Turning Vision Into a Legacy
Building and sustaining a business legacy is all about action, less about time. Start now.
I’m proud to have been part of the Al Masaood family for many years now. As we celebrate 50 successful years of the Group this year (an incredible milestone!), it reiterates the one thing I’ve known all along - this is home to me.
I began working with these brilliant minds back in 2011. Four years later, I made the choice to take on a new challenge, but there’s no place like home! I was brought back to the great Al Masaood Group three years ago. With the help of my diverse, hard-working team, we have achieved a lot. And every year, week and day we live and breathe our vision to become even better, faster and stronger.
I love our history and I love our drive to continuously succeed.
You see, family-owned businesses are the backbone of the economy because of their one great trait; resilience. The leadership of family businesses work hard to take care of the company so they can hand it over to the next generation in an even stronger condition and position than when they received it. The family businesses’ deep knowledge and history of working in the industry shine through. The learnings from the past, help pave the way towards a successful and more innovative future.
To create a powerful company legacy that lives on into the future, there are a few qualities that leaders must seek to possess.
Fearlessness
Disruption is unknown territory, but in today’s fast-paced, data and tech-driven world, leaders MUST strategize and plan for it. Welcome innovation and change fearlessly, all while staying true to the traditions and legacy of the business.
There are so many great achievements that will always be penned down in our history at Al Masaood because of the bold, strategic choices our visionary forefathers took: In 1970 we pioneered the first gas turbine in the Middle East. We set up the first desalination plant in the UAE. And more recently through Project Falcon, Al Masaood Automobiles prepared for a future of disruption, diversifying how the UAE buys cars by creating an omni-channel experience and launching the region’s first e-commerce car buying platform with Nissan this year.
Digital disruption, robotics, data, autonomous and AI - these are buzzwords that are driving our corporate reality now. Yes, embracing emerging technology may seem difficult or daunting at first, but the hallmarks of a great leader? The ability to evolve with the times.
Irfan Tansel, CEO of Al Masaood Automobiles with HE Masaood Ahmed Al Masaood, Chairman of Al Masaood Group, receiving Nissan’s Global Dealer Award in 2019.
Business is personal
When you’re creating and carrying forward a legacy, your leadership style speaks volumes about your brand. Having self-awareness and understanding your values, and the values of those around you, is key. To develop long lasting relationships, spend time getting to know what makes everyone on your team ‘tick’ and ‘why they do what they do’. Maybe they are working for you so that they can save for a new car, or it’s their dream to provide for their family’s education. When you understand their personal goals, together, you are motivated to work together to achieve the company’s vision. Give your team autonomy to get involved in the research, ideas and strategy phases. Invest in their long-term development.
Diversify to grow
To expand, family businesses understand the importance of diversifying their team - something that we have worked on over the years. At Al Masaood Automobiles, we have new grads, and people who are in their 60s working with us. We have a team who come from all over the world, with different nationalities, educations, personalities and backgrounds, all bringing their unique world perspective. A diverse team not only reduces risk but expands company knowledge and fuels its creativity to grow.
Resilience and positivity
As we all make our way back to work following the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s important to carry forward what we learnt to the future. To successfully create a legacy that runs well beyond your time at the business, you need to make a conscious effort to practice resilience and positivity.
The ‘can-do’ attitude starts from higher up and trickles down. Answering the ‘what’ and ‘how’ during work is very business oriented. But when you answer ‘why we need to do this’ you inject inspiration within your workforce; a key value at Al Masood Automobiles.
A balance between tradition and change
The world has all gained a new perspective on life these last few months, and it’s a different reality here on. We’ve all had the time to think and to truly reflect on what’s important for us and our vision for the future. Now it’s time to achieve our vision and goals, and act.
Our vision at Al Masaood Automobiles encompasses all of the above:
“Embracing heritage, delivering excellence and innovation.”
I‘m excited for what the future holds as we welcome a new era.
About the author
Irfan Tansel: Global Citizen and CEO of Al Masaood Automobiles
After starting his career as an apprentice to become a car mechanic at the age of 15, Irfan Tansel has over 40 years’ experience working for family offices spanning across 3 continents. An entrepreneurial and visionary leader, Irfan is credited for his unique approach to company strategy, culture building within organizations and more recently, succeeding in a challenging market; this year Al Masaood Automobiles gained global recognition for achieving 68% growth after re-strategizing, repositioning on the automotive market and hiring a diverse workforce.
Driven to build a legacy, Irfan has a competitive nature. And, after achieving his goals and reaching the peak of his career, Irfan is determined to inspire tomorrow’s leaders by sharing his career of 4 decades Automotive knowledge.
When Irfan isn’t preparing for a future of disruption as electric cars, connectivity, autonomous vehicles and ride-sharing comes into play, you can find him spending time with his family and playing golf.
For media and keynote inquiries, please email his brand manager Jen at Jen@prestidgegroup.com or call +971 55 719 3601. DOWNLOAD IRFAN’S MEDIA KIT.
Irfan Tansel’s Latest Press
