TEDxDelftWomen 2015 Speaker | Dalia El Gabry | Sharing in the success

“Success is about the impact you can make around you,” explains Dalia El Gabry. Rather than looking at what success could mean for the individual, the Shell Central Planning and Performance Manager claims that its influence can reach further and help bring more posititivity to one’s surroundings.

Oftentimes, success is measured by materialistic and personal achievements such as the monthly pay slip or the position occupied in the hierarchy. For El Gabry, success can also be judged in a different way – one that is less self-centered and looks at the impact it has on one’s surroundings like family, friends, and colleagues. This does not necessarily mean having a good career at a large corporation. What matters more is being happy and having awareness of what the key priorities are. As a result, success can have an impact on others as well as on yourself and that happiness could also be considered a form of success which people can strive for within their environment.

Happiness has had a big influence on El Gabry’s career decisions. “If I am not happy with what I am doing, if I do not develop myself, I will have a negative impact on my surroundings,” she says. “So I decided to move out and look for opportunities outside of my comfort zone.” Having grown up in a protective environment in Egypt, she started working for a large corporation before moving abroad to countries such as Norway, South Africa, Qatar and now the Netherlands. It was this journey that made her realize what exactly it is that makes her happy and made her reflect on the respect and values she showed other people.

According to El Gabry, the event’s theme “Authenticity” ties in well with her talk on measuring the impact of success on others. “Authencity is what comes naturally to you, without any artificial input. It helps you to be happy and enjoy your life,” she claims.  “It is all about people, about enjoying what you do and link it to the bigger picture.”