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….

Who dressed you this morning?

People take you at your word for who you are.  

They are not going to argue with who you say you are.

You say to the world who you are by how you dress (and groom).

What I learned in Dubai

Marie and I went to a couple of different places for our honeymoon.  Dubai was one of them.

I didn’t know much about Dubai.  I couldn’t point to it on a map, didn’t know if women needed to cover their faces, or if it was really safe.  I had heard some good things like it was rich and growing and had the tallest building in the world.

After my visit I felt like it was the flowering of humanity.  5000 years of human progress suddenly mushrooming out of the earth.  Complete wonder.

I’m in awe.  Even after seeing it and asking a lot of questions, I still don’t quite get it.  I’ll talk about the parts I think I do understand.

There’s more than I can say in one post, so I’ll split it up into parts.  How many parts?  We’ll see!

In this part I’ll give you the rough basics.  (I’m not a precise historian, and don;t have time to be, so don’t get caught up in my approximations)

 In the early part of the last century, Dubai was a city-state along the northwest corner of the Indian Ocean between the Middle East and Asia and the main industry was pearl diving.  (Mikimoto developed cultured pearls in Japan and wiped out the pearl diving industry in Dubai in 1929.)  It was poor and dusty and struggling.  It was a British colony so along with so many other languages from nearby, people spoke English. (I met one guy who speaks 12 languages).

The Sheik who ruled asked Britain for permission to build an airport and they told him no, they didn’t need one. (Heathrow airport in London was the busiest airport in the world at the time.)  He persisted and eventually they gave him permission, with the first runway opening in 1965.

Britain eventually gave up Dubai and left.  

Here’s where things get interesting.  There were other city states bordering Dubai, such as Abu Dhabi, 85 miles southwest along the gulf of the Persian Gulf.  They had their own leaders.  Instead of competing or fighting with these other territories, they decided to join together and formed the United Arab Emirates, now comprised of 7 states.  

Usually when this is considered they fight over who will be the leader and where will be the capital and it doesn;t work.  But the leaders put their egos aside and realized there were far more benefits for the people to be gained. To me, this was big. Abu Dhabi became the capital.

They had little resources but began working to make a plan.  

I thought Dubai was all oil money – and yes, there was oil in Dubai for 10-12 years, but they ran out.  Abu Dhabi has lots of oil and gas, but it’s the only state to have it.

Dubai decided to make itself a tourist destination so they had a future as the old ran out.  And they went big.

Real big.  

The biggest ever.

To be continued…

Today you will not be given anything.

Today you won’t be given jack shit.  

No success or results will fall in your lap.

You have to earn it.

You have to take it.

Go.

The people you meet…

Each person you meet teaches you something.

They leave a part of themselves in you, good or bad, and you learn.

Can you/do you make deliberate choices about who to be around?

It matters – a lot.

Your biggest obstacle

The biggest obstacle to your growth is yourself.

When you look in the mirror you are looking at your problem.

The good news is that you are also looking at the solution.

It’s up to you.

Be responsible for yourself

People that do not take responsibility for their life, give it away to other people.

And guess what they have planned for you?

Not much.

Take responsibility for your ambitions, goals, actions and results.

Give people exactly what you say you will – or…

Give people exactly what you say you will, or better.

When they need someone they can rely on to help them, they will turn to you and you will get opportunities.

A red flag is a red flag

When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.

Envision your future

Human beings are the only animals that can envision a future, and this ability is responsible for hope, optimism and most great advances in civilization.

Are you using this ability well?