By Esther Tang

Dear Friends, Colleagues, Neighbours, and Acquaintances:

Like you, I'm deeply troubled by the effects of the global economic turmoil in Dubai. We come from many walks of life and varying socio-economic backgrounds; we each came to Dubai to move one step closer towards realizing personal dreams. We chose to live here in hopes of trading hard work and dedication for the unlimited benefits of an organized economy teaming with talent, resources, and energy.

Whether our personal "Dubai goal" was to consistently send money home, build an Arab city, or enhance our global perspective, we came with a mission.

The purpose of this letter is to encourage us to continue faithfully working towards our mission in spite of the tempting option to mentally give up, "check out", and become emotionally numb.

Below are 10 small actions that when totalled, can move us from disenfranchised to determined. 

1. Each morning, make a conscious decision to take control of your attitude.  Allow yourself two minutes to feel scared, distressed, sad, and vulnerable.  Then tell yourself to “saddle up” and manage your emotions the way a great leader would: with maturity, deep thought, and courage.  A great leader would not sulk and constantly feel sorry for himself.    
2. Limit your interactions with people who gossip.  During this time of uncertainty, many people will want to speculate and commiserate so much that they are both unproductive employees and unhealthy influences on loved ones.  Remember that your mind and heart are meant to meditate on matters that are productive not destructive. 
3. Instil a sense of accountability in your organization by first being accountable for your own actions.  Employees yearn to work for a boss who strives to be the best leader that he can be.  Do more than admit when you are wrong; take corrective action to prove you are a man of your words.  
4. Learn as much as possible from your current job.  Make a list of current work projects from which you are genuinely developing skills.  Minimize time spent on all other projects to a reasonable amount. 
5. Applaud journalists when they offer solutions to Dubai’s issues; dismiss articles and emails written to sensationalize and generate resentment.  Though many journalists insist on writing articles that unfairly defame our hard work, still there are others who offer practical ideas, reliable research, and useful analysis.     
6. Deliberately spend time with someone who doesn’t look like you.  As economic tensions grow, so too will political tensions.  Leaders will point fingers of blame at entire people groups.  Do not let ignorance, fear, and manipulation influence the way we ought to treat our fellow man.  Guard against bias from the media and society by remaining engaged with communities of various ethnic and national backgrounds.     
7. Think about who you are.  Ask yourself, “If I am laid off today, what would my colleagues say about me after I'm gone?”  Have you always treated others with respect and courtesy?  Did you perform your responsibilities well?  In addition to money, our jobs offer us relationships…are yours strong? 
8. Try to understand causes and solutions to economic crisis.  The more you understand what is happening, the more you will gain from this experience.  You might not understand all or even most of what has transpired, but you will be that much more prepared to “connect the dots” around you. 
9. Live within your financial means.  Control your personal finances.  Learn how to budget.  These skills are not usually taught in school so few people really know how to determine how much they can responsibly afford to spend food, vacations, and homes.  Regardless if a government somewhere in the world claims it will support you in your old age, only you can really ensure your family’s financial safety. 
10. Find joy in excellence, not money.  Dubai’s future is not inextricably linked to oil revenues, but to its ability to develop, attract, and retain the best human capital.  If Dubai is to improve, we must each constantly improve the way we live and work.  Whether we are locals or expatriates, every single person here has benefited from being here. We all have a place in our hearts for Dubai.  Each of us has a responsibility to help Dubai to emerge from this recession. 

Though we cannot control the fate of the world with one accessible lever, we can increasingly control our own lives but practicing these ten behaviours above.  I hope you will join me by ushering in nothing less than unwavering, dogged emergence. 

Esther Tang is an American living in Dubai. Her MBA is from the University of Oxford where she served as farewell speaker in 2007. Her Bachelor of Science degree is from Cornell University where she served as senior class president in 2004.  Esther currently works for a Dubai government investment company. In her leisure time, Esther sits on a panel for the Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation and represents Oxford’s interests in its “Rhodes Scholarship of the Arab World.”   http://www.news.cornell.edu/campus/commencement04/Esther.Tang.html