Good morning, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
You at INSEAD know what you are doing. You have chosen to conduct today’s Leadership
Summit Middle East in the United Arab Emirates, a country that epitomizes
transformation. And, more specific, you
have assembled in Abu Dhabi, where the wisdom, practical competence, and
integrity of our nation’s leaders are tested daily. Your concern today – The Challenge of Transformation: A
Test of Leadership – has been our concern since the birth
of the United Arab Emirates in 1971.
Our founding president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
Al-Nahayan led us as our seven emirates transformed into the United Arab
Emirates. He held in his
heart our hopes and dreams for the future
and formed a nation that looks to the future.
We have become an influential, prosperous nation in an incredibly
short time because we are always looking to the future.
The past
forty years of the United Arab Emirates present a record that makes us all
proud. Few, if any, countries in the
history of the world have developed farther and faster economically than the
UAE. Few, if any, developing countries
have made better use of their resources in serving the interests of the
nation’s citizens. Our leaders have at
the same time made tolerance a hallmark of the UAE. People from all parts of the world and from
distinctly different cultures live in peace and harmony within our borders and
enjoy a remarkable stability and prosperity.
We are a nation that has led our region in
demonstrating that one can be true to one’s culture and still engage others at
home and abroad in a cooperative, respectful, and productive fashion.
Just as Sheikh Zayed projected us into the future through his
wisdom and vision, so our President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed
Al-Nahayan, leads us with wisdom and vision.
He has been able to see beyond the horizon and chart a path for our
country's future. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the leaders of our
country for creating an environment of opportunity for all of our people.
Still looking to the future, the emirate of Abu Dhabi,
with the vision and leadership of the Crown Prince and Deputy Commander
of the Armed Forces, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, is further transforming itself in accord with Abu
Dhabi 2030 -- a bold, ambitious, and carefully articulated strategy. The plan lays
the foundation for a socially cohesive and economically sustainable community
that preserves the emirate’s unique cultural heritage while gathering power
from its connections with other cultures.
It deals
directly with human resources development, full employment of citizens, reduced
dependence on oil, expanded manufacturing, infrastructure renewal, sustainable
development and “green” technology, and tourism and culture. Abu Dhabi aims all
of its actions toward enhancing its business competitiveness and becoming even
more business friendly. To those ends,
Abu Dhabi also promotes entrepreneurship, encourages investments in new
companies, and supports entrepreneurial education and training. The emirate intends to be a center of
excellence for higher education and for research and development. You, no doubt, know the details of Abu Dhabi 2030 and recognize important
and profitable opportunities open to you.
Many of you have or very likely will lead your own businesses in support
of Abu Dhabi 2030. You too will be
tested as leaders.
Ladies and gentlemen:
An important question in front of you is: how do we
judge a leader to have passed the test of leadership? A standard measure is the financial bottom
line, a line that economists, entrepreneurs, CEOs, boards of directors, middle
managers, and employees cannot ignore.
The acclaimed new movie Margin Call shows us leaders who pursue money for money’s sake
and do anything for the sake of the bottom line, and we see dramatically on the
screen that those leaders do not pass the test.
Sheikh Zayed passed the test of leadership. To be sure, he moved the United Arab Emirates
forward to astounding financial bottom lines.
But more important and absolutely essential were his wisdom, his
practical competence, and his steadfast integrity, all devoted to his goal of
improving and enriching the lives of his countrymen. He was deeply concerned for those people who were affected
by his decisions and actions. He was
always determined to discover what was morally right and always had the courage
to do what was morally
right. That is the bottom line that
matters most. Those are the actions that
will enable us to pass the test of leadership as we together work to transform
Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates.
After
Sheikh Zayed’s passing, and with the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh
Khalifa, examples abound in Abu Dhabi and the UAE of strong, competent, and
transformative leadership that makes a difference in both the public and
private arenas. We in the UAE greatly
appreciate the importance of leadership.
I am, in fact, reminded of an old Arabic saying that:
“An
army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.”
I
am also reminded that the world today may be facing an uncertain future. It is my view that those of you who are here
attending this summit will have a significant impact, through your leadership,
in determining what the future will be.
I
believe that anyone who is, or aspires to be, a leader should wish to be held
accountable, should embrace the need for transparency, realizing that the true
measure of leadership is in terms of the importance and difficulty of the
challenge the leader faces, and the importance of the goals to be achieved.
Easy victories are cheap, whatever the field of endeavor.
Everyone
probably has his or her own list of characteristics that would be desirable in
a transformative leader. I will not try to set out a complete or detailed list
of my own. I do, however, want to
mention three things that should be part of almost any leader’s qualities.- First, it is almost always useful to know a bit of history. So many things are better understood in historical context.
- Second, it is important to understand culture and the business
environment. I can make my point by citing another Arabic saying:
“He
who does not know the falcon would cook it.”
-
Third, any successful leader must maintain the ability to accept
reality while understanding the need for change. The mid-18th century French
artist Gustave Courbet (Cour-BEY) revolutionized the artist’s and the public’s
view of art, and paved the way for the Impressionists. In describing his approach, Courbet said, and
I quote:
“By studying tradition, I managed
to free myself from it.”
This
is not a bad approach to innovation, transformation, and entrepreneurship. If we follow this approach, we must ask ourselves
the question:- What do today’s regional and global realities mean for our social, economic, and political institutions?
- What limits will be placed on the operation of market forces and competitive economic systems to preserve political and social institutions and stability?
- What differences must come about in social policies, programs and
theories if we are to live in peace and deal humanely with the needs of the
world’s growing and ageing populations?
We expect business leaders to care about matters such as the environment, education, health care, social and economic inequities, climate change, and renewable energy. Business leaders must appreciate the importance of getting engaged in these issues not only for the benefit of their companies, but also for the common good.
Ladies and
Gentlemen:
For more than
50 years, INSEAD has played a vital role in developing leaders who have shaped
economic and business matters around the world.
INSEAD has for the last four years offered programs on its Abu Dhabi
campus. As an interested observer, I
applaud your attention to Abu Dhabi’s long-term aspirations in the face of
rapid social and organizational change, business dynamics, corporate
citizenship, and evolving globalization.
You will, I’m sure, engage in notably productive discussions. I look forward to studying the results of
today’s summit and gaining wisdom from them.Thank you for the opportunity to address you today. I am confident that you will be successful in meeting all of your expectations and aspirations.
To learn more about the views of H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, you can read this interview with him:
ReplyDeletehttp://knowledge.insead.edu/leadership-UAE-education-100125.cfm