Layla Aburas Khafaga

People Operations

Meezan LAK Inc

A few things about me...

Passionate People LeaderInnovative Problem SolverOperations ConsultantCoaching Consultant

Starting off in the Retail Banking world, I quickly became a People Leader early in my career. For over 10 years I lead large scale bank branches, building diverse teams and establishing a strong rapport with customers and exceeding performance expectations. I transitioned to the corporate world and joined GE's Payroll Team. Very quickly, I transformed my job into a business a grew my role into a team, acquiring more operational responsibilities, streamlining existing processes and overall improving Payroll operations. The Lean culture became a way of life for me and gave me the resources I needed to initiate and implement countless projects, saving over 3,000 capacity hours, preventing millions in over payments, increasing cash flow and reducing payroll call center cases by 20%. Throughout these initiatives, I restructured our teams to align with strengths, interest and business needs. Developed and coached employees to uncover their potential and position themselves for future growth. After 5 years, I left GE as a Payroll Team Leader and parted ways with an amazingly intuitive, creative and passionate team. Throughout my journey I always knew I wanted to be self-employed. Who wouldn't want to create something out of nothing, dive into the unknown with no guidance and face an insane amount of challenges . Sounds glorious, right? Yes, that is what I left my very safe and secure corporate job. I was going to do it! January 2020, I decided to tell GE that I was leaving April 2020. It's not like around the corner a Global Pandemic was brewing. Perfect timing, right? Regardless, I made my decision and was going to stick with it. Meezan LAK INC - Meezan Kitchen was born. Specializing in Middle-Eastern pastries and modern twists on delicious classics. Having experience in retail and corporate roles, has given me the foundation to establish my brand and grow my vision. Within the short time opened, I have Trademarked 2 products, reduced manufacturing time and streamlined our operations. My team and I have successfully created a brand that is growing everyday. I am excited for more obstacles and challenges I have coming my way ....

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Layla Aburas Khafaga

What I'm like at work

ObservantHard WorkingAnalyticalEncouragingTrusting

I question everything! Not because I doubt the work nor the person. I have this need to understand how, what, when, where and why everything is connected and works the way it does. I want to know the ins and outs of a processes, of a team, of business goals and needs. I keep this in mind with teams I work with. I want to know people and their motivators, their opportunities and their drivers. What are they hesitant to work on and why. What is holding them back? What is making them push forward. I love brainstorming sessions and open collaborative work spaces. At the same-time, I appreciate solo time to refocus your own energy and priorities so you can better impact the space and team around you. Diverse teams with different personalities and experiences is the only way to go. I smile every time someone challenges my ideas and my plan. It benefits the team when we don't blindly follow the leader. With respectful push-back and encouraging conversations, you can explore so many possibilities within. One of my favorite quotes, " Do not let too much thinking, paralyze the doing." Exploring and planning ideas is essential and so valuable. Taking the next step from thinking to doing is where I thrive. Let's get it done as a team and let's see those idea's and plans come to life. Having something tangible to celebrate and seeing a final product is extremely beneficial to team growth. I can't effectively do any of the above without integrity. Treating your team fairly, with respect, and always demonstrating strong morale is the ONLY way I work. I have zero tolerance for a work environment where we do not treat employees and our customers with integrity.

Layla Aburas Khafaga

My areas for growth

Maintains effective work life balanceCreates warm, caring relationships with teammatesClearly communicates purpose and vision

Being passionate about a job and wanting to improve everything around, patience and warmth can get lost. With an entrepreneur mind set, we sometimes want things done quickly, accurately and timely. I need to constantly remind myself to take a moment breathe and prioritize my tasks. Doing this helps set the stage with my team and allows them to balance their workload. It is a constant reminder I need to do with myself. With honesty and directness, one can lack feelings. I always have room to grow, but have come a long way with my delivery to my teams. Once trust is built in the team, they know my intention with my delivery is always for their own interest. This and patience go hand-in-hand. I need to stop for a moment and have real, open and warm conversations with my team to ensure a strong work environment. The warm part is my opportunity and I have learned not every person is coached in the same way. One size does NOT fit all.

Layla Aburas Khafaga

My superpowers

Collaborates effectively with teammatesFosters high performance teamworkStays true to own values with integrityWilling to openly have difficult conversationsMakes decisions promptly, even with uncertainty

Making things better. Teams, operations or service. Finding the core issue, identifying the why and implementing a better how. Improving things that can be sustained and have a better impact to all around. People, specifically, coaching them to be better and stronger than they ever thought they could. Throughout all this, always being direct and honest with my team. Creating an environment where the team is comfortable with the uncomfortable. Talking about opportunities and our areas of growth. Collaborating together and identifying the resources we need to get us on target and to hitting our goal. I have a strong track-record of delivering results, exceeding goals and implementing numerous projects that have impacted the various business needs. I am known with my team as a Leader who gets things done, encourages development and celebrating our wins.

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