Globalisation key regional challenge

In the build-up to the Leaders in Dubai conference, to be staged at the Dubai International Convention Centre (DICC) on November 29-30 2004, a panel of experts debated issues of leadership, alongside the conference's project director Sheena Dunne.

Addressing the leadership debate, Saudi industrialist, Abdulla Al Zamil, chief operating officer of Saudi Arabia's Zamil Industrial Investment Company, claimed flexibility is critical to leadership, whether in government or business. He said: 'Leaders need to keep pace with the changing world.

'We are in an era of alliances. As in politics, there are no permanent rivals in the business world, and we will continue to see the world's leading players enter into strategic alliances with each other.'

According to Mark A Morgan, managing director and head of Gulf onshore, Citigroup Private Bank, the lowering of global boundaries is an issue facing many leaders today.

He said: 'Leadership is about being adaptable to change and uncertainty. Being robust enough to withstand change or to adapt to change is a competitive advantage that corporations should focus on. We live in a world that is more susceptible to change and uncertainty than ever before, due to the forces of globalisation and technology.'

Bharat Jashanmal, managing director of one of the region's leading retail groups, Jashanmal Group, claims that leadership styles in Arabia are no longer subject to differentiation in style from the rest of the world.

'Corporate Arabia's leadership model should not be different from that of the international arena, other than to take regional cultural issues into account.

'Nor should the leadership model vary from government to business: a corporation is responsible to its owners, while a government - irrespective of how it is formed - must be responsible to its citizens.'

According to project director Dunne, good leaders evolve how they operate according to their audience. 'Whether you are in the game of politics or business, a leader must be a player, coach, cheerleader and referee - able to motivate a team, develop a game plan, run all the plays and enforce the rules.

'Playing all these complex roles takes rare gifts. The main difference being that these talents in most countries are more richly rewarded in the private sector than in the public.

'Capable political leadership is critical to solving the many problems facing the world, and capable corporate leadership is critical to business success.

Leadership values
According to Jashanmal, just one word defines good leadership - vision. Dunne agrees, saying: 'Leadership is about developing a vision, sharing the goals, gaining support and delivering success.'

This theme was continued by Al Zamil. 'A good leader is, first and foremost, a visionary, who dares to dream. He is a true workaholic: he not only dreams but also works to achieve results. He leads by example.

'He has a clear set of values and does not compromise on them, even if at times he is at a loss. He respects people.'

Human capital
All the speakers agreed that the management of human capital was critical.

Morgan said: 'Perhaps the most important leadership issue is to find, motivate and retain talent. In a globalised economy, talent moves in the direction of the best opportunity, wherever it may be in the USA, Europe, Asia or the Middle East. Business leaders will be spending more time focusing on this in the future.'

According to Al Zamil, many corporations are guilty of an all-consuming quest to increase the bottom-line profits. He said: 'We are all so overwhelmed in our pursuit of maximising the shareholder value, before achieving the customer satisfaction and delight.

'It should be other way round. Employees are the most important asset a company can have. If we keep them happy, they will work with motivation and that will make customers happy. Satisfied customers result in better financials for the firm and thus making the shareholders happy too.'
Dunne argued that it is the role of a good leader to understand the potential of managing human capital more holistically.

'Leaders should create the human capital linkages to the organisation's mission and strategy. After building a human capital plan consistent with those linkages, leaders need to rally support for the plan,' she said.

Seven global leaders
In November, Dubai will host seven of the world's most influential leaders, including Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, and Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric.

As well as Giuliani, the global leaders on stage include: Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter, Tom Peters, the management guru; best-selling author Frank Maguire; MIT's Professor of Management and Economics, Lester Thurow; and the influential futurist Alvin Toffler. Welch will address the audience via a live satellite link.

The twin-city event has been billed as a first and is expected to attract up to 1,500 business leaders to Dubai.

Dunne, the event's project director, stressed that Leaders in Dubai is a ground-breaking event, offering a first-class opportunity to discuss significant issues with seven of the world's business leaders.

She said: 'Each of the speakers will deliver a discussion on a particular aspect of leadership to the audience who will have the chance to debate these points.'

Corporate ambassadors
Leaders from the business and semi-government sectors have confirmed their support as corporate ambassadors for the event, as a direct response to a request from the conference speakers.

The seven global leaders wanted a group of the most recognised and contemporary business leaders in the Middle East to be present at the event to debate ideas for future leadership development in the region

Among those lending their support to the event is Fadi Ghandour, founding president and CEO of Jordan-based courier & logistics group, Aramex International. According to Ghandour, leadership styles should be the same across government and corporations.

'Only the service type and products are different, but management in government has to be as good - of not better - than the private sector.

'Governments fail in management skills today because they do not have the same sense of responsibility and accountability as the private sector.'

According to Ghandour, leading from the front line is key. 'Leadership is about having a vision, creating a culture of trust, and building a great team. Then, it is about communicating with your people and being totally transparent: leadership is always about being in the front line and setting the example that others follow.'

Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general, Al Ain Economic Development and Tourism Promotion Authority, said that no one quality can be isolated in a great leader, but a combination of several.

He said: 'Communication skills, total market awareness and 'savvy' and a visionary outlook are all key. None of these individual characteristics can stand alone.'

According to Khamis Al Muqla, chairman and managing director of Gulf Saatchi & Saatchi and founder of Gulf Hill & Knowlton, self-awareness is a useful personal quality in a leader.

Outstanding leaders maintain a positive 'can do' sense of confidence which enables them to be shapers rather than followers, even in the face of opposition. This prime personal quality is built upon success and learning in a broad range of varied situations over time.

His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Khalid Al Qassemi, chairman of the Sharjah-based Al Qasimi Group of companies, said that a constant quest for success is vital.

'Outstanding leaders are motivated by wanting to make a real difference to people's lives by delivering a high quality service or product and by constantly developing improvements to service. The primary focus should be the achievement of goals for the greater good of others, and not the leader's own reputation. '

Leading Minds specialises in presenting the latest thoughts and groundbreaking ideas from pre-eminent international business authorities. Leaders in Dubai is set to become an annual event.

It has attracted the attention of established brands as key sponsors, including Citigroup, Ferrometal and SABIC. Al Hayat, Ameinfo.com, CNN and Gulf Business are on board as key media partners.