He Said “I’ll Do It” to a Job He Knew Nothing About | HR Director - Tarek Saoud | EP 14

“He worked the 11 PM to 8 AM shift at a hotel front desk through four years of university, while his friends were out partying. Today, Tarek Saoud is the HR Director of the Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, looking after around 700 people. Tarek has spent about 30 years in hospitality, nearly 25 of them with Marriott. He grew up in Lebanon and began his Marriott career in Jeddah in 2002. He started in sales, which he disliked, and moved into events. A volunteer role in staff activities then led to his first HR job. When the hotel’s revenue manager left suddenly, Tarek raised his hand for a job he knew nothing about, and that decision opened a series of doors. He has since helped open hotels from construction sites, onboarded 1,200 people in a few months for a mega-hotel opening, and helped bring two proud brand cultures together after the Marriott and Starwood merger. What makes this conversation different is how Tarek thinks about people. He talks about the emotional bank account his father taught him long before he found it in a book, why he treats every person he lets go with dignity and without judgment, and why he believes the best leaders hire people who complete them. In this episode, we talk about: 🔹 The night shift that built his character, and growing up as the eldest of three 🔹 Why he disliked sales, and how volunteering led him into HR 🔹 The morning he said “I’ll do it” to a job he knew nothing about 🔹 Opening hotels from construction sites and onboarding 1,200 people in 2–3 months 🔹 Bringing Starwood and Marriott teams together, and why the first six months were the hardest 🔹 The emotional bank account: his father’s lesson, found later in the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 🔹 What HR actually does, the myths people believe, and whether HR is your friend 🔹 How to let someone go and still treat them with dignity 🔹 Managing Gen Z, and what he expects from Gen Alpha 🔹 How Marriott is approaching AI, and the AI video challenge he set for his HR team 🔹 The one quality he looks for when hiring a future leader Conversations about HR often stay at the level of policy and paperwork. This one doesn’t. Tarek talks about the human side: the emotions, the egos, the difficult conversations, and the small habits that build trust. It was an eye-opener for me, and I think it will be for anyone who leads a team or wants to. 🔔 Subscribe to Uncommonly Common for new episodes every week. 📍 Link in bio. Share this episode with a friend or family member who needs to hear it. It helps me bring more guests like Tarek. The views expressed are Tarek’s own and do not represent his employer. Follow Uncommonly Common: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncommonlyc... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7FzS0q1... Connect with Tarek Saoud : 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t_saoud?obr... 💼 LinkedIn:   / tarek-saoud-8190a234   Uncommonly Common — Extraordinary Journeys. New episodes every week. Follow so you never miss a story. About the Host: Hosted by Sachin Hasan, Owner, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Silk Lantern Restaurant (Dubai), Founder and Partner of IDA Hospitality & F&B Solutions, with 20+ years in luxury hospitality across Taj properties in Delhi, New York, Dubai and the Maldives. Uncommonly Common is where extraordinary journeys get told properly. #UncommonlyCommon #TarekSaoud #HRLeadership #Marriott #HospitalityCareers #GenZAtWork #LeadershipPodcast #DubaiPodcast #CareerAdvice #EmotionalIntelligence #HospitalityIndustry #ExtraordinaryJourneys”