zenithschoolofleadership

Zenith Leaders Reviews

  • country

    UAE

  • Joined Zenith

    July 2025

  • Leadership Milestone

    Communication Intelligence Graduate | Z5Q Leadership Member

  • Designation

    Branch Relationship Head

  • Leadership Experience

    15 plus years in Supply Chain Strategy and Sustainability

  • country

    UAE

  • Joined Zenith

    July 2025

  • Leadership Milestone

    Communication Intelligence Graduate | Z5Q Leadership Member

  • Designation

    Branch Relationship Head

  • Leadership Experience

    15 plus years in Supply Chain Strategy and Sustainability

“Losing my role didn’t break me but losing my clarity almost did. The moment I reclaimed that, everything else followed.”

When Experience Wasn’t Enough

Subi Akbar brought over fifteen years of experience navigating the complexity of supply chain management in the FMCG industry. She had led multi-market planning, managed operational disruptions, and delivered results under sustained pressure.

Yet in May 2025, she received a redundancy letter.

Her final working day was confirmed, and with it came an unfamiliar uncertainty about what would follow.

The weeks that followed were quiet. There were no interview calls, no definitive updates. The silence created space for reflection.

The questions were simple, but unsettling:
What have I truly achieved?
How will I articulate my experience when it matters most?

Capability was not the issue. Experience was not the issue.

Her confidence, however, had begun to waver.

She found herself hesitating before speaking about her work. She avoided positioning herself forward. The assurance that once came naturally now required effort.

And that internal shift marked the beginning of the need for a deeper recalibration.

The Moment That Interrupted the Pattern

One evening, while caught in a cycle of overanalysis about her work and future, Subi’s husband offered a direct observation:

“You’re not seeing how powerful you are. You’re overthinking everything.”

He wasn’t trying to offer motivation; but he inadvertently ended up offering clarity. 

Around the same time, she came across a message from Gurleen Ma’am:

Rejection isn’t the end. It is part of the journey.

It turns out, that is precisely the perspective-shift that Subi needed. 

For the first time in weeks, she paused without spiralling into self-critique.

Instead of continuing to analyse and delay, she made a decision.

She enrolled in Communication Intelligence at Zenith School of Leadership — this time with full commitment, not hesitation.

That choice marked the shift from rumination to recalibration.

Why Communication Intelligence Felt Different

Within the first week of joining Communication Intelligence at Zenith School of Leadership, a shift became noticeable.

Subi’s role had not changed, her responsibilities remained the same. Externally, nothing was different.

However, Subi noticed that internally, everything was beginning to recalibrate.

She became more aware of how she was showing up in conversations, how she was responding to uncertainty, and how quickly she defaulted to overanalysis.

As Subi explains:

“I stopped operating on autopilot and began being more intentional in how I communicated.”

The weekly Mastermind LIVE sessions and Execution Labs became structural anchors in that process.

Subi found that the LIVE sessions were not glorified motivational lectures. These sessions offered her a framework that was practical, precise, and directly applicable to her specific needs. Each discussion, reflection exercise, and calibrated feedback loop required her to think differently — and act with greater intention, both professionally and personally.

When a challenging personal situation emerged, something that would previously have consumed her mental energy, Subi applied a simple principle introduced inside the framework: Internal Decluttering.  

That single application protected her clarity, productivity, and emotional bandwidth.

Subi observes that the cohort experience amplified the shift even more. 

She was no longer navigating doubt in isolation. Hearing others articulate similar struggles with self-questioning and overthinking normalised the challenge. Honest, structured feedback exposed blind spots without creating defensiveness.

Communication Intelligence, for her, was not about speaking better.

It was about thinking with greater structure.

And once her thinking stabilised, her communication, confidence, and clarity began to align.

The Mentor Effect: Releasing the Old Identity

There was a belief Subi had not consciously examined until she came under Gurleen Ma’am’s mentorship. 

If her role was uncertain, her worth must be uncertain.

Her value had quietly become tied to job security.

Through mentorship with Gurleen Ma’am, that assumption was challenged.

The frameworks Subi learned to implement were simple, but precise. They introduced structure into moments that had previously felt emotional and ungrounded. Instead of reacting from a place of insecurity, she re-evaluated her belief systems, established new ways of thinking that ultimately allowed her to now respond with clarity.

The mentorship was not performance-driven. It was perception-driven.

As Subi reflects:

“The questions Gurleen Ma’am asked me weren’t about pushing me to perform. They helped me see myself clearly. The finesse with which Gurleen Ma’am directed me was a game-changer for me.”

Gradually, Subi released the version of herself that equated professional identity with employment status.

She began to understand that visibility is not about proving. It is about showing up fully.

Applying Communication Intelligence principles, she became more intentional in meetings. She prepared deliberately, framed updates with clarity, and began to contribute without waiting for permission.

The impact followed.

Her line manager invited her to present achievements in senior forums. Her role was extended beyond May 2025. She was recognised as one of the Top Learners in internal development programs.

To Subi, of course the recognition mattered.

But what mattered more was something less visible.

The respect she began receiving from others, and the respect she rebuilt within herself.

From Hiding to Holding Ground

Before Zenith, Subi often found herself shrinking in professional spaces. Her voice used to soften, and she always used to share her ideas only partially. 

She held herself back – adjusting her words, filtering her opinions, choosing silence over visibility.

Through structured tools such as the TRIAD Principle, her communication began to take shape. She learned to organise her thinking before speaking. She articulated her work with clarity and composure.

For the first time, speaking did not trigger nervousness. It felt controlled.

Subi no longer felt the need to repeatedly prove her value. She understood that visibility is not about perfection; it is about clarity. Leadership is not about avoiding mistakes; it is about contributing with intention and learning with discipline.

What began as a response to uncertainty evolved into something deeper.

Zenith did not make circumstances easier. It strengthened her internal foundation.

Today, she does not disappear when challenges arise, nor does she lose balance when things stabilise.

She operates with awareness, communicates with structure, and has learned to hold her ground.

In leadership environments, this positioning cannot be forced, only embodied. 

It is the difference between occupying a role and leading with presence.

And unlike external validation, this shift does not depend on titles or recognition.

It shows in how she thinks, how she be

  • City

    Dubai

  • Joined Zenith

    July 2025

  • Leadership Milestone

    Communication Intelligence Graduate | Z5Q Leadership Member

  • Designation

    Automotive Parts Manager | Manufacturing & Operations Sector | 20+ Years Experience

  • Leadership Experience

    Plant reviews, cross-functional coordination, operational decision environments

More Stories You'll Love