The Secret Weapon of Top CEOs

Summer in the UAE feels like a promise. The long days, the buzzing malls, the endless advertisements for adventure; all of it tells children this is their time to be free, to explore, to have fun. But behind that bright picture is a quieter, heavier reality that far too many families carry.

I have seen it. More times than I care to count.

I have watched friends and employees, incredible people, juggle this season like it is a puzzle they cannot solve. The same story plays out in homes across the country. Kids come home wide-eyed with excitement, clutching ideas, dreams, little plans for the holidays.

“Mama, can we go to that new restaurant? The one my friends keep talking about.”
“Baba, can we go to the mall this weekend? Just to look around?”
“Can we do something… fun?”
They ask with hope.

But I have seen the other side of that conversation too. The quiet look that passes between parents. The gentle way they explain that it might not be possible right now. That work comes first. That there are bills to pay. That maybe, just maybe… another time.

The children are disappointed. But it is the parents' faces that stay with me.

The quiet guilt. The frustration. The way they show up at work the next day, carrying that conversation in the back of their mind. Smiling in meetings. Showing up for deadlines. But not entirely present.

We do not talk about this enough. We talk about performance and targets. And yes, about engagement. But rarely do we stop to ask what it takes for employees to truly focus at work.

Here Is The Truth Most Leaders Miss

When your employees are worried about their children, they are never fully with you. When families feel stretched, forgotten, or unsupported, loyalty fades away.

I have seen it. I hear it in private conversations. I see it in tired eyes and quiet resignations. And I know one thing for certain.

The strongest companies are the ones that do not look away. They back their people. They support families. And that is how loyalty is built: through understanding what families need.

The Silent Strain

There is a lot we do not always say, but people carry it anyway. Parents carry it when they show up to work after saying no to their kids again. When they watch them sit quietly, knowing they wanted more. The kids carry it too, even if they do not say much. They feel the tension when bills take over plans. They stop asking for things. They stop pushing for more. And then we expect people to walk into work like none of that follows them. How can they focus? How will they perform when their heads are still at home?

While all that plays out, the youth sit in the background, full of energy and potential, with nowhere to put it. That is how families start drifting. That is how connections get lost. Whether companies like to admit it or not, it shows up in the mood, and it shows up in the numbers. It always shows up in one way or the other!

How Can Companies Step In?

Imagine what companies could do if they actually looked at this properly. If they realised building confident young people has everything to do with building focused, driven employees. It is all part of the same story.

Young people need space to grow. To figure out who they are. What they are good at. Where they fit in this world that is waiting for them.

And companies know how to create growth. They do it every day. They build teams. They give people opportunities. They help them get better at what they do.

But when you bring those two together? That is when it really works. When you take the energy companies already put into building their people and extend it to the families behind those people. When you give young people the same kind of support, space, and encouragement.

That is when families grow stronger. That is when employees show up differently. That is when young people get a head start, not a setback.

Join The Dots

Work. Home. Future. It is a trio of endless possibilities.

As a founder and a mother, I know what happens when companies lean in and actually care about this. That is exactly where Inspire comes in. I say that as someone who has seen both sides of this. We help them make that care real. We help them create spaces where young people can grow, where they feel seen, where they feel part of something bigger than just waiting at home for their parents to finish work.

Think about summer programs that keep them active and curious. It can be workshops where they start figuring out what they are good at. It can be a safe space where they just get to show up as they are. Sometimes it is small internships that give them a glimpse into the world their parents are building every day.

That is how you create real belonging. The kind people actually feel at home and at work. When employees know their families are cared for, they stay. They focus. They give their best. When young people grow with confidence, everyone wins. That is how it works. The companies that understand that are the ones people want to stay with.

It’s About Belonging.

These kinds of programs are not about keeping kids occupied for a few hours while their parents work. They are about building something much bigger. They help young people grow. They help families stay connected. They remind employees that while they are showing up for the company, someone is showing up for the people they love.

When young people get access to real spaces where they can explore, learn, and build confidence early, it changes how they show up later. It shapes how they think. How they take on responsibility. How they see their place in the world.

With these engagement programs, I have seen spouses, grandparents, and even older siblings step in to contribute. It becomes a community effort. This has a ripple effect. You feel it at home and you feel it at work!

This is not a cost line on a spreadsheet. It is an investment in people, in retention and the next generation. This is exactly where Inspire comes in. We work with companies to create practical, simple programs that support families, build confidence in young people, and take the pressure off employees.

We talk a lot about ambition here in the UAE. But ambition alone does not hold onto good people. You need workplaces that understand life does not stop when people walk through the office door. If we want employees to stay, to give their best, to believe in where they work, it starts by looking beyond the desk. It starts by looking at home.

Your Best People Deserve More Than Words.

If you call someone your best employee, prove it. If you say your people matter, show them their families do too.

At Inspire, we create a greater sense of belonging that is not about posters on the wall or speeches at team events. It is about what happens when your people walk out of the office. It is about what their children feel. What their families carry.

That is where loyalty starts. That is where real engagement grows.

We help companies build that through a full 360° employee engagement framework that does not stop at your office door. It is tailored for families and designed for the people behind your people.

If you are ready to make belonging something your employees actually feel at work and at home, let’s talk.

Take a look at what we do on https://www.weinspire.ae/.