how to be a leader scott jackson osc uae pioneers jan2014

How to become a leader in the UAE

Professor William [email protected]

+447785110910

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leadership is simple? And you thought leadership was complicated!

(Dee Hock, Founder Visa)

Leadership in 15 seconds:

Think back to the best boss or teacher and the worst boss or teacher you ever had

1. Make a list of all the things done to you that you hated

DON’T DO THEM TO OTHERS – EVER!

2. Make a list of the things done to you that you loved

DO THEM TO OTHERS – ALWAYS!

© Oxford Strategic Consulting 2013

04/18/2023 3

• What are the opportunities for you to become leaders?

• What are great leaders like?

• What should you do to become a leader?

• Your ‘competitive advantage’

• What next?

What we will cover - together

Thanks to BP for their great support for our new research into ‘Maximising

Emirati Talent’


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Oxford Strategic Consulting delivers practical consultancy and training based on thought-leadership and research in HR effectiveness, Leadership and Emiratization.

Sheikh Khaled Olayan (Host) presents H.E. Adel Fakieh, Saudi Arabia

Minister of Labor (Patron) with OSC Practical Business Toolkit at

OSC Employment Conference, Riyadh

Partnerships with leading GCC and global organizations and Universities

OSC translates research and knowledge into practical action and support

04/18/2023 © Oxford Strategic Consulting 2013

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Research Base


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What are the opportunities for you to become leaders in the UAE?


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On average, one person can lead 12 other people

Let’s assume that Emiratis, like anyone else, want to run their own country

(based on average spans of control - ignoring matrix organisations etc.)Dunbar, R.I.M. (1993), Coevolution of neocortical size, group size and language in humans, Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (4): 681–735


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But the leader is also a member of his/her team.So now let’s add 12 colleagues, each with their

team of 12, and an overall leader

Next level up


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Then add 12 more leaders, each with their team of 12, and the overall leader

Next level up


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Till you end up with the well-known hierarchy

Next level up – and so on ……


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So how many leaders does a country need?

Strategic Leaders

1%

Executive Leaders

7%

Supervisors & non-leaders

92%

Roughly 8% of workforce


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United Kingdom

Strategic Leaders

1%

Executive Leaders

7%


92%

There are ~55m UK nationals

Of the total 60m population of UK, 4.8m

need to be leaders

So less than 10% of UK nationals are

needed as leaders

~5m expats Germany: ~74m German nationals , ~6m expats,

6.4m (<10%) German nationals need to be executive leaders


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United Arab Emirates

Strategic Leaders

1%

Executive Leaders

7%


92%

There are ~1m UAE nationals

Of the total ~8m population of the UAE,

0.64m need to be leaders

So a very high proportion (>64%)

of Emiratis are NEEDED as leaders!

~7m expats


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What about overall demand?e.g. Oil & Gas Sector?

The Big Crew Change!


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Because I want to do something else

Generally, its not an active, informed dislike – but an absence of knowledge

The work is tiring and dangerous

Don’t want to work in the desert

Prefer to work for the government in an

office job

I am not scientifically

minded

It’s not for girlsThe work is

dirty

Low status, manual work

Work placement scheme

Voluntary work

Careers event

Part time work

Overseas study

None of the above

14%

8%

3%

0%

0%

76%

In the last 12 months have you taken part in any of the following?

Its ‘Gross’!

But employers tell us that they find it difficult to attract Emiratis.

Why?


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Engineers are valued all over the world as highly skilled and technical experts

Engineers travel the world and are in high demand

Being a qualified engineer would be really cool

Engineering is a job for life with high rewards

I want to work overseas

I would love to work as an engineer for a company in the oil and gas industry

I would love to work for a company in the oil and gas industry but not as an engineer

65%

58%

55%

51%

35%

28%

29%

Positive statements about a career in engineering

% of respondents who slightly or strongly agreed


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We need to go from

‘Gross’ ‘Cool’


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Opportunities to be a leader in the UAE


HUGE

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What is a great leader?

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• What are the characteristics of a good leader?

• Can leadership be developed or is it all ‘natural’?

So ……?


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What is ‘Effective Leadership’?: meta-analysis of global research into best practice

Authentic (within traditional styles of participative, directive, inspiring)

New Genre Leadership - charisma etc - raise higher order values (altruism) and raise aspirations. Emotional attachment.

Complexity leadership dynamic, holistic, non transactional

High Performance Leader

Transactional Leadership reward for output. (seen as dysfunctional)

Shared leadership

Leader-Member Exchange Theory LMX

Followership The attributes of the led are inputs not outputs

Leader Substitute Theory e.g. Technology, tools, process,

Cross cultural Project Globe (House et al 2004)

Servant Leader Theory

E-leadership leading virtual teams etc

Situational Leadership - dynamic, holistic, non transactional

Participative Leadership: Building commitment

Leadership as a distinct discipline

Leadership as part of complex system

Executive Presence

Driving Performance:Leading from the front

Academic research suggests that leadership should be seen as participative and part of a complex system

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Transformational Leadership


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Participative Leadership: Building commitment

Leadership as a distinct discipline

Leadership as part of complex system

Driving Performance:Leading from the front

Sets direction, narrates and simplifies goals and vision for teams

Articulates goals and vision more frequently and clarifies priorities to create meaning and inspiration

Uses recognition and feedback to create and open and confident culture

Plays to win for the success of the organization by collaborating and working across functional Scans the external

environment and promotes strategic and agile thinking by asking great questions

Displays unwavering sense of professional will in face of short term set-back for longer term sustained high performance

Builds relationships with honesty and authenticity for themselves and their teams

Fosters trust, accountability and self -awareness as fundamental management behaviours in the organization

Drives for results and holds themselves and others to account .

Creates an innovative and learning culture through openness, drive for improvement and learning from failure.

Has an intelligent risk taking approach aligned with company values, beliefs and compliance

Creates high performing virtual teams by having clear team goals, cross functional groups, clear and resourced roles and tasks, diversity, creativity ,co-operation and review of results.

Doesn’t have to be an expert in change management but there is evidence of an adopted change model , ideally as a common tool across teams / the organization

‘Best Practice’ suggests aLeadership focus on driving Performance

What is ‘Effective Leadership’?: Review of global best practice exemplars

22© Oxford Strategic Consulting 2013

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Can Leadership be developed?or is it all ‘natural’?

Leadership behaviors

Leadership capabilities

Traits(~30%

hereditary)

Intervening effects.

Individual & team performance

Organizational performance

Building group identity

Learned through

Experiences (~70%)

Inspiring

Setting goals, vision

Listening

Recognizing

Emotional Intelligence

Psychological capital

Assertiveness

Authoritative

Personable, ‘Presence’

Charisma

Reductionist

Training

Life experiences

Work experiences

Motivation

Engagement

Productivity

‘Wastage

Staff turnover

Cost control

Quality

Market reputation

Commitment

Goal clarity

Passion

Sense of identity and loyalty

Low anxiety

Drive

Profit, Revenue

Cost Income Ratio

Market Share

Shareholder value

Strategic focus on

Leadership

Individuals pay attention to their

own and their subordinate’s

leadership

Exhortations

Rewards & recognition

Measures

Set as strategic priority


Risk propensity

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What is Effective Leadership?:New World Leadership

Key to effectiveness in the new world is engagement and values:

BUT globally 78% of employees say they are not engaged

Employees who are most committed to their organizations expend 57 percent more effort and are 87 percent less

likely to resign than those who are disengaged.

Leadership is THE main driver of engagement

So ‘best practice’ leadership models are not working


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What is Effective Leadership?:‘Old world’ vs. ‘new world’ Leadership

I’m the leader!(you are the followers)

My decisions are right!(no need to involve followers)

We’ll do it my way!(a great way to lose great people!)

OLD WORLD LEADERSHIP


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New World Leadership:The Gulf Leadership Style


The Gulf Arab Leadership Style:Building Lasting Relationships


The Gulf Arab Leadership Style:Building Lasting Relationships

For the Gulf Arab Manager, relationships are extremely important in all aspects of life, including

business, and the power of relationships sets them apart.

Actively seeks to build wide and influential relationships.

Operates in a manner that builds trust in others.

Is honest at all times and displays openness to colleagues and customers.

Respects other people’s views and customs (politeness).

Invests time in maintaining existing relationships.

Supports friends and family in all aspects of life - and gains support from them.

Demonstrates trust in others.

Sees long term relationship as more important than short term gain.

Values loyalty.

Adopts a ‘person-oriented’ rather than impersonal approach to business.

Shares knowledge and ‘discloses’ to those in close relationships.

Manages conflict

“It is vitally important that people be loyal to their leaders, but it is even more important that a leader be loyal to his people. A leader and his people share a bond of faith in each other, which, if broken, is extremely difficult to fix.” H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum

“I apply not my sword where my lash suffices, nor my lash where my tongue is enough. And even if there be one hair binding me to my fellowmen, I do not let it break: when they pull I loosen, and if they loosen I pull” Caliph Mu’äwiyah AD 661-680 in Muna :63


The Gulf Arab Leadership Style:Leading as Head of the Family


“The relationship between the leaders and the people of the UAE is one of the secrets behind the nation's success…Our leadership style is to make the organisation a family with a head whose job is to make the family strong and successful

but also to look after the members of the family.” HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem

The Gulf Arab Manager sees the company or their team as like their family - with the same obligations

and responsibilities to those being led and leading.

Leads the team as ‘head of the family’ with the same duties, responsibilities and authority.

Recognises obligation to colleagues and duty to support, guide and nurture team members.

Demonstrates strong loyalty to their boss and expect strong loyalty from their team.

‘Learn from our fathers’ – respect for experience, age and knowledge.

Every employee made to feel part of the ‘family’ with obligations and benefits.

Seeks to be a strong role model for their people by gaining knowledge and guidance from their leader and sharing it freely.

Informal constant communications both upwards and downwards.

Seeks to get to know the personal issues of their people and help them where possible.

Consults extensively to understand the thoughts and feelings of colleagues and create a sense of involvement.

Balances duties to ‘work family’ with duties to ‘non-work family’ and other communities.

Has an ‘open door’ policy where people of various levels can gain access to the ‘head’ at any time (re majlis).

Supports the ‘head’ in public but also say what you really think in private without implying disloyalty – it’s your decision but …

The Gulf Arab Leadership Style:Leading as Head of the Family


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What should you do to become a leader?


I am astonished by the attitude of many of the young [nationals], who even if they

possess little academic ability were unwilling to undertake hard work!

a growing hard-core of young people aged between 16 and 18 are not

prepared to put in a hard days work. “they have a poor work ethic, punctuality, appearance, and manners”

Jamie Oliver

First – the perceived problems.Does anyone recognise these kinds of statements?


immigrants make far better workers - my businesses would close immediately if I

depended on national staff!!

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• What are the best ways for young people to become leaders?

• Do the UAE have any advantages when it comes to creating an

exceptional percentage of leaders?

• Can we ‘fast-track’ Emiratis into executive leadership positions?

Solutions


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How to become a leader?

Run business:

Learn from leaders

Get a Mentor

Practice being a leader

Get business skills


Create something new

Organise a volunteer group

Organise a club

Get support

Market yourself

Get a team

Volunteer for internship

Do something useful

Invent

Be a Leader!

Take charge of something Take a Challenge

and risk

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Do young Emiratis have any ‘competitive advantages’ in becoming leaders?


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1. The motivations of young Emiratis

Help the country

Money

Challenge

Development

Contribute to society

Easy life

Pride

Influence

Travel

Excitement

54%

38%

34%

34%

40%

22%

10%

10%

8%

6%

29%

38%

40%

38%

27%

27%

19%

12%

8%

10%

Which of the following motivate you the most?

Vocational college and university students High school students

National Pride

“I want my father to be proud of me”

“My country

and my family

are everything

to me”

“I want to be

part of growing

the UAE as a

great nation”


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2. The Role Models chosen by young Emiratis

Friends

Teachers

Don't know

Work-related role models

Public figures (e.g. Dahi Khalfan, HH Sheikh Khalifa, HH Sheikh Mohamed)

Relatives (e.g. Father, Mother, Uncle, Sibling)

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Role ModelsYoung Males across GCC

vote Sheikh Mohammed as ‘coolest male’. (Arab News 2007)


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3. The Gulf Arab Leadership Style

Trading With

Respect

Being the Best

Building Lasting

Relationships

Creating Bold

Visions

Leading as

Head of the

‘Family’

Treasuring Time

Honouring

Responsibility

Continuously

Adapting

Culture Islam

History


Can we ‘fast track’ Emiratis to leadership positions?

• Armies• Graduate schemes• Family businesses

Does a person need to have cleaned rooms, in order to run a hotel? To have laid bricks in order to run a construction company?To have flown or maintained a plane in order to run an airline?

© Oxford Strategic Consulting 2013 40

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Conclusion: Whose job is it to make you a leader?

There are HUGE opportunities to become leaders in the UAE

You can become a leader

You can ‘fast-track’ your own leadership career

It’s up to you© Oxford Strategic Consulting 2013

You can develop your leadership potential

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If you want to become a leader:


Email [email protected] +447785110910

شكرا

Be a leader

mailto:[email protected]

how to be a leader scott jackson osc uae pioneers jan2014

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