The Leadership Challenge Middle East

Do You Trust YOUR Leader ?  “Trust him ? Depends what day of the week it is.” “Depends what he wants me to do for him. “ Does he trust you? “Same answers. ” The term ‘engagement’ is often used as the measure of behavioral commitment in teams - highly engaged equals highly productive. Their number of factors individuals behaviors that combined to make a measurement or assessment of engagement. Trus...

We’ve all experienced some form of conflict in the workplace. We know that not all conflict is negative. Conflict is simply the coming together of divergent viewpoints where those involved ideally express their points of view openly. In this process, it can lead to a greater understanding of that different point of view and even an acceptance of validity of the ideas being expressed. This is healt...

When we use the word power – in the context of interpersonal relationships – we often assume that one party is exerting power, and some sort of control over others. In the workplace environment, we could assume that managers exert power over team members. This is clear in the directive relationship that managers believe is the best way to get things done. In simple terms, this may be the old descr...

There are several leadership myths.  One of them is  'leadership is hard'. Another that it is tired to the position or rank that you have. But the one above all, that still exists today is that you have to be born to be a leader. You have to be born to be an accountant, school teacher, mechanic and even cryptocurrency billionaire. In my workshop, I will say to participants that I’m yet t...

Leadership and Workplace Safety. In every workplace, in every part of the world, the safety of all workers, in every respect, is paramount. But what has leadership got to do with safety. After all, there’s usually a list of guidelines, even instructions on specific compliance required. This may be as simple as “wear a hardhat at all times”.  The guidelines in most cases are prepared and reinforced...

Should Leaders Forgive ? One of your team has been late for meetings three days in a row. Another team member has failed to follow up with a new client on what would have been significant business and the client and you then hear that the client is taking that business to one of your competitors. One of the team members is four days late with his weekly report. Managers in this situation may look...

Are You a Perfect Leader ? You’re a leader. You build relationships with those you are leading. You articulate regularly the shared vision for the team.  You enable the others in the team to perform beyond what they believed they could. Together with the team, you achieve all the annual objectives. You practice leadership every day. And were you told that practice makes perfect? Sorry but practice...

Aristotle said ‘courage is the first virtue’. But where does courage have a place for leaders?  We could say that courage has a place very much in our daily lives. The decisions we make even simple ones often require a deal of courage. Of course, the opposite of courage is fear. Some people are so fearful of making a decision that their life is impacted negatively - regularly.  Managers, often clo...

Contagious or contagion in the English language is usually used to describe an infectious illness or disease. We know, even the common cold passes from one person to another, so therefore is contagious. Of course, more serious health issues are also contagious. But the use of the word is not always confined to negative consequences. We could say a laugh or even a smile is contagious, as it passes...

We all have it. It’s with us during our waking hours. It’s like an observer, internally silently observing what we’re doing, what we’re saying, what we’re thinking. Until we learn the value of this silent observer, and how to work with it, we are deprived of One of the most important tools in our communication arsenal. Self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence. We can’t tap into t...

Leadership and a Happy Team   Happy ?  You should be happy you’ve got a job, now get on with it. Working in a happy team is like working with friends. Aaagh… but friends will be easily distracted. We must always focus on the job at hand. Do you remember when you’re in a class at school and the teacher brought happiness to the learning environment? Did you look forward to that class ? Of course. Li...

There was a time – and it’s in the recent past, and in some cases still exists - when mental health was a subject which was ignored. Stressed? We all have that, just get on with your job.  Stressed? Take a day off.  Because of these and other similar responses, and even a feeling of shame in the workplace, staff avoided talking about what broadly referred to as mental health. There was also a time...

Leadership and Laughter (You’re joking !) This is serious. We have objectives to meet. We have our eyes fixed on the vision, of where we are going. We are empowered to perform at our best, better even than we thought we could. We are leading our team, fully engaged and focused. Of course, we recognize and reward performance which ‘goes beyond’. After all, this is serious! And it’s why we come to w...

Leadership and the Impact of HR HR : Human Resources  HR: Human Relationships  HR: Hire Right (Thanks to Jim Collin’s book ‘Good to Great’) HR: The most important department in any organization (Sorry Sales. Sorry Finance.) More than any other department and any individual apart from the CEO, the HR department has the ability to positively influence a culture of the organization, and therefore the...

Most of us in the workforce at some stage have had someone appointed to a role ‘above us’. “ Who is he? “Where has he come from?” “How much does he know about the job?” “Will we like him?” Or her. Of course, there’s probably a dozen more questions we could think of.  When this person has been appointed to a position there will be a detailed position description, a list of responsibilities, a defin...

Leadership - Good …or Bad ? Of course we all want – and deserve – good leadership. Good leadership inspires, it challenges team members to look for a better way, it enables team members perform at their best – even better than they thought they could achieve. And good leadership recognizes achievements of individuals and the team. Good leadership creates engagement. Team members WANT to be there,...

Leadership - Everything Starts With Listening Everything? Well… of course there has to be sounds of words first, that we then listen to in the verbal process of communication. But in this verbal process, every request, every action that follows, every concern, every positive word and negative word or words is dependent on listening. Listening is the core of the verbal communication process. So oft...

Tme is passing – always. When we start anything our eyes are almost always on the watch. What is it about leaders and time? What happens the team is not prepared, is not ready, not fully briefed? Confusion can rise, motivation takes a dive - and the project can go off the rails. Often, when the manager is setting a new project or even an existing one, she or he will focus on “getting it done on ti...

At the risk of stating the obvious, effective communication, especially in business, is critical for the outcomes we are seeking. But I’m sure you knew that. Well, I assume you did. In connecting ideas and concepts, instructions and requests in our communication, assumptions seem to have become the currency of communication as we seek shortcuts. We ‘assume’ the other person or people know what’s r...

Globally, 21% of Staff Are Engaged  According to the well-respected Gallop organization, as surveyed in 2024 and published in 2025, a massive 79% of staff scored low to 'not engaged'. If we were to break that figure down, many of that 79% would be actively searching for at least a new position and more likely, a new employer. Others, for their own reasons, will choose to stay in their cu...

Conversations with direct reports – team members – are an essential part of leadership. Leaders need to have conversations which are part of their relationship with team members. The conversations reinforce, or highlight the leader’s commitment to supporting the staff. And of course, to encourage the heart, to simply say, “thank you for all that you did today” Managers, on the other hand, are not...

Is failure of itself part of the leadership journey or does it mean the end of leadership? The word ‘failure’ in the English language has clear and concise meaning. In our school years we all were fearful of the possibility of ‘failing’ the exam. The consequences of failure were never good in our learning journey through school and then university. As a process, failure has certain clear markers:...

The monthly salary for each employee is what all employees want. Of course. However what drives employees is more than money. Research shows that employees have far more important drivers than money. Meaning, purpose, belonging, feeling that they have a value, that they can make a difference and that they will be recognized and appreciated for the good work they do are far more important than the...

After what was likely to have been a rigorous recruitment process to select the best person to take on the vacant role in the team, and we then use the impersonal term ‘onboarding’. Leadership, of course, is a relationship, and that relationship is with every person on the team and beyond. The onboarding process conducted by a leader, will ensure that the new member feels welcomed, and that they a...

Most of us follow a career progression often in the city in which we grew up. We learn “leadership “for that context and even though initially it may be challenging at least, we seem to have an understanding, not only the language but also the culture we are in. Quite simply, it’s our ‘culture’. Then feeling comfortable in what we’ve achieved, or maybe looking for greater opportunities, we accept...