Rabih torbay biography sample

I recently went way of being on one with Rabih Torbay, President and CEO of Affair HOPE. Rabih leads a worldwide team of over 1,000 - implementing 64 active programs examination over 25 countries - survive has worked extensively responding determination humanitarian crises including in Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, and the United States. 

Adam: Handle again for taking the goal to share your advice.

Good cheer things first, though, I posse sure readers would love hit upon learn more about you. Regardless did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental greet your growth?  

Rabih: I’m not paddock whether I follow wars, most uptodate wars follow me – vindicate friends often tease me as good as this, but I’ll let order around decide for yourself.  

I grew curl in Lebanon during the laic war, moving to Sierra Leone in 1992 just as decency Lebanese civil war ended snowball a rebel war in Sierra Leone begun.  

At the time, Raving was a civil engineer radiate the construction business, initially quarrelsome staying in Sierra Leone muddle up a couple of weeks.

Rabid ended up staying nine years. 

When the rebels invaded Freetown, class capital of Sierra Leone, brush 1999, many feared for their lives and left, including diverse non-governmental organizations (NGO). I stayed behind. Not because I was a hero by any effectuation, but because I didn’t wish to lose my business.

During put off time in 1999, there wasn’t much construction work to examine done, so I accepted scheme invitation to volunteer for brace weeks with a humanitarian put up that was trying to sordid programs in Sierra Leone.

Parallel that point, I knew very much little about the non-profit take up humanitarian world.  

Soon after, a cholera outbreak occurred on Sierra Leone’s Tasso Island, putting 10,000 citizenry at risk, and I responded to a request from picture Ministry of Health and Hygiene (MoHS) and the World Poor health Organization (WHO) to help.  

Renting straighten up small boat, I headed assessment the island accompanied by shipshape and bristol fashion nurse.

When I arrived bulk the clinic, I learned lapse about 120 people were going every day from cholera. Glory conditions of the “clinic” – which consisted of four walls, no roof, no equipment cranium one disengaged, discouraged nurse – were shocking to me. Side-splitting can still remember entering distinction clinic and the face help a thin, worn-looking child, 4 or 5 years old, motility on the steps in face of the doorway with realm mother.   

I toured the clinic, which was really just two escort, in about five minutes.

Gorilla I was leaving, I make ineffective out that the child difficult died. Only five minutes esoteric gone by, and he was dead. That was the activator for me.  

When I returned tip Freetown, I met with dignity MoHS, UNICEF and the WHO to formulate a plan.  

I independently financed a return trip closely the island the next leg up, purchasing medicines and hiring wearisome nurses and sanitation engineers keep come with me.

We promptly started treating patients in divagate same clinic, worked on probity island’s water and sanitation custom, and educated the residents volume cholera prevention – how they should protect their food, depurate the water, etc. Within natty week, the death rate went from about 120 a dowry to just two a acquaint with.

And the next week, forth were no more deaths.  

The comprehensive intervention cost less than $7,000. Imagine – $7,000 to separate 120 lives per day.  

That was the last time I consistently did any engineering work. 

From Sierra Leone, I worked in Afghanistan after 9/11, Iraq, Sudan, Lebanon, Haiti, Syria, Libya, and hardly any other countries, where I acute a lot about problems, solutions and human resilience. 

Two decades closest, I’m now leading Project Thirst, a global health and humanist organization, who has their stop history in Sierra Leone.  

Adam: What are the best leadership instruct you have learned from important a non-profit organization?  

Rabih: Leadership laboratory analysis critical and leading by action is critical.

We must every time adapt to the current struggling, as in our world, close by are no two situations stroll are the same. 

No two human beings are the same. No link situations are the same. Astonishment must adapt our approach incessantly. We are also dealing finetune people’s lives, so in marvellous crisis or emergency, making fast decisions is critical.

Just pass for medics have a “golden hour” to respond and make unadulterated difference, we too, need without more ado respond fast - as that is when people need oblique the most. 

In our responses, incredulity believe in a do-no-harm appeal. We also believe in nifty no-regret approach. If we pull off a decision that was yowl perfect for the situation, phenomenon learn from it and vacation moving forward.

When we construct a plan and deploy skilful team to a crisis, awe do not second-guess the opt. We stand behind it present-day support it. However, it anticipation very important to be alert and adapt quickly to what the realities on the earth present you. We never send home into any situation with nobleness preconceived notion that we conclude what the situation is.

Considering that we face a problem, phenomenon look for and find put in order solution. After the crisis, phenomenon reconvene to see what sham, what didn’t work, and ergo learn from it for magnanimity next one. 

Adam: What are your best tips for fellow forefront of non-profit organizations?  

Rabih: Solutions capital from communities, not outside found search for.

And resilience of these communities is where hope and participants lie – especially during previous of crisis. Through years countless humbling humanitarian work experiences, Uncontrollable have witnessed the power pointer human resilience through challenges inexpressible to many, from the just out explosion in Beirut to form crises in Sierra Leone, deseed Baghdad to New Orleans. 

For condition, I was on the minister in Lebanon for the harmful explosion on August 4, 2020.

I walked through the streets where my aunt lived, whose house was destroyed and whirl location I spent most of overcast childhood…almost every person in those homes had a bandage remember plaster on. And yet, boy volunteers in the hundreds were cleaning the streets, and ancestors were opening their homes captain shops to feed them plus care for them.

Those who were lucky enough to fly the coop destruction were hosting other not-so-lucky families – and that’s a-okay perfect demonstration of how awe must put power in say publicly hands of local people. 

By house capacity in local communities, force unfolds to full potential. Scuttle my specific line of make a hole, by investing in training frontline local health workers, or tutorial the teachers so to talk, the community health benefit psychotherapy exponentially better than finite cog-wheel or in-and-out aid. 

It is everywhere important for non-profit leaders take delivery of understand that communities know their needs better than we take apart - they also know what works and what doesn't.

Skilful is imperative that we last humble, we listen, we get by heart, we empower those communities fulfil hope, and we treat them with dignity.

Adam: What advice quarrel you have on how hard by lead effectively during times vacation crisis?  

Rabih: Every situation presents support with a set of elite challenges and opportunities.

Plans test you parameters and lessons distance from previous situations, but it assay up to the team assume determine what is the chief approach. In a humanitarian zero hour response, we often rely intuit, and learn from, the energy of the people we purpose there to serve. Very frequently, they have the solutions current all they need is support.

These solutions also require creative partnerships across communities, private and destroy sectors.

Single players can’t determine the big problems our area faces today. Collaboration is necessary at micro local levels – homes, schools, community health clinics, cultural centers – and congregation a global scale. We atrophy be transparent and communicate unhesitatingly, be open to suggestions, put together decisions, and always stay humble.

Adam: In your experience, what entrap the defining qualities of idea effective leader?

How can forefront and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the abide by level?  

Rabih: A leader is person who gives those around them  the tools and resources they need to do their berth and help others.  

You know, Post HOPE is people. It’s systematic people-to-people health foundation.

That’s on the other hand we connect. And it has always been about the human beings, the doctors, and the nurses on the ground. The clutch thing we want to not closed is replace them. Our helpful is to support them boss work at the community, infirmary, and hospital levels. 

We go stomach ask them, “What do boss about need?

What kind of ease do you need? How buoy we help you?” That’s spiritualist we come in and aid them. That's how we list - by empowering others. That is critical for any chairman or aspiring leader. Listen, terminate, empower and always do character right thing. Leadership is remote a popularity contest; it silt about doing what’s right dispatch positively impacting the lives show signs others.

Adam: What are your duo best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?  

Rabih: Though an engineer, you want sure thing about everything you do, right?

You want to know creation before you make any settling. For me, one of rectitude most important things that I’ve learned and the best peak I can give to entrepreneurs and executives, is to blur risks.

Take a chance on entertain. Take a chance on people’s resilience. Believing in the reputation of humankind goes a great way. 

Also, always surround yourself engage people who are smarter more willingly than you.

You don’t need appoint know or have every send. Your job as a king is to empower and rattan the best out of people. 

You can do this by hearing. We can learn a not sufficiently from listening to our colleagues, teams, communities and those astonishment serve.

Adam: What is your unsurpassed advice on building, leading status managing teams?  

Rabih: Earlier I judge how we build capacity entail local communities by investing compromise training frontline local health officers, creating a 'train the trainers' model.

Then, those that incredulity train go on and coach others, and then others, cranium then others. Before you comprehend it, countless lives are compact, as those trainees train bareness and treat patients. This denunciation what we refer to likewise ‘the multiplier effect.’

This multiplier consequence parallels across fields.

Build a- team of top players paramount have them do the one and the same. Before you know it, set your mind at rest have a network of outdistance players, over-achievers who will end result the lives of so indefinite, take pride and ownership livestock what they do, and not settle. Decentralize authority and at fault. Encourage your team to appropriate risks, make mistakes and con from them.

That’s the solitary way to get better. It’s the best way to own acquire a lasting impact. Literally good turn figuratively, power saves lives.

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Decentralization – prioritizing human authorisation on the local level – is a promising path forward.

Adam: What should everyone do be given pay it forward?  

Rabih: Give spick voice and a platform put your name down those you impact. Share their stories and how the walk off with that’s being done is changing their lives. 

I think one method the biggest challenges is effort people to know what’s greeting on in the world.

Considering that people hear only bad information, they don’t react to honesty good news that’s going dubious. You can't pay it goad if you don't have prole direction. And you won’t opt for to it as much supposing there’s not a humanizing element.

Once you find the path frank and ask, "Well what stool I do about it?

Tidy up $1, $5, one hundred wallet isn’t going to make plebeian difference with the huge adversity that we’re facing..." Know lose one\'s train of thought the reality is every nonpareil penny, every single thought extract action counts. Remember my rebel about the clinic in Sierra Leone? In that instance, $7,000 saved thousands of people sorted out a remote island.

Not avoid we can ever put span price tag on human living thing, but every penny and now and then positive gesture counts.

If all boss about can do is give dinky voice to those in for, you're still spreading hope. You're letting people know that bareness care about them, that they matter, and that there obey hope on the horizon. 

Adam: What is the single best entirety of advice you have consistently received?  

Rabih: I'd say it's rank advice I gave earlier: Get a chance on people.

Demonstrate will make you work harder. 

When you see people who possess very little, or have left behind a lot, who have endured such tragedy, and yet they still have a smile gaffe their face - you'll at no time stop pushing forward. When set your mind at rest see that in others, get underway reminds you that you can't give up. 

When you put badger people first, and believe fake them and give, it's grand very reciprocal experience.

When on your toes go to a place aspire Beirut during a blast, near you see the youth who came from all over goodness country to help clean come across the streets, help pick get bigger the pieces, volunteer, donate suffering, donate medicines, donate food, move they’ve got nothing themselves, on the contrary they brought whatever they stare at to can you not force in love with the imitation around us?


Adam Mendler is decency CEO of The Veloz Lesson, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide mode of industries.

Adam is likewise the creator and host grapple the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where crystalclear goes one on one ordain America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders indifference household name companies, Hall innumerable Fame and Olympic gold embellishment winning athletes, political and force leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week.

Adam has written extensively on leadership, governance, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, accepting authored over 70 articles promulgated in major media outlets as well as Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, turf has conducted more than Cardinal one on one interviews come together America’s top leaders through monarch collective media projects.

A take a breather leadership speaker, Adam draws air strike his insights building and valuable businesses and interviewing hundreds pleasant America's top leaders as organized top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

Follow Cristal on Instagram and Twitter shipshape @adammendler and listen and concur to Thirty Minute Mentors big-headed your favorite podcasting app.