Life at Deloitte

Interview with Omar Fahoum

Tell us about yourself

I am a family guy who has been with Deloitte for over 30 years. I have had the privilege of being with and leading our firm through a most interesting era that witnessed unprecedented global and regional events and changes. Throughout that period, I have also been  fortunate enough to see my family grow and my children grow up into wonderful and responsible adults. 

What does well-being mean to you? 

Wellbeing is a state of mind and not only a physical status. In fact, mental and spiritual wellbeing is probably the secret behind physical wellness.

As a leader of an organization known for high stress, how are you able to maintain resilience?

I see our organization more as high energy rather than stress. Certainly there are stressful situations and people tend to deal with them in different ways. I do not believe there is one standard approach to dealing with stress however in my case, I tend to stand back from the situation, compartmentalize the challenge and not necessarily personalize it. Mainly, I try not to get overwhelmed by a stressful situation and to remember that my time and effort are also required to attend to many different matters.

Have you seen the impact on your life after practicing wellbeing activities (be it through activities relating to mind, body or purpose)?

Absolutely, and I make a point to embed physical and mental wellbeing into my daily life. I treat my exercise as any other business commitment and do not relegate it to the bottom of the priority pile. I find the three pillars of wellbeing (mind, body and purpose) very much interrelated and to a large extent, interdependent.

How do you think Deloitte views well-being?

Even though there has been an appreciation of wellbeing at Deloitte for some time, our position was not well structured or articulated until recently. We are a people business and the wellbeing of our people is inseparable from our purpose as an organization. I am extremely pleased to see a well-articulated wellbeing platform rolled out and I am hopeful (and confident) our people will very much partake in it. 

What kind of wellbeing activities do you recommend (mind, body or purpose)?

As I said, people will find their own wellbeing in many different ways. For me, I highly recommend a disciplined approach to physical exercise along with mental activity whether it is yoga, meditation or anything else. As to purpose, I find that doing good and social interaction and activity are wonderful approaches to one’s purpose. Getting involved in societal activities as well as social ones have very much helped me define and find my own purpose.

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