Question

Read the case study below and answer the following four questions:  

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founder of the UAE.

His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan served as President of the United Arab Emirates since the formation of the Federation on 2 December 1971 and as Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi since 1966.

Understanding the UAE is impossible without understanding the life of Sheikh Zayed and his deep religious faith, vision, determination and hard work; his generosity at home and abroad; and the way in which he devoted his life to the service of his people and the creation of a better world.

Born around 1918 in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed was the youngest of the four sons of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1922 to 1926. At the time of Sheikh Zayed’s birth, the Emirate was poor and undeveloped, with an economy based primarily on fishing and pearl diving and on simple agriculture in scattered oases inland. As Sheikh Zayed grew into a young man, he travelled extensively throughout the country, gaining a deep understanding of the land and its people. In the early 1930s, when oil company teams arrived to undertake preliminary geological surveys, he obtained his first exposure to the industry that would shape the development of the UAE today.

Life, even for members of the ruling family, was simple. Education was generally confined to lessons in reading and writing, along with instruction in Islam from the local preacher. Transport was by camel or boat, and the harshness of the arid climate meant that survival itself was often a major concern.

Through the late 1920s and 1930s, Sheikh Zayed’s thirst for knowledge took him into the desert, living alongside Bedouin tribesmen to learn all he could about their way of life and connection with their surroundings. He joyfully recalled his experiences of life and his initiation into the sport of falconry, which became a lifelong passion.

The first cargo of crude oil was exported from Abu Dhabi in 1962. On 6 August 1966, Sheikh Zayed succeeded his elder brother as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. He promptly increased contributions to the Trucial States Development Fund and with revenues growing as oil production increased, Sheikh Zayed undertook a massive construction program, building schools, housing, hospitals and roads.

In 1946, Sheikh Zayed was chosen as Ruler’s Representative in Abu Dhabi's Eastern Region, centered on Al Ain, 160 kilometers inland east of Abu Dhabi. He brought to his new task a firm belief in the values of consultation and consensus and his judgments ‘were distinguished by their acute insights, wisdom and fairness.’ The job involved ruling over six villages and an adjacent desert region. Despite a lack of significant government revenue, Sheikh Zayed was successful in advancing Al Ain. Sheikh Zayed established a basic administration system, personally funded the first modern school in the Emirate and encouraged relatives and friends to contribute towards small-scale development.

He revised local water ownership rights to ensure a more equitable distribution, which led to agricultural development and re-establishment of the oasis as the predominant market center. Sheikh Zayed’s city planning in Al Ain helped ensure a bright future, and today, the city is one of the greenest in the Arab world.

In August 1966, Sheikh Zayed became Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with a mandate to develop the Emirate as quickly as possible. His years in Al Ain had given him valuable experience in government and time to develop a vision of progress. With the export of the first cargo of Abu Dhabi crude oil in 1962, Sheikh Zayed could rely on oil revenues to start an infrastructure overhaul, constructing schools, housing, hospitals and roads.

In 1968 with the British announcement of the country’s withdrawal from the Arabian Gulf, Sheikh Zayed stepped to action to quickly establish closer ties with the Emirates. Together with the late Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Zayed called for a Federation that would include not only the seven Emirates that made up the Trucial States, but also Qatar and Bahrain.

Eventually seven states followed Sheikh Zayed in establishing the UAE, which formally emerged on the international stage on 2 December 1971.

The new state emerged at a time of political turmoil in the region. A couple of days prior, Iran had seized the islands of Greater and Lesser Tunb, part of Ras al-Khaimah, and had landed troops on Abu Musa, part of Sharjah. Foreign observers predicted that the UAE would survive only with difficulty, pointing to disputes with its neighbors and to the wide disparity between the seven Emirates. Sheikh Zayed was more optimistic and the predictions of those early pessimists were shown to be unfounded. There is little doubt that the prosperity, harmony and modern development that today characterizes the UAE is due to the long-term vision and formative role played by the UAE’s founding fathers.

While Sheikh Zayed’s enthusiasm for the Federation was a key factor in the formation of the UAE, he also won support for the way in which he sought consensus and agreement among his fellow rulers. Sheikh Zayed was elected by these rulers to serve as the first President of the UAE, a post to which he was successively re-elected at five-year intervals.

One foundation of his philosophy as a leader and statesman was that the resources of the country should be fully used to the benefit of the people. This extended to the women of the UAE, who flourished under his visions of education, employment and equality for all Emiratis.

In governing the nation, Sheikh Zayed drew from Arabian Bedouin traditions of consensus and consultation. At an informal level, that principle has long been practiced through the institution of the majlis (council) where a leading member of society holds an “open-house” discussion forum. The forum allows any individual the opportunity to proffer views for discussion and consideration.

In 1970, recognizing that Abu Dhabi was embarking on a process of rapid development, Sheikh Zayed formalized the consultation process and established the National Consultative Council, bringing together the leaders of each of the main tribes. A similar body was created in 1971 for the entire UAE: the Federal National Council, the state’s parliament.

As the country grew, the conservation of natural environment and wildlife was critical to Sheikh Zayed. He believed that the character of the Emirati people derives, in part, from the struggle to survive in the harsh and arid local environment. In this vein, Sheikh Zayed worked throughout his life on ensuring the preservation of such species as the Arabian Oryx and the sand gazelle. The World Wildlife Fund recognized his great contribution with the prestigious Gold Panda award.

Sheikh Zayed was also notably a firm opponent of harsh dogmas and intolerance. In an interview in 2002, he said, “Muslims stand against any person of Muslim faith who will try to commit any terror act against a fellow human being. A terrorist is an enemy of Islam and of humanity, while the true Muslim is friendly to all human beings and a brother to other Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This is because Islam is a religion of mercy and tolerance.”

Sheikh Zayed applied his tolerance ideals more broadly. Within the Arabian Gulf region, and in the wider Arab world, the UAE has traditionally sought to enhance cooperation and resolve disagreements through a calm pursuit of dialogue and agreement.

In the 1990s Sheikh Zayed recognized that the UAE could play a more active role in international peacekeeping operations. The UAE Armed Forces participated in the Arab Deterrent Force that sought to bring to an end the civil strife in Lebanon, and in UNISOM TWO, the United Nations peacekeeping and reconstruction force in Somalia.

In early 1999, Sheikh Zayed was among the first world leaders to express support for the decision by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to launch its aerial campaign to force Serbia to halt its genocidal activities against the people of Kosovo. From late 1999 to 2001, the UAE contingent serving with the UN’s peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR) was the largest from any of the non-NATO states, and the only one from an Arab or Muslim country.

While ensuring that the UAE should increasingly shoulder international responsibilities, however, Sheikh Zayed also made it clear that the UAE’s role is one that is focused on relief and rehabilitation.

In the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, the policy adopted by the UAE clearly reflects the desire of Sheikh Zayed to share the good fortune of his country with those less fortunate. The country now plays a major role in the provision of relief and development assistance worldwide, through bodies like the Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development—established by Sheikh Zayed before the foundation of the UAE—as well as through institutions like the Red Crescent Society.

Sheikh Zayed died in 2004, in his late eighties, leaving behind a legacy as the Father of the nation. He was succeeded as the UAE's President and as Ruler of Abu Dhabi by his eldest son, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2004. The principles and philosophy that he brought to government, however, remain at the core of the state, and of its policies, today. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, was chosen as Vice President of the Federation following the death of his brother Sheikh Maktoum in 2006.

Questions.

1. What Leadership Lessons do we Learn from the above case about His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (5 marks).
2. Using the concept of the five levels of Leadership, elaborate on the traits and qualities of His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan; which level would you say the father of the UAE was at and why? (5 marks)

3. From the case Study, what challenges do leaders encounter and how did His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan resolve the challenges he encountered (5 marks).

4. From your Understanding, are leaders born or they are made? (5 marks).

Answer 1

1. From the given narrative, it is evident that His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was a true leader who tried his best to bring growth and progress to all. Right form this childhood, he spent ample amount of time with local community to understand the problems and the support he provided to the ones in need. His hardwork, determination and leadership ensures the state of UAE was born and he played an instrumental role is bringing UAE as a leader in the middle east region. If we closely analyze the different qualities he exhibited form his childhood, we can see that was an inspiration to others and he considered himself accountable and responsible to lead others to better days. His decision making along with the courage to take hard stances ensured he drove the nation forward. He was also instrumental in ensuring the oil rigging process was done and soon identified it as an opportunity to improve the condition of the nation. He was a great visionary who saw that the kingdoms will not be able to sustain long term alone but a united front was required in the modern era. His vision led to the formation of UAE. He also invested in local communities to education and local amenities to the general mass. He thoroughly focussed on ensuring the people were education and developed in his nation. The Zayed charitable foundation supports lot of regions through their charity work and this was also another area which His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan focussed upon. All these show how a true leader should act. He was compassionate, modest and showed a lot of empathy for the people and understood the basic problems to ensure the problems were eradicated.
2. Using the concept of five levels of leadership, I would say that His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is on level five. He is at that pinnacle of leadership levels through virtue of this acts and decision making that he did throughout his life. The leader at level five shows all the qualities that is expected out a leader. If we analyze the leadership style of His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan we can see that he was highly capable individual who knew how to get job done and ensure the country progressed. He passed many reforms and made lot of changes in the economy which drove the nation forward. He was also a very effective leader who ensured he was able to guide the entire UAE region and ensure all the objectives which was planned towards developing the nation and the citizens were able to get the best benefits from the country`s rich natural resources. But apart from all this, the quality that made His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan a level 5 leader is the humility and respect he had towards others. All these show that he is rightly considered as a level five leader.
3. Being in a leadership position bring many unexpected challenges which can either make or break the leader. One the of key aspect of being a good leader is the decision making they do and the responsibility they take to ensure all the actions are done properly. If we look at the case, we can that His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan also faced certain challenges in his life. One of the earliest area where he showed his leadership skills was when he was given the opportunity to rule over Al Ain. The region was not having adequate government funding but in spite of that he established a basic administration system, a modern school and encouraged his relatives and friends to contribute to social welfare and small scale development. He also showed his acute decision making skills by revising the local water ownership rights to ensure more equitable distribution was done. Another challenge that he was faced was during the formation of UAE. There was threat of attack from Iran and there were no optimism that the new state would last long and even if they did it would be in a poor state. But His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan through his leadership ensured those tensions were eased out. There are many such incidents which show the big decisions that His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had to take. As a leader it becomes vital that a leader is able to take those big calls and stick by them even when everything around them is not supportive of the idea.
4. From my understanding, leaders are made. A person can be born into a big family who might have certain power in the region. But it does not mean they can become a good leader. When a person faces struggle, they will often choose the easiest option and most often that is decision which leaves them behind. Leaders are born through struggle and facing adversaries. Through passage of trials and problems, one becomes more focused towards the solution rather focus on the problem. There are certain trains that a good leader displays. But one of the most important one for a leader is have the ability to listen before taking decisions. They should also a person who encourages and ensures others get inspired to do better work. There are certain traits which a person develops over period of time which makes them standout from the rest. While there are leaders who exhibit similar from the childhood itself, most of the leaders develop their skill set over period. This is how the leaders are made.