I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in New York this year, which has allowed me to indulge in my one food passion: pizza. Even if I have a few hours’ layover at JFK, I have a driver pick me up and zip me 15 minutes away to Dani’s House of Pizza in Queens.

It’s a gem of find; an old-style pizzeria with a line out the door as people wait to grab a slice and, for the lucky few, one of the seven coveted counter seats.

On my first trip, I met the son of the owner who told me that Dani’s — purveyor of this Italian culinary staple — was in fact Albanian. Not only that, he explained that many, if not most, of the pizza shops in Queens and Brooklyn were Albanian too.

I was puzzled — I never knew Albania was famous for its pizza. Of course it’s not, but thanks to Dani’s, New York pizza shops had become part of the city’s Albanian woodwork.

In 1957, Ramiz Dani came to the US to escape the Albania-Soviet Union split, and the only job he could find was in Little Italy, making pizza. After learning the art of pizza-making, he set up a temporary shop in Queens. As more Albanian refugees made it to New York, they landed on the doorstep of Dani’s House of Pizza in hopes of securing a job.

There, they would also learn the pizza craft, before going on to set up their own shop.

“Did that bother your dad?” I asked. “Not at all! He never intended to stay in the US,” said his son. Despite his success, and right up until his passing in 2000, Ramzi Dani had thought of living in New York as a temporary situation.

That struck a familiar chord with me. Every day, people land in airports throughout the GCC in pursuit of a short-term opportunity, unaware that it will develop into a whole new life. Like Ramzi Dani, newcomers to Dubai think they’ll be here for a few temporary years.

Dubai is like a modern-day New York City. Both cities welcome the world and allow success for all. In fact, the metropolis is reminiscent of NYC from a century ago, when the growing US economy enticed millions of European migrants to leave their impoverished countries behind.

Countless numbers of immigrants endured crowded, unsanitary conditions deep in the bowels of steamships en route to the US. Often they’d spend up to two straight weeks seasick in their bunks during the rough Atlantic crossing. Yet, on their arrival at New York’s Ellis Island inspection station, these same immigrants, who were in effect dehumanised by their journey, infused the city with their labour and ideas.

People were encouraged to put their skills to work, building a new future and success both for the individual and the state.

As a result, by the 1920s, New York was the largest city on the planet, and today remains the cultural and financial capital of the world. It became a hub for people looking for a new life, and didn’t disappoint. In the same way, people flock to Dubai to pursuit of opportunity.

This similarity left a real question in my mind: Are you building a future just for you? Or are you leaving something behind?

Ramzi Dani not only left a business behind for his son, he unselfishly built dozens of pizza shops, which employed immigrant workers and taught them skills that would turn them into direct competitors. People came to work at his shop in pursuit of a new and better opportunity. And he never stood in their way.

Do you embody this style of leadership?

An element of leadership success is creating an environment that encourages others to excel. Rather than only obsessing over your success and using others to achieve it, leave something behind.

Focus on helping other people succeed, even if they become your direct competitors. Five decades later, Dani’s House of Pizza, still has lines out the door every day, even while his former protégés are also thriving.

Perhaps one day someone write about your business, not only because you did great, but because you helped others succeed.

The writer is a CEO coach and author of “Leadership Dubai Style”. Contact him at tsw@tommyweir.com