and deal with it calmly and not take it personally

Have an open mind, ask questions. Encourage clients to give the feedback knowing that I am not going to be offended.

Disappointed, frustrated, questioning

Eyebrows flatten and the eyes go on glare and the lips become flat.

ask them directly, get feedback through survey, use rating system on social media or send an email

to improve service or product. to fill gaps that we don't see but customers see it as they are the users of the product

Empathize with clients to understand their needs and this way we will define the gap and the real need, then we can ideate few ideas after which we prototype and test and then we launch a customized service.

It needs to speak to its customers and understand their needs and get their input on their expectations so that then they can develop ideas to improve their online services.

It can ask certain customers what would they like to see improved in the services we provide. Develop a few ideas, create a pilot program or service, and get feedback from customers so that we can launch a new customized and improved service.

Hire someone who speaks the language in order to communicate with them and make sure that the packaging problem is resolved properly.

Customer service, product development, explore gaps and opportunities for new products and services based on customers needs.

I try to find why by asking customers and look for possibilities to solve the problem. I focus on the issue that is causing the problem an find possiblesolutions for it..

I can increase customer satisfaction by getting open channel communication with them. encourage customers to be involved in developing ideas for better services. Give incentives for being engaged with us.

They are the young high earners who are eager to buy quality products.

Yes, its a priority. As we promote disruptive thinking it is important to walk the talk and accept opinions and cultures that clash learn how to collide.

Perhaps reverse the process and allow recruiters to recruit us rather than the opposite way.

it helps by exploring the issue in a structured way to find ideas around it. Everything is possible at divergent thinking.

Finding ways to conduct working sessions online: i can send material to participants and run a session on zoom. i can ask them to get their own. I can run smaller groups sessions.

Attitude, problem solving skills, commitment, critical thinking,
Easy reference, evaluation, share views.
Collaboration, communication skills, positive attitude

Share one experience when you were a manager before. Share your education history. How did you lead your team? How did you handle a challenge? How do you communicate with the team? What is a time management method you use? How do you handle customers complaints?

What are you passionate about? What makes you come to work everyday? What is your highest strength? What is your weakness? How do you deal with an angry customer? How do you set your priorities at work? What do you do under stress?

By inviting them to share their feedback and opinion on the services and engaging them in the process of fullfiling their needs.

By asking them for feedback and input and involving them in the improvement process.

Stress, deadlines. Overwhelming tasks, working around negative people. I can overcome them by creating the right environment, decide on best time I can produce, and prioritize better.

1. Describe a candidate a hypothetical scenario 2. Ask the candidate what he would do 3. Assess the answer and ask more open-ended questions 4. ask more questions if needed or conclude

It went loose and we got distracted with details that are unrelated to the key elements of assessments. I would keep a structured set of questions to help stay focused on the end result.

on candidates behavior in past situations
communication, critical thinking and solution finding

listening skills, negotiation skills, communication skills, creative thinking skills, persuasion skills
leadership skills, decision making skills, listening skills, critical thinking skills, mentoring skills
communication skills, emotional intelligence, presentation skills, engagement skills

A question that will enable the candidate to explain how he behaved in a similar situation
I look for the behavior in the specific situation based on the skills I need for the job. I would prioterize what I am looking for.
How would you communicate with an angry customer?
I had to deal with rejection of a proposal. I asked the client to advice on how to make it better. We communicated our expectations and reached a win-win situation.

Research & Development
Observation to details, critical thinking, writing skills, research skills, communication skills

It can improve it by being more accurate in choosing the right candidate. not only in terms of hard skills but soft skills and personality traits as well.

Positive, engaged, passionate, cooperative, creative

To defuse the customer frustration as they are not angry at you they are angry at the situation. We need to listen and show empathy.

We can have better solutions when we have more information and resources.

I would teach it by example, give best practices, present scenarios and ask them to think of what they do and will share my input and feedback. I will motivate them and guide them to how to be mindful about their behavior to keep their humility intact.

Need to reflect on this before sharing my thoughts..
Let’s discuss together and share your thoughts on this.
This is a brilliant idea, let me know how I can help you developing it as you will take the initiative on it.

I would engage with my team and take input from them. I will give them space to share ideas as well as I will share mine. My responsibility in addition to my work is make sure that you are happy doing theirs.

Humility is a display that you are human. Humility is a strength Servant leaders need humility

Dr. Dina Faidi

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Meet the mentor

TALK SHOW VIDEOS

blog articles

Dina Faidi

“Today, human capital development is needed more than ever.”

The last appeal

Tricky Workplace Situation Handled

State some helpful actions that will allow employees to reach a consensus.

What are some of the ways you can enhance your active listening skills?

Give constructive feedback in response to the scenarios below.

What’s the benefit of listening to customers actively?

Look at the pictures. Which salesperson would you want to personally approach and why? (No right or wrong answer here. Your opinion).

The more “open” your body is, the more “open” you appear. Below are two professional body stances. Develop a pros and cons list for both postures.

Compare the two images . Obviously one is an example of active listening and the other is an example of closed, or uninterested, listening. What is each person doing with their bodies that display their type and level of listening in the conversations?

How would you rewrite the aforementioned email with empathy?

Think of an email you have written in the past which lacked empathy. How would you rewrite it?

What could the company have done to prevent this situation?

Was Brittany actively listening to her client? What could she have done differently?

Think back to a time when you failed to actively listen to a customer. How did that impact your customer’s satisfaction? What would you have done differently?

On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your ability to read between the lines? What are the active listening skills you already possess, and what are those you need to seek?

Imagine a very upset guest complaining about his room being dirty. What would you say to defuse the problem? (No right or wrong answer here.)

Read the scenarios below and think about what you would say.

What are effective ways of handling negative feedback?

What can you do to enhance your skills of dealing with negative comments from clients?

Imagine that the person in the above image is a client and has approached you. What emotions can you read from her expression and posture?

What non-verbal strategy should you use with the client in the illustration above?

What are some of the sources for getting customer feedback?

What are some ways the information from customer feedback can be applied to enhance effectiveness?

What are the ways design thinking can promote customized services?

What are some ways your company can further customize your products or services for today's digital world?

What are some areas your company can apply design thinking to provide sustainable and efficient products and services in support of digital transformations?

Think of a current problem at your company. Use divergent thinking to list possible solutions to the problem.

Who are the HENRYs and why should the luxury market focus on them?

Is diversity and inclusion heightened in your company’s recruiting system? Why or why not?

What are some steps that can be taken to further enhance diversity and inclusion in recruiting at your company?

How does divergent thinking help with innovative approaches to solutions?

Think of a current customer problem at your company. Use divergent thinking to list possible solutions to the problem.

There are some standard items to include in an interview evaluation form, such as the candidate's name, the date, etc. The rest of the questions/items vary and SHOULD BE CUSTOMIZED depending on other reasons:

Imagine a company wants to hire a manager. They want to hire based on : - Experience - Education - Leadership skills - Decision-making skills. - Communication skills - Time management skills - Customer service Can you write some example evaluation questions for each requirement?

Think about an interview you will be doing soon. What role are you interviewing for? Create an interview evaluation form.

How can design thinking prevent customer complaints?

How can design thinking prevent customer complaints at your store?

What are common behavioral patterns and perspectives which block your creative skills? How can you address them?

Think about a time where you did an unstructured interview. How did it go? What steps could you have taken to change that into a structured intervie

A popular luxury retail store is looking for an experienced customer service agent. A huge corporation is looking for a manager. A private school is looking for an experienced language teacher.

Describe a time where you handled a very stressful situation at work and how you overcame that. Tell me about a time where you had to deal with a customer’s complaint and how you handled it. Tell me about a time where you handled a student who had difficulties concentrating.

Create specific behavioral questions and that would help you assess the skills desired in a candidate.

One way of seeking the right skills for a job is to identify and write a checklist of the traits of your top performers. How can this impact recruiting?

Think of an open position in your company. Now think of the top performers in that department. Make a checklist of their attributes for your recruiting process.

Please watch this video and answer the following question. What is the goal of allowing the customer to vent during complaints?

In what ways can resources help with problem solving?

On a scale of 1-10 how often do you employ resources available to you in order to deal with customer issues?

If you were to teach “Grit and Humility” to someone in a way AI, such as Chatgpt, would never anticipate due to lack of human experiences, how would you creatively do it ?

Write down one or two phrases a leader with humility would say in the situations below:

Watch this video and answer the question below. What are some of the important things Michelle Ray mentioned in the video?