Senior Engineering Leader for Final Mile Services and E&T Development Program

I built a successful career in engineering and leadership.

On paper, it checked every box. Strong income. Respect. Stability.

Stability can become a cage when the money is good, but the question of purpose won’t go away.

That’s why I help engineering leaders make a purpose-led next move in their careers.

I bring 30 years of experience leading teams, navigating complexity, and making high-stakes decisions. Now I apply that same clarity and structure to the decision you can’t ignore forever, what you want your next season of impact to be.

My 3-Step Process

1) Purpose Clarity - We translate what matters most into plain language, so you can stop spinning and start choosing.

2) Next Move Focus - We narrow your options to the few paths that actually fit you, your strengths, values, and desired impact.

3) Execution Plan - We build a practical plan you can run while still employed, so your next move is intentional, not impulsive.

If you're a leader who knows you're made for more impact, I’ll help you get clear on your purpose in 90 days or less.

DM me “PURPOSE” and I’ll send you the first step.

Tarek Taha

18 years ago, my boss called me into his office.


He was the best boss I ever had.

I told him I'd received an offer from another company and was considering taking it.

He said, "How much are they paying you?"

I told him it was 40% more than my current comp.

Instead of getting mad, he said he would support whatever decision I made.

I shared how this job would allow me to achieve my financial goals more quickly.

Even though he would be sad to lose me, he knew I needed to do what was best for my family.

It's your job to advocate for yourself and do what's right for you.

Sometimes you have to take emotions out of it.

By the way, I decided to stay and am so glad I did.

My boss and I are still friends today!

Do what's best for you and your family.

Don't settle.

♻️ Repost if you've ever had a great boss and would like to honor them
🔔 Follow Tarek Taha for more.
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👉 Join me for a free class tomorrow on why success feels empty and what to do about it: https://lnkd.in/e9CvvYdf

I help Successful VPs & Directors figure out What’s Next | DM me “PURPOSE” to join my masterclass

In December 2024, I watched a helicopter take my 87-year-old dad away to a heart center.


This man, who had been a picture of health all his life, had a ruptured aorta.

97% of people who experience this event die on the spot.
My dad didn’t.
He lived.

He recovered, and now, at 88, he walks 10 "very brisk" laps around his neighborhood each day.

His survival meant more time.

I've learned more about what he had to overcome in Egypt to build a life for himself and for our family.

We connected more deeply.

The real gift of more time with those you love is finally having conversations that matter.

[ 👉 Follow Tarek for more | ♻️ Repost if this resonated]

It became clear that staying was more expensive than leaving.


That realization didn’t come from burnout.
Or frustration.
Or a bad situation.

After 21 years at the same company, I walked away.

What surprised me most wasn’t the decision itself.

It was what happened as I was leaving.

The conversations I barely remembered.
The people I’d helped years ago who still use my advice.
The relationships that mattered far more than any title I ever held.

For most of my career, I measured impact the wrong way.

I thought it looked like ladder climbing.
Recognition from others.
Being needed.

It turns out, impact looks a lot more like people.

And sometimes, you don’t fully understand that until you step away.

If you’ve ever wondered what your work actually means to the people around you, you’ll recognize it.

Today at 12 PM EST, I'm going to talk about how every person on the planet has a purpose and what changes when you start pursuing it. 
[Link in comments]

I help Senior Leaders escape the hamster wheel and live with purpose | DM me “PURPOSE” to join my masterclass

You made VP by 35. 


Got the salary. Got the team. Got the respect. 

Then you sat in a meeting one day and realized: 
This is it. 
This is what I worked for.
 
And it feels hollow. 

You're not ungrateful.
You're not broken. 
You just feel out of alignment with who you actually are. 

Most people spend their whole career climbing the ladder.

Very few stop to ask if the ladder is leaning against the right wall.
--
Next Tuesday at noon EST, I'm hosting a free masterclass: 
"Why Your Success Feels Empty — And What to Do About It." 

It's for leaders who got the promotion but lost the plot. 

If that's you, the link is in the featured section in my profile and in the comments.

Them: I've heard your name before. Were you on TV?



Me: No, I wasn't

Them: Are you sure?

Me: I'm sure. You're thinking of Tarek El Moussa from "Flip or Flop."

Them: You are right!

It's funny, I get this a lot now.

Same first name, very different hairstyles.

I used to hate spelling and pronouncing my name.

Now I don't mind at all. 

I've learned to embrace who I am instead of trying to fit in.

Living a life of purpose starts with getting comfortable in your own skin.

📌 DM me "PURPOSE" if you're ready to join my masterclass that goes live tonight at 6 PM CST.
--
tagging Tarek Dakakni, MD FCCP Tarek Taha  Tarek Sobh Tarek Dewey for fun!

I once sat in a conference room and watched a senior leader take credit for his team's work.


And no one said a word.

Gallup says companies pick the wrong manager 82% of the time.

75% of people who quit aren't leaving the company. 
They're leaving the boss.

The loudest person often gets promoted.
Even when they're not the most capable.

We built a system that rewards command-and-control leadership. 
Then we act confused when people leave.

I watched it for 30 years.

The leaders who listened first and built people up? Passed over.
The ones who were quick to speak and slow to listen? Corner office.

Here's what the research says: 
Servant-led teams see 50% lower turnover and 35% higher productivity.

If you're promoting someone this year, ask yourself:

Am I choosing the person everyone notices? 
Or the person everyone trusts?

I watched a boss shut down her own employee last week.


In a co-working space. In front of everyone.

The employee asked questions. She wanted to learn.

Her boss cut her off. Mid-sentence. More times than I could count.

It wasn't coaching. It wasn't development.

It was poor leadership on display.

Here are 10 things that need to go in 2026

1. Managers who confuse control with leadership
2. Companies that preach culture but practice fear
3. Promoting people who are good "doers" but bad leaders
4. Leaders who talk about development but never let anyone grow
5. Meetings run by people who love the sound of their own voice
6. "Open door policies" where the door is open but the ears are closed
7. One-way loyalty disguised as "we're a family"

But I'm not done. 
Because some of this is on us too.

8. Staying in a job you hate because it feels "safe"
9. Blaming the company while doing nothing to change your situation
10. Waiting for others to give you permission to go after what you actually want

The best companies respect their people.

But the best professionals respect themselves enough to stop settling.

What would you add to the list?

♻️ Repost for someone who needs to hear this.
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I'm hosting a masterclass on 3/24 on how to be a true success. Here's the link to signup: https://lnkd.in/e9CvvYdf

I wrote my eulogy today.


What didn't make my list:
- The corner office.
- The vacation home.
- The Ferrari.

What made the list:
- My faith.
- My family.
- My friends.

The things we chase seem important and aren't necessarily bad.

But if they won't make your eulogy, you are wasting your life.

Begin with the end in mind.

Join my masterclass on 3/24 if you're ready to live with purpose: https://lnkd.in/e9CvvYdf

The best leaders are the ones with all the answers.


Thought no one ever.

But I used to think that.

Because that's what I saw in my leaders.

They would:
↳ Be the first to speak.
↳ Take credit for work that others did.
↳ Never admit when they were wrong.
↳ Make all the decisions.

The best leaders I know:
↳ Are quick to listen and slow to speak.
↳ Encourage the quiet ones to speak up.
↳ Give credit away generously.
↳ Build trust by admitting they got something wrong.

Being a leader is not about being the boss.
It's about being someone who is worthy of being followed.

♻ Repost to help a leader in your network.
Follow Tarek Taha for more.

Average coaching: feels like catching up with a friend.
Great coaching: makes you uncomfortable enough to change.

Average coaching: validates your excuses.
Great coaching: challenges your identity.

Average coaching: You leave feeling good.
Great coaching: You leave knowing what to do.

Average coaching: You talk about the same problems for months.
Great coaching: You solve them in weeks because someone won't let you hide.

You don't need someone who agrees with you.

You need someone who sees what you can't.

👉 DM me "PURPOSE" if you're ready for real change.

I help VPs & Directors go from successful but empty to successful and fulfilled | DM me “PURPOSE” to join my masterclass

The most dangerous feedback I ever received was "great job."


Once a year, I would study prior performance reviews, looking for progress.

I read things like: 
 "Exceeds expectations." 
 "Strong performer." 
 "Positive impact."

This was good, right?

It did feel good. That was the problem.

There was zero constructive feedback.

I was like a gas station hot dog on a roller. 
Spinning. Warm. Looking great on the outside.

Except I wasn't growing. 
I was just cooking.
Year after year after year...

I mistook motion for progress. 

When comfort becomes your goal, your future potential is cooked.

One of my engineers got a massive job offer from another company.


We're talking almost double what we were paying them. 

When he told me, my first thought was about me. 

"I just lost one of my best people. What will I do?"

But the first words out of my mouth were: 

"You need to take that offer. It will be great for your family."

I then acted as a reference. 

The worst time to offer a raise is after someone resigns. 

If they are valuable to you, let them know by paying them what they're worth.

And keep the people who genuinely want to stay.

[ 👉 Follow Tarek Taha for more | ♻️ Repost if this resonated]

In 2018, a surgeon cut into my brain. 


I was 50 years old with a brain infection. 

I remember lying in that hospital bed thinking about my 20+ year corporate career. 

The VP title I wanted. 
The corner office. 
The promotions I'd fought for. 

And none of it mattered. 

Not because the work was bad. 

But because I'd been building someone else's version of success for nearly three decades without ever asking one question: 

What am I actually here for? 

That health crisis changed me. 

Since the surgery, I've spent every day helping leaders answer that question before life forces them to. 

Next Tuesday at noon EST, I'm hosting a free masterclass: 
"Why Your Success Feels Empty — And What to Do About It." 

It's for leaders who got the promotion but lost the plot. 

👉 If that's you, the link is in the featured section in my profile and in the comments.

Your title won't matter on your last day.

Living a life beneath your potential will.

I'm hosting a free masterclass next Tuesday at noon EST:

"Why Your Success Feels Empty — And What to Do About It." 

It's for leaders who got the promotion but still have an empty tank.

👉 If that's you, click the link below to join us.

Qamar Gebarin, CIPP/US, CIPM, CIPT, CIPP/C, Cory Smith, MBA and 13 other attendees

View event: Why your success feels empty and what to do about it!

Why your success feels empty and what to do about it!

You are what you give your attention to. 
And right now, it's killing your leadership.


Scroll through your last 24 hours.

How much went to Teams threads that didn't need you?

How much went to doomscrolling news that left you angry?

How much went to meetings that made you feel busy but not better?

Now ask yourself: what did you consume that actually made you grow?

That's the gap.

Every book you don't read is a mentor you'll never meet.

Every hour you give to noise is an hour you're not becoming the leader your team needs.

You don't have a time problem.

You have an attention problem.

Your inputs are your blueprint. 
Choose them like your leadership depends on it.

Because it does.

I wrote more in my blog today. Link in comments.

Everything I know about servant leadership, I learned from a woman who wrote children's books.


My mom was a media specialist and a children's book author.

She didn't manage a P&L. 
She didn't lead a department. 
She never stood on a stage to talk about her leadership philosophy.

But she showed me something that no management training ever did.

She showed me that the words you speak matter:
- To yourself.
- To others.
- To the world.

Leading others by serving them isn't weak, and it isn't just one of many options.

It is the only valid option.

Pass it on.

There's one major secret to living a fulfilling life.


And it's about giving to others, not receiving recognition from them.

Living a fulfilling life means:

1. Waking up each day with an expectation to serve
↳ Make your coffee shop barista smile
↳ Go to lunch with your kid at school
↳ Ask a team member where they are stuck

2. Investing in yourself every day
↳ Read one chapter of a growth book
↳ Listen to a podcast and learn new ideas
↳ Put one thing you learn into practice

3. Taking action instead of planning endlessly
↳ Let a team member take the lead on their idea
↳ Stop worrying about all the political angles
↳ Learn through failure

You will never achieve enough to make you feel like enough.

Fulfillment comes when you give the best of what you have to serve others.

📌 DM me "PURPOSE" if you're ready to start living yours.

I met some 5th graders last week who were more impressive than many adults.


These were the finalists for the Amazing Shake competition at their school.

We sat at a table and ate breakfast together.

They carried the conversation.

They asked great questions.

They talked about serving others.

They talked about what they wanted to do when they grew up.
(the answers ranged from a day trader to a brain surgeon)

They didn't all start out being confident enough to join the Amazing Shake.

One young lady said that she thought she was too shy.
"And now here I am!"

The culture at this school is impressive and is changing lives.

When you are around people who believe in you, 
Anything is possible.

You will become like the people you spend the most time with.

Change your environment and change your life.

🔔 Follow Tarek Taha for more

"Follow your passion" is the worst career advice ever given. 


I bought into it for 25 years. 

Found work I was passionate about. 
Got promoted. 
Hit almost every target. 

Yet I still felt empty on Sunday nights. 

Here's what nobody tells high-achievers: 
- Success is about what makes YOU feel good. 
- Purpose is about what the world needs from you. 

They are not the same thing. 

I've coached dozens of leaders. 

All of them were chasing success. 
Yet most felt something was missing, no matter what they achieved.  

The leaders who actually feel fulfilled didn't chase dollars and titles. 

They asked a harder question: what was I built to contribute? 

Because success without purpose won't ever satisfy. 

Start asking what you were made for.

My work inbox was empty on my last day.


Not one email.
Not one “quick question.”
Just…nothing.

That screenshot messed with me.

For years, my calendar felt like proof I mattered.

But the truth is simple.
-You can be replaced fast.
-Your company will move on.
-Someone else will sit in your chair.
-The emails will keep coming, just not to you.

The people you love are the only ones who cannot replace you.

So if you’ve been giving your best to work,
And your leftovers to your family, 

Stop.

Work will take what you give it.
Life will take what you give it too.

Give your best to the people who can’t replace you.

👉 I'm hosting a masterclass next week on why your success feels empty and how to fix it: https://lnkd.in/e9CvvYdf

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