What I learned in Dubai, part 2 – Leadership

When you look around and see success, you have to know it was no accident and it wasn’t easy.  It comes from the mind of man coupled with his sheer will and determination, with countless problems solved along the way.

There were three leaders, called Sheiks, that have ruled since 1958.  The first was Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

In America, lost all I have learned about the Middle East was about terrorism and war.  What do you think of when you hear a name like Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum?

Well, let me break it down for you.  In America, you have a first, middle, and last name, right?  Your last name is your father’s last name.  Well in Dubai, your first name is yours, your father’s last name is your middle name, and your last name is your family name.  And Sheikh means leader.

So my Dad’s name was Roger.  So my name translated would be Sheikh Lawrence bin Roger Al Janesky.  See?  Easy right?

So anyway, Sheikh Rashid became the leader of Dubai in 1958.  Oil was discovered in 1969, but it would not last forever.  He famously said, “My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, and his son will ride a camel.”

He had foresight and knew the oil money would run out.  It was all they had.  He could have just lived the high life while it lasted and left the problem to the future generations (Seems like what we are doing now in America, giving the future 30 Trillion in debt).

Instead, he made a plan and started executing it.  He transformed Dubai from a cluster of villages to a modern port city and commercial hub.

Dubai leaders are not elected.  They are the leader because they are the first son of their father, and their father died.  I am not advocating for that system because if the son is a thug, an idiot, an egomaniac, or has any number of other faults, the people are in trouble.  But there is one advantage I can see.  They think long-term.

In our country today, that seems to be missing among many of our leaders who buy the people’s votes with their childrens money just to win the next election.  I digress…

In Dubai’s case, Sheikh Rashid had a vision that set all this in motion and worked on it from 1958 to 1990 when he died.  Then his son Sheikh Maktoum took over.  He was a chip off the old block.  He learned from his Dad and continued for 16 years until he died.  In 2006 his son, the current ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum took over.  Sheikh Mohammed not only continued where his grandfather and father left off but ratcheted their vision into overdrive, building the world’s premier tourist destination – in short order.

Leadership is where it starts.  And Dubai has had great leaders.  And while building it all out, they kept the UAE together and worked out problems.  Remember, Dubai is one of seven UAE states and it is not the capital. While serving as leaders of Dubai, these leaders also served as co-leaders of the UAE.

So do YOU have a vision?  How big is it?  Do you have the will to act?

To be continued….