Leadership
An Interview with Luay Rahil, MBA
Forensic biologist, business leader, writer, and community development expert
One of my leadership goals as a writer and editor is to introduce influential writers and leaders to my audience via interviews starting in 2019. In this post, I will introduce you to Luay Rahil, an investigative writer whose passion for storytelling traces back to his childhood.
From his fervent household interviews with a makeshift microphone to his illustrious community development and leadership career, Luay’s narrative transcends conventional business boundaries.
This exclusive interview offers a rare glimpse into his profound insights on leadership, the evolving workplace, and the intricate relationship between money and happiness, as covered in his recent story.
Luay’s journey from aspiring journalist to a prominent figure in community development resonates with a quest for understanding and influencing the world.
His compelling narrative unfolds through reflections on his career trajectory, emphasizing the changing leadership landscape in contemporary work environments.
He shares personal experiences and challenges the norms, offering a unique perspective on the dynamics between professional success and personal contentment.
You can discover his writing philosophy, shaped by a blend of CIA analyst-like scrutiny and contrarian storytelling, aimed at weaving thought-provoking narratives that challenge conventional wisdom.
Through this interview, you can explore the facets of a remarkable individual’s life and gain profound insights into the interplay between leadership, wealth, relationships, and personal fulfillment.
I believe you will enjoy this brief conversation to explore Luay’s remarkable journey, thought-provoking viewpoints, and actionable advice for aspiring writers and professionals seeking a nuanced understanding of leadership in today’s dynamic world.
Luay, your journey is truly captivating. Could you share your background, offering readers a window into your remarkable story?
I was born and raised in Lebanon, and since I was ten years old, I have dreamed of becoming an investigative reporter.
As a matter of fact, if you ever get a chance to visit my mother’s house, you should ask her about my early work as a young journalist.
My mother still keeps my early work in a little rustic box under her bed. I used to walk around the house holding a hairbrush as a microphone and interview my brothers and sisters about their day. When my dad returned from work, I would run to the door to report the news to him.
When I immigrated to the United States, I studied Forensic Biology and worked in Public Health, but I wasn’t content.
I returned to school and earned my MBA (Master of Business Administration), and now I work as an assistant director of community development at one of the cities in North Texas. However, I still love writing, and I write for 60–90 minutes per night.
In addition to my community development leadership, I am a Certified Professional for Food Safety (CP-FS) and Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHSRS).
Luay, leadership embodies various aspects. How do you personally define leadership and its significance in your life?
Leadership embodies influence, the skill to guide a team toward a shared goal, uplifting everyone in the process. The workplace dynamics are changing swiftly, sometimes outpacing managers’ adaptability.
Traditional measures focus on hours worked, yet defining clear objectives to gauge productivity is crucial. Moreover, not all roles can transition to remote work; some necessitate supervision, sparking challenges in ensuring fairness and equity.
As some recent highlights of my leadership, post-COVID, I received multiple accolades for my performance during the pandemic.
I was given an opportunity to broaden my expertise by overseeing comprehensive community development, spanning economic initiatives, and creating multifunctional spaces for work, leisure, and living.
What inspired you to join Medium?
This is a good question. I have wanted to be an investigative reporter since I was a young boy, so I thought writing on Medium would help me accomplish this goal.
My writing tends to uncover complex and challenging topics such as happiness, remote work, the poorest regions in the country, leadership, and so on. This takes me to the second reason why I write on Medium.
In the last 15 years, I led many teams and was nominated for many leadership awards. I was also able to help my wife scale her business, so many organizations started to call and ask me to speak to their teams or mentor some of their staff, so writing became a tool for organizing my ideas and testing some of my theories around leadership and workplace issues.
What are your values as a writer?
I view my writing as a CIA analyst, a contrarian, and a storyteller. CIA analysts take a tremendous amount of information, dissect it, figure out what it means, and synthesize it into relatively simple terms for their higher-ups.
I do the same thing. I read a lot of books, blogs, newspapers, and social media posts, and I ask myself:
What is the common story of all of these news sources?
What can I do to challenge the conventional wisdom and offer alternative perspectives?
How can I improve the world by telling an opinionated story informing the reader about specific solutions?
I don’t want other writers just to go against the conventional wisdom for the sake of it. I lean into my experience while doing it.
What are the top three books that affected your life?
One of the interesting books I read after high school was The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, and it became my favorite since then.
The book offers insights into the nature of power, influence, and human behavior. It also served as a passport to learn about the history of some great leaders and immersed me in a journey that transcended the confines of time and space.
My second favorite book is The Da Vinci Code.
I loved Dan Brown’s approach to writing the book. He talked about history, politics, religion, police corruption, etc. Brown blended fact and fiction and questioned the status quo with every chance he got.
My third favorite book is Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon.
The book talks about ten things nobody told you about being creative and offers a manifesto to be a prolific writer without worrying about borrowing ideas from your heroes.
Tell us about your hobbies, Luay!
I have several hobbies and enjoy them very much. For example, I love traveling, writing, and coaching soccer.
I am fortunate enough to say I have traveled to more than 15 countries and 30 states in the last 15 years. Traveling gives me something to write about and allows me to see the world.
I played soccer as a young boy, and coaching my kids forced me to stop working and spend time with them. It is a win-win situation for me and them.
Why did you join ILLUMINATION, and how did you find it so far?
I wrote for many publications, such as Better Marketing, Better Humans, and more, but I favor ILLUMINATION because it favors the writer. I like the large audience, as most of them are responsive to my stories.
Your publication focuses on spreading the writer’s message without censoring or interfering. I confidently submit my stories with no fear of rejection.
I also enjoy ILLUMINATION as a reader as this unique pub published eclectic stories from diverse writers. So I always find something interesting to read.
What are your top five stories that most impacted your readers?
Some of my stories gained significant visibility. It is hard to choose the top five, but I will choose five stories that made some people love me and others hate me.
Elon Musk Eliminated Remote Work Because Working From Home “Doesn’t Work”
If You Can Do Your Job From Home, Be Scared. Be Very Scared.
Remote Work Is the Reason Most of You Won’t Have a Job in Five Years
What are the success factors for you as a writer on Medium?
I think it is my approach and willingness to question the status quo while relying on my real-life experience.
What do you recommend to the new writers?
I was waiting for someone to ask me this question.
My advice is to ship your work. The best way to get discovered and build an audience is to start sharing your work, even if it is imperfect.
My success formula is:
Read, reflect, write, and ship.
What are your plans as a writer?
My ultimate plan is to serve my readers and inform them about my perspective. I want to continue telling stories about places, projects, and people so they can get to know me through my writing, and I get to know them through their interaction.
Thank you for introducing yourself so eloquently, Luay. And finally, how can writers and readers can contact you?
My favorite contact is through my stories. I try to respond timely and answer reasonable questions to the best of my ability. However, I can also answer questions or collaborate with professionals through LinkedIn.
Thank you for reading this interview script. I hope you explore the profile of Luay Rahil and enjoy his stories as much as I do. You can find more interviews from my collection.
If you are an aspiring leader, I conducted research on leadership over the last four decades and summarized my findings in three articles that you may find helpful.
You may also check the work of experienced technical/technology leaders who gave me valuable perspectives on this platform: Jussi Luukkonen – your curiosity guide, Sridhar Pai Tonse - Leadgen Coach- Tech Startups, Jozsef Kovacs, Aiden (Illumination Gaming), David Pui | Digital Transformation Architect, Yogesh Haribhau Kulkarni (PhD), Abhishek Biswas, and Somil Gupta.
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