Sara Al-Bassam

The best way to gain job security is not being the most knowledgeable person in the room. It's being the most reliable person in the room. Information is abundant. Dependability, helpfulness, and responsiveness are relatively scarce. We count on people who consistently deliver.

A Monday morning question for you: If a competent CEO got to run your life for a day, what is the first thing they would eliminate?

Meaning may be healthier than happiness. 23-year study: A sense of purpose is a more robust predictor of longevity than life satisfaction. Having worthwhile goals is a source of vitality. It’s nice to feel happy today. It’s important to have something to strive for tomorrow.

حملتَ قلبك في الدنيا كما حملكْ لكنَّه، وهو أوفى صاحبٍ، خذلكْ من بعد ستينَ عامًا جفَّ منبعُهُ وراحَ يدعو، بأعلى صوتهِ، أجلكْ رحلتَ دون وداعٍ ..أجهشتْ مُقَلٌ حين المنيةُ مسّتْ كفُّها مُقلكْ وما ظننتك تمضي دونما صِلةٍ عهدتُها منك تُذكي جمرَ من وصَلكْ وما حسبتُك تمضي هكذا عجِلًا فما الذي كان عن دنياك قد عَجَلكْ؟ هل كان (خالدُ) - من كنتَ الحياةَ له وكانها لكَ - في شوقٍ يلوّحُ لكْ؟ فلم تُطِق عنه صبرًا مُذ فُجِعتَ بهِ فرحتَ تسلكُ دربًا كان فيه سلكْ فأنتما الآن من بعد الفراقِ معًا محققًا، حينما عانقته، أملكْ فقرَّ عينًا به واسعدْ بطلّته فطالما رحتَ تبكي بعده طللكْ وقل: "أتيتُ إلى ابني كي أعانقَهُ وكي نكونَ معًا"، إن سائلٌ سألكْ *** يا موتُ هل نحن أجرامٌ مسيّرةٌ بين النجومِ وهل أصبحتَ أنت فلكْ/ ندورُ فيه ولا ندري متى سيلي النورَ الذي كان في سقفِ السماءِ حلكْ يا موتُ جلَّ الذي سوّاك قنطرةً إلى الخلودِ ويا من باسمه جعلكْ/ نَهْرًا سيغرفُ منه كلُّ ذي كَبِدٍ حرَّى ومن كان في رمضائهِ نَهَلكْ أنتَ النهايةُ أم أنتَ البدايةُ؟ لن يدري يقينًا سوى من كان قد وصلكْ يا من عُرِفتَ ولم تُعرفْ غداةَ غدٍ يفيقُ من جهلهِ في النَاسِ من جهلكْ يا من حملناك فينا بذرةً سكنتْ أنّى يفرُّ الذي في جوفه حملكْ؟ *** ويا أبا خالد هذي القصيدةُ ما كانت سوى غصةٍ رفّتْ رفيفَ مَلَكْ/ عليك والشوق يحدوها ويُنشدها فليس تفنى إذا بعضُ القريضِ هلكْ فصِرْ إلى رحمةِ اللهِ التي وسعتْ سبعَ السماواتِ..إن اللهَ ما خذلكْ وعُدْ إلى (خالدٍ)! كُنْ خالدًا معه فكم ركنتَ إلى وعدٍ وكم مطلكْ

رحم الله الأستاذ عادل الصادق، رئيس تحرير القافلة الأسبوعية الأسبق، ومستشار التحرير في أرامكو السعودية. خالص العزاء وصادق المواساة لأهله وذويه ولأسرة القافلة الكبيرة. #مجلة_القافلة

رحم الله الصديق الاستاذ عادل الصادق وغفر له. الاستاذ أبو خالد كان يمثّل علامة بارزة في مسيرة القافلة الأسبوعية (قافلة الزيت سابقاً) ككاتب ورئيس تحرير. كنَّا كموظفين في #شركة_أرامكو_السعودية نترقب القافلة أسبوعياً لنطّلع من خلالها على أخبار الشركة المختلفة بلغتنا الأم، مع بعض المقالات العامة في الأدب والثقافة كان يتحفنا بها كتاب مرموقون، كان منهم الأستاذ عادل رحمه الله، الذي كان يركز على التوجيه العام في ما يتعلق بالسلوك المجتمعي في اكثر مقالاته. بعد تقاعد كلينا من @saudi_aramco جمعتني مع الاستاذ أبي خالد لقاءات عديدة مع بعض الأصدقاء المشتركين لنكتشف مدى التوافق والانسجام الفكري والنفسي الذي يجمعنا، لكن الحياة قصيرة كما وصف هو في أحد مقالاته في القافلة. لم يمتد عمره القصير أطول كي يتسع هذا البعد الجديد من حياته بعد التقاعد رحمه الله وجعل الجنة مأواه. العزاء لعائلته الكريمة، وأنجاله الأعزاء، وأهله الكرام، وكل المحبين من أصدقاء وزملاء وقراء.

Major life decisions shouldn’t be based on short-term emotions. They should be guided by long-term values. Feelings are better mirrors than maps. They reflect our present state, but they don't come with future directions. Don't let today's mood drive who you become tomorrow.

What holds many people back from taking initiative is not laziness. It's fear. Inaction breeds rumination and feeds anxiety. Action builds momentum and fuels confidence. Some ideas won't work. Some people will say no. But in the long run, it's better to fail than to fail to try.

Progress doesn’t come from waiting for our circumstances to change. It comes from changing our circumstances. We don’t need confidence to take a leap. We gain confidence by taking the leap. It’s never too soon to start pursuing a dream. The best time is not someday—it’s today.

Sadly, we still default to granting more respect to men than women. 8 studies: we're >2x as likely to call male politicians, athletes, teachers, and authors by their last names. It matters: surnames signal higher status. It's long past time to use consistent standards.

Power is fleeting. Respect is lasting. Reputation is not a function of wealth, fancy titles, or prestigious memberships. It's a matter of what we contribute and how we treat others. Admiration is earned through actions, not positions. The best way to be valued is to add value. link.chtbl.com/RTAdam

Not all disappointing outcomes are failures. Some lead to improvements in your process. Success is about more than the results you achieve. It's also about the growth you attain. Progress is more than how close you come to your goal. It's how far you've come from your start.

Leadership is not about pulling people to follow your path. It's about shining enough light for them to find their own route. Bosses aim to wield power. They issue commands to maintain control. Leaders strive to empower. They delegate authority to unleash potential.

Struggling in an area outside your comfort zone doesn't crush confidence. It motivates excellence. Baseball data: after pitchers had unsuccessful at-bats, they were more likely to throw strikes & get the next hitter out. Failing beyond your expertise can fuel success within it.

Admitting that we have something to learn doesn’t just show humility. It improves relationships. When we acknowledge that we don't know everything, others feel more psychologically safe—and become more effective. Expressing our desire to get better can help others get better.

Many people see hard work as a sign of virtue. But a strong work ethic doesn't guarantee strong ethics. Instead of attaching worth to the effort people expend, we should prize the values they exemplify. Character is a function of generosity and integrity, not industriousness. ted.com/talks/azim_sha…

The saddest form of success is realizing that the goals you achieved weren't yours at all. In the short run, pursuing other people's dreams earns approval. In the long run, it's a recipe for regret. A meaningful purpose doesn't maximize your status. It matches your values.

Compassion is kinder and healthier than empathy. Evidence: when we feel others’ pain, we often get overwhelmed and withdraw. When we feel concern for their pain, we reach out and help. The point of compassion isn't to share their feelings. It's to care about their feelings.

Being helpful isn't about pleasing people. It's about making a unique contribution. If you never say no, people don't respect your time. If you're thoughtful about when you give, they're more selective in their asks. The goal isn't to be needed. It's to add value and be valued.

In a changing world, expertise quickly becomes obsolete without humility and curiosity. Expertise is what you know. Humility is knowing what you don’t know. Curiosity is how much you want to learn. Expertise yields insight today. Humility and curiosity fuel growth tomorrow.