When I assembled the team for 2088 Real Estate two and a half years ago, I told them one simple thing: we didn’t come here for money – we came here for big money. It’s not about greed. It’s about the scale of thinking and understanding that in Dubai, the ones who survive are those who operate with a growth mindset, not with the idea of just meeting the minimum plan.
Why the “boss–subordinate” model doesn’t work here
I have never built a team through a vertical management structure.
I am not interested in reports for the sake of reports or tasks completed formally.
I am interested in movement – when each person feels responsible for the result, not only for their narrow segment of work.
In a real estate agency where a client can switch to a competitor after a single phone call, this kind of responsibility becomes critical. I create an environment where people understand the logic behind decisions and can act independently when needed. Because trusted property advisors in the UAE are not those who wait for instructions from above – but those who can make decisions in the moment, based on a shared understanding of the agency’s goals. Dubai is a city where speed has become a new currency. While you are coordinating across three layers of management, the client has already signed with another agency. That is why I built a system in which decisions are made quickly – but consciously. This requires a high level of trust within the team and each person’s readiness to take responsibility for their choices.
Three principles that keep the system running
- Honesty and transparency. If we make a mistake, we analyse it, fix it, and move on – without searching for the guilty or dragging out the problem. Mistakes are inevitable, but what matters is how quickly the team processes them and what conclusions it draws.
- Team play. You can plant a tree alone; in a team, you can grow a date grove. I’ve seen many talented people burn out in Dubai because they tried to carry everything on their own. It doesn’t work here – the market is too competitive, and clients are too demanding.
- Everyone’s power zone. A leader is not supposed to pull everyone behind them – they must see where each person performs at their best and give them space to do so. Some are strong negotiators, some excel in analytics, and others build long-term client relationships. My job is to bring this together into a functioning system.
Why I consider energy the main management resource
You can be a manager on paper and a leader in essence – these are different things. I’ve met people with loud titles who couldn’t unite a team around an idea. And I’ve met those who were formally junior employees, but processes naturally formed around them, and others followed their decisions. Energy matters more than a job title. That’s why 2088 Real Estate has no rigid hierarchy where initiative dies in layers of approval. We have zones of responsibility and a clear understanding of who handles what – but if someone has an idea that improves the client experience or simplifies a process, they can implement it without waiting for permission from above. A team is a mirror of its leader. If there is chaos inside, there will be chaos outside. Clients sense this immediately – by how quickly responses come, how aligned the actions of different specialists are, and whether they feel passed from hand to hand or accompanied from start to finish. That is why I don’t “manage” in the classical sense. I manage the chaos and channel people’s energy into results. In Dubai, where every day brings new challenges – from regulatory changes to unexpected client requests – this is the only way to remain trusted property advisors in the UAE, trusted with serious money and long-term decisions.
