Laila Tarraf - Strong Like Water: How I Found the Courage to Lead with Love in Business and in Life

PRAISE FOR STRONG LIKE WATER

This humanizing narrative arc will appeal to business executives and many other readers. A readable and affecting account about learning new, more heartfelt ways to manage people.

KIRKUS REVIEWS

In this riveting story, both heartbreaking and uplifting, Laila Tarraf shows that adversity didnt break her, it awakened her and transformed her into a wise, compassionate leader who manages with strength and tenderness, not having to deny the latter to achieve the former.

CARTER CAST, clinical professor of entrepreneurship at Kellogg School of Management, former CEO of Walmart.com, and author of The Right (and Wrong) Stuff

A deeply insightful book about business and leadership disguised as a devastating memoir about loss and love.

JENNIE NASH, author and founder and CEO of Author Accelerator

The power of Lailas memoir comes through in her illumination of the trap of hiding in plain sight. When our day-to-day professional lives blind us to who we really are, no one else can see us either. The gift in these pages is that when you see yourself, others will too.

DAN ROAM, author of The Back of the Napkin and Draw to Win

Written with striking candor and, yes, heart, Laila Tarrafs story speaks to those grappling with loss and searching for more meaning in work to lead a more balanced, fulfilling life.

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

Strong Like Water highlights a simple truth: we already are spiritualits human were learning how to be.

JACQUELYN SMALL, author of The Sacred Purpose of Being Human

Laila brings forth a compelling memoir that breaks your heart into a million bits and has you cheering at the top of your lungs with her story of love, loss, and renewal in todays world. An amazing first-time debut for an author who brings her personal awakenings to the world of business and leadership. Every page is a precious gift.

SHERNAZ DAVER, Executive Advisor, Google Ventures (GV)

This book is a giftto me, to women, and to the world. I felt myself shift, open, and transform as I turned the pages. I nodded, smiled, and wept, and would need to stop and let myself cry a bit more before continuing on. Joining Laila for this intimate journey has helped me to healI am a more whole person for having read her book.

SUNSHINE YIN, Head of People & Operations, Advanced Digital & Product Team, Bain & Company

A master class in vulnerability and leadership, this book is a must-read. Equal parts personal narrative and a guidebook for authenticity at work, Strong Like Water takes the reader on a full emotional journey as it brilliantly demonstrates what true leadership looks like. So many of us show up to work with outdated ideas of how to be, act, lead. Ms. Tarraf inspires us to throw out the rulebook and forge our own path, from the head to the heart.

ANNE ROBIE, HR Executive and Consultant, Chief People Officer, Turnitin

This is a book that EVERY leader needs to readand that is destined to become a cant-put-it-down classic. Strong Like Water casts light on one of the most critical, core workplace questions through a unique and compelling personal narrative. With honesty and insight about her own experiences, Tarraf manages to define head-and-heart leadership and demonstrate exactly what it means to bring your whole self to work. Whether youre just starting your career or leading a large team, in any field or function, Strong Like Water points the way to authentic, sustainable success.

DAISY DOWLING, former Global Head of Talent Development, The Blackstone Group, and author of Workparent: The Complete Guide to Succeeding on the Job, Staying True to Yourself, and Raising Happy Kids

Strong Like Water illustrates the superpowers of one amazing working mother! Laila shares her highlights, struggles, and wisdom in a manner that is accessible, honest, and relatable. Youll gain perspective through her personal and professional perils of wisdom and thoughts on work/life balance. Her compassionate and conversational style entices you to flip to the next chapter quickly!

TENNY FROST, Executive Director, Development & Alumni Relations, University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business

Laila Tarraf has written a beautiful, sometimes tragic, and ultimately compelling call to the kind of leadership that sustains yourself as well as others.

PEGGY NORTHROP, CEO of Watermark and former editor-in-chief of Sunset, Readers Digest, and More

Laila Tarraf offers a brave account of how to lead with love through heartbreaks and successes and ultimately (after a lot of work) land in a place that is honest, integrated, and powerful. I have read countless leadership books, which usually have to be digested in small bites over weeks. I read this one in two sittings over three days. It is soul food for anyone who believes in the power of love and compassionate leadership.

LAUREL DONNELLAN, founder and CEO of Compassionate Leaders Circle

I love this book. Lailas story is powerful and the way she tells it is so moving... I cried about five or six times as I was reading the book. I could not put it down and learned a lot about myself, healing from grief, having the courage to be vulnerable, and bringing my whole self to work. Thank you for writing this important book and for your willingness to share your story, Laila! I highly recommend this book.

MIKE ROBBINS, leadership expert, speaker, and author

STRONG
LIKE
WATER

Copyright 2021, Laila Tarraf

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, digital scanning, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

For permission requests, please address She Writes Press.

Published 2021

Printed in the United States of America

Print ISBN: 978-1-64742-022-2

E-ISBN: 978-1-64742-023-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020917966

For information, address:

She Writes Press

1569 Solano Ave #546

Berkeley, CA 94707

She Writes Press is a division of SparkPoint Studio, LLC.

Cover and interior design by Tabitha Lahr

Photo of Young Laila on is from the authors family collection

All company and/or product names may be trade names, logos, trademarks, and/or registered trademarks and are the property of their respective owners.

Names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of certain individuals.

To both my Nadias

My mother and my daughter, who remind me every day that I am part of something bigger; that my strengthour strength as womenextends beyond ourselves.

CHAPTER 1
Being Right Isnt the Point

CHAPTER 2
Where You Stand Depends on Where You Sit

CHAPTER 3
Less Talk, More Action

CHAPTER 4
The Dam Breaks

CHAPTER 5
Weathering the Storm

CHAPTER 6