I was introduced this way once, in Oman. I was with an Omani colleague, meeting another Omani for the first time. Before anything else was said, before any professional context or explanation of who I was or why I was there, my colleague turned to him and said simply: Abu el Banat. Father of daughters.

The other man nodded, smiled, and that was that. I was in. Whatever came next in the meeting, I had already been vouched for in the way that mattered most. The logic, I was told afterwards, was straightforward: a man who raises daughters is a man who works hard, keeps his patience, and can be trusted with difficult things. The daughters are the proof of character. Everything else is detail.

I have been many things in my life — soldier, officer, product leader, single father running a household on willpower and good mise en place. But Abu el Banat is the introduction I am most proud of.

Three girls. All opinions, all energy, all completely certain they are right about everything. They probably are.

If you want to understand how I think about teams, psychological safety, and what it actually takes to create an environment where people do their best work — spend a week in my house. Everything I know about leadership, I have had to apply there first.