Change Leadership, General Manager PFA @ Batgroup & Member of the Board @ Putzfrauenagentur

Leadership isn’t about volume.
It’s about clarity, confidence and direction when the pressure is on.

I partner with HR leaders, GMs and Executive Teams across MENA & Asia to strengthen leadership capability from the ground up. My work sits where strategy, people and day-to-day execution meet in service-driven organisations.

Most performance issues in hospitality, retail and education aren’t about effort.
They come from three gaps:

❌ Leaders promoted before they’re ready to lead
❌ Executive Teams pulling in different directions
❌ No clear pipeline or succession to stabilise performance

So my work covers both sides of the leadership equation:

Strategy & alignment for senior teams
Facilitated Strategy Days that help GMs and Executive Teams:
✅ Agree a small set of must-win priorities
✅ Translate those into a 90-day execution plan
✅ Build the clarity and focus teams need to perform
✅ Name the leadership behaviours that sustain results

Leadership development for emerging & mid-level managers
Practical, human-centred programmes that build the skills to lead through others, communicate with clarity and coach across cultures.

Coaching & capability building
1:1 and group coaching, Train-the-Trainer, and tailored L&D that strengthen the pipeline and reduce turnover.

Across 25+ years with Apple Retail, Swissôtel, St. Regis and service organisations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, one truth holds: engagement and commercial performance rise when leaders at every level know where they’re going and how to bring their people with them.

If you’re building your leadership pipeline or want stronger alignment at the top, I’m happy to explore how we can work together.

📞 Book a call: https://cal.com/jeffross

Jeff Ross

I’ve been quiet on LinkedIn for a few weeks.
Intentionally.

The end of 2025, especially early Q4, was demanding. Not just professionally, but mentally and emotionally too. So I chose to step back, spend time with family, and create some much-needed white space.

Here’s the thing we don’t talk about enough in leadership:

Growth doesn’t only happen in motion.
Sometimes it happens in pause.

Over the break, I did what I often encourage leaders to do, though many struggle to make time for:
• Reflect honestly on what worked (and what didn’t)
• Revisit priorities instead of blindly setting new goals
• Notice patterns in my own behaviour under pressure
• Ask better questions, rather than rushing to better answers

Self-awareness isn’t built in the middle of constant execution.
It’s built in moments of distance.

The leaders I see grow the most aren’t the ones who push hardest every quarter.
They’re the ones who regularly step back, recalibrate, and return with more clarity than noise.

As we step into 2026, my focus is simple:
Fewer reactions.
Clearer priorities.
More intentional leadership, starting with myself.

If you haven’t created space to reflect yet, consider this your reminder:
White space isn’t time lost.
It’s leadership work.

Here’s to a more conscious, grounded, and human year ahead.

Helping service brands align strategy, strengthen pipelines and deliver consistent performance | Strategy Days, L&D and coaching | MENA and Asia

People are not “human capital”.
And they are not “assets” either.

I keep seeing employees described this way in leadership, L&D, and wellbeing content.

I understand the origin of the term.
Historically, human capital described skills and capabilities built through investment, not the people themselves.

But the distinction has blurred.

Here is the line I think we need to redraw.

❌ People are not capital
❌ People are not assets

They are human beings who choose, every day, how much energy and judgement they bring to work.

Human capital is what grows through investment
Skills. Confidence. Capability. Leadership depth.

That growth comes from:
✅ training done properly, not tick-box
✅ coaching that changes behaviour
✅ managers who develop people, not just measure them
✅ time and safety to learn, practise, and think

That is where human capital lives.

Language shapes decisions.
Decisions shape culture.

If we want more human leadership, we should start by speaking like humans, not balance sheets.

Calling people “human capital” is already the problem.

If people are capital, then what are they?

Owned?
Optimised?
Written off when returns dip?

No serious leader believes this.
Yet the language sticks.

Here is a cleaner distinction.

People are not human capital.
People are not assets.

Human capital is the outcome of investment, not the object of it.

You build it when you:
✅ develop managers instead of promoting the best technician
✅ coach leaders instead of just reviewing them
✅ invest in learning instead of squeezing efficiency
✅ play the long game, not just the quarter

Strong organisations do not extract value from people.

They create conditions where capability compounds.

If your culture talks about people like inventory,
do not be surprised when engagement feels transactional.

Words are never “just semantics”.
They are shortcuts to how decisions get justified.

Promoted for doing the job.
Stuck because you are still doing it.

The peer to manager transition is not a mindset problem.
It is a capacity design problem.

If nothing changes in how time, decisions, and responsibility are allocated, leadership never starts.

What I have seen work repeatedly is simple and structured:

✅ 30 percent doing the old tasks to stabilise
✅ 30 percent pairing and teaching to hand over
✅ 40 percent coaching, prioritising, removing blockers

For the first 60 days.

One rule makes or breaks it.
The handover must be scheduled.

If it stays informal, it does not happen.
Urgency will always win.

A promotion does not create leadership.
The moment you stop being the bottleneck does.

Question worth answering this week:
Which task will you stop doing by Friday, and who will learn it instead?

Training the peer-to-manager transition muscle

In fast growing organisations across the UAE, managers are often promoted quickly to keep pace with expansion.

What usually does not scale at the same speed is leadership capability.

New managers are suddenly expected to lead multicultural teams, absorb pressure from both sides, and deliver consistency under operational intensity.

With little preparation.

When that happens, managers compensate.

➡️ They over control.
➡️ They escalate everything.
➡️ They work longer hours instead of building capability.

❌ This is not a motivation issue.
❌ It is not a generational issue.
✅ It is a pipeline design issue.

Growth without leadership infrastructure creates silent pressure in the middle.
And silent pressure always leaks somewhere.

If you want scale without burnout, development cannot be assumed.
It has to be designed.

In the UAE and GCC, managers are expected to be decisive, inclusive, and steady, all at once.

When we don’t develop them for that reality,
pressure doesn’t disappear.

It concentrates.

If a manager is still doing most of the work, you have not promoted a leader.
You have relabelled a high performer.

Leadership starts when decisions move down, accountability stays up, and capability is built deliberately.

Without that shift, organisations stay dependent on individuals instead of systems.

This is why middle management feels stretched in so many businesses.
The role changes, but the expectations do not.

❌ Titles do not create leverage.
✅ Design does.

✅ When leadership transitions are supported early, pressure reduces later.
❌ When they are ignored, problems surface quietly and expensively.

The question is not whether someone earned the promotion.
The question is whether the system changed enough to let them lead.

Coming up on one year since we moved back to the UAE.

So much has changed since we lived here nearly two decades ago, and a lot of that change has been really good.

I’ve seen owners of large companies walk the floor, greet employees by name, ask about their families, and mean it.

And then I’ve seen something else, in the same companies:
Middle managers who abuse power over the people under their care.

Not always loudly.
Sometimes it’s subtle:

❌ public shaming disguised as ‘standards’
❌ threats disguised as ‘performance’
❌ pressure passed down because ‘that’s how we do things here’

Here’s the part leaders don’t want to hear:

Culture doesn’t scale through the founder’s intent.
It scales through the manager’s habits.

And the numbers in MENA should make every owner pause:

Only 14% of employees are engaged, while 24% are actively disengaged.

46% are watching for or actively seeking a new job.

31% experienced anger ‘a lot of the day’ yesterday.

Only 25% are ‘thriving’ in life evaluation.

You can invest millions in brand, strategy, and service standards…

…but if a middle manager creates fear, distrust, and turnover, your business pays for it twice:

in retention + recruiting costs
in inconsistent service + customer experience

Gallup has a brutal line leaders should sit with:

Managers drive most of the variance in team engagement.

So the fix isn’t ‘hire faster’ when people resign.
The fix is slow down and build the capability that prevents the resignations in the first place:

✅ Train new managers before they ‘learn leadership’ by copying the worst examples.
✅ Coach existing managers on how to lead under pressure (without leaking it onto their teams).
✅ Make people metrics visible at leadership level (turnover, internal mobility, manager 360s, team climate).
Reward leaders who build trust, not just those who hit numbers.

Because in this region, trust is everything.

And owners should be able to trust their management teams to execute the vision, for the business and for the people.

Question for leaders in the Gulf:
Where is your culture breaking, in strategy, or in the middle layer where it gets executed?

In fast-growing organisations across the UAE and GCC, leadership gaps rarely show up at the top.
They show up in the middle.

High-performing specialists are promoted quickly to keep pace with growth.
Suddenly they’re expected to:

➡️ lead multicultural teams
➡️ balance global standards with local realities
➡️ deliver consistency under constant operational pressure

Without a leadership pipeline, this becomes improvisation.

That is not a talent issue.
It’s a development design issue.

Organisations that scale sustainably here invest early in:

✅ leadership transitions, not just promotions
✅ manager development as ongoing infrastructure
✅ clarity, coaching, and judgement, not just skills

Middle management doesn’t fail loudly in this region.

It absorbs pressure quietly, until it can’t.

Many first time managers say the same thing, quietly.
“I do not want to get this wrong.”

So they hold on longer than they should.
They delay delegation.
They avoid conversations they know are coming.

Not because they lack confidence.
Because they lack support.

Leading former peers, older colleagues, or more experienced team members carries real emotional weight.

When organisations treat new managers as finished products, people protect themselves.
When they treat them as learners, behaviour changes.

❌ Confidence does not come from the title.
✅ It comes from practising leadership with permission to learn.

If you want managers who act calmly under pressure, give them room to build judgement before you test it.

Ministry of Divine Genius

Founder, Managing Director

University of Sydney

Executive Assistant

Aboriginal Legal Service

British Consulate-General Sydney

Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC)

ISC - Ensuring all infrastructure delivers social, cultural, environmental and economic benefit.

*Executive support to three chief officers | Chief Executive Officer, Chief Delivery and Capability Officer and the Chief Engagement and Development Officer.*

- Calendar and schedule management: Managing the executive's calendar, scheduling appointments, coordinating meetings and events, and ensuring that the executive's time is used effectively and efficiently. 
- Travel arrangements: Making travel arrangements, including booking flights and hotels.
- Correspondence and communication: Drafting and editing emails on behalf of the executives, and responding to phone calls, emails, and other inquiries in a timely and professional manner.
- Meeting coordination: Coordinating and preparing materials for meetings, video conferences, taking meeting minutes, and following up on action items.
- Information management: Managing and organising electronic documents and files
- Office management: Managing office supplies and catering ordering
- Project coordination: Assisting with special projects or initiatives which involves coordinating with other departments or external stakeholders. 
- Relationship management: Building and maintaining professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders, such as clients, partners, vendors, and employees, on behalf of the executive.
Miscellaneous tasks: Handling miscellaneous tasks as needed, such as expenses, preparing presentations, conducting research, and providing general administrative support.

Finance, Insurance, NFP, Govt

Development/implementation of operating/service procedures - Review and execute cost reduction initiatives
Optimise business processes
Project support and administrative support for businesses
Create people development programs including performance, learning and development, reward and recognition.
Review and enhance the customer experience journeyExecutive assistance to Managing Director 
Admin support for consultant team
Project support for the business 
Field all communications in a professional and timely manner
Preparation and update of documents, policies and procedures
First contact liaison with stakeholders 
Management of confidential information 
Professionally represent the business at all levels and social engagements
Coordinating office maintenance and supplies 
Extensive diary management and calendar coordination
Coordination and maintenance of meetings and appointments
Travel/accommodation arrangements (international and domestic)

EA/PA/Business Operations Consultant

Toyota Financial Services (Australia)

This role supports the creation and roll out of high quality, compliance focused training. 
Support the RF&I Training and Change Management Team in achieving the training and change strategy. 
Focus on new technologies and training delivery methods.

	Work closely with the Senior L&D consultant to manage vendor relationships and projects.
	Manage regional stakeholders and expectations
	Work with the National Training Delivery Manager to monitor and assess the impact of learning    initiatives
	Contribute to the evaluation and effectiveness of reporting and analysis of training delivered
	Support remotely located users with LMS use (regional offices and Dealership staff)
	Contact point for trouble shooting of LMS issues and gaps
	Provide support to the team’s external instructional designers through training module QA ,  regular email correspondence, sourcing of in-house materials etc
	Assist Regional teams in the correct set up and recording of new starters on the LMS
	Regularly review/check data is correct and take remedial action as required
	From data analysis, report on trends arising from the data
	Schedule and perform reviews of Online  Training content and policies and procedures relating to the training agenda
	Maintain library of training content as produced or purchased by RF&I
	Report and analyse all training and development data/feedback from the Regions
	Manage feedback registers on all RF&I training content 
	Other duties as required

Business Training Consultant (contract)

Various Recruitment Agencies

EA/PA Temp Assignments and Short Term Contracts

Migration Review Tribunal & Regufee Review Tribunal

• High level involvement with the implementation of the ‘eServices’ project (Tribunal Online – TRON), including user acceptance testing, consulting on technical knowledge, consulting on re-writing the National Registry Procedures, facilitation of training across NSW and VIC registries and subject matter expert point of reference for the registries;
• Management and coordination of 20-25 staff for a range of day-to-day operations, including switch operation; hearings coordination; reception duties; and overseeing quality assurance and compliance  for processing applications;
• Strategic management of resources for daily operations to adequately cover all duties ensuring a seamless workflow;
• Responsible for workforce planning; training; quality assurance; coaching and development;
• Relationship management with external and internal clients.

Assistant Team Leader - Acting APS5

Why is Divine Genius the way of the future?

Authenticity: A spiritually evolved society is one where individuals are free to express their true selves, unconstrained by societal expectations, government-enforced regimes or religious dogma.

Compassion: When we connect with our spiritual essence, we develop greater empathy and compassion for others.

Harmony: A society grounded in spirituality is more likely to foster unity and cooperation, as individuals recognize their interconnectedness.

Purpose: We will realise we ARE purpose (not that we HAVE purpose) and our lives have meaning, leading to greater fulfilment and satisfaction.

Resilience: By cultivating spiritual grit, we develop the inner strength and resilience needed to navigate life's challenges.

Genius: Using all intelligence centres we possess, in conjunction, to make universally beneficial decisions and carve the path for humanity the Divine intended. 

It is time to reclaim our spiritual heritage and embrace the transformative power of divine genius. By honouring our hearts and souls, shifting with the evolution of the Age, we can create a world that is more compassionate, harmonious, and fulfilling for all and heal the divisions that so often tear us apart.

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The Battle

Jeff Ross

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jeff Ross's LinkedIn Performance

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