Let me begin with an assertion — benevolence is more important than the voice of the people. Put another way, there’s an alternative to democracy. It rests upon the desire of leaders to put their people first, and we can learn from it at the business level.
To be clear, my words are not intended to provoke reaction or cause controversy. Nor am I claiming benevolence over democracy as a panacea to the world’s governance ills. This is not a propaganda exercise or an essay on political theory.
It’s a message to business leaders that there are other ways of doing things — and doing them with greater success. What’s more, there’s evidence out there to prove it and, in the UAE, we’re staring right at it.
“You should package the UAE style of government as a model for export to countries around the world,” I challenged the UAE’s ambassadors. They were back in the country for Ambassador Week, the annual gathering for ambassadors and heads of UAE foreign missions, and I had been invited to speak about leadership in change and how to bolster the country’s leadership image internationally.
My opening point was this: there’s democracy, socialism, monarchy and a multitude of other forms of government, but why isn’t there one based upon the UAE model? Of course, every style of governance has its flaws, but some have virtues that slip under the international radar, undetected.
In the back of my mind was a comment made to me before the launch of my book “Leadership Dubai Style”, “You should title the book: Who needs democracy when you have Dubai?” While I chuckled at the suggestion, it sparked a deep conversation about whether the value of democracy was in the voice it afforded people, or the benefits it delivered.
Implicit in democracy is a promise from the leadership to help everyone achieve their full potential within society. This includes protecting citizens’ interests and assuming responsibility for a stable administration. Yet, all too often, attention instead gravitates towards free elections and the voice of the people, regardless of the resulting impact.
By contrast, the system of government in the UAE is built on respect, fairness, lawfulness and security, and pursuit of happiness. It gives everyone an opportunity to prosper, with success contingent on effort. Clearly, no political system is perfect, but in the UAE, people have reasonable expectations that the system will deliver a better quality of life.
Why? Because, vote or no vote, when leaders desire a better future for their people, then their people are the benefactor.
This is the crux of it: in business as in politics, I’m less concerned with who has the voice and more interested in the intent of leadership and the benefits it delivers.
Admittedly, I am oversimplifying matters here, but rather than getting embroiled in political theory, my aim is to highlight how elements of UAE-style governance can — indeed should — be imported into the way we run our businesses.
Benevolence in leadership is a proven alternative to equality in voice. When you focus on giving all of your employees an equal voice, mathematically you’re opening up to mediocracy. The mere weighting means the voice of the highest performers will be drowned out by the rest.
As business leaders, I’m not saying that you should ignore the voice of your employees and others around them. You should listen, just as the government does here. Your team may have better ideas than you do, but you should not act blindly on their whims and suggestions.
You are responsible for determining what is in the collective best interest, and this is where democracy becomes a limiter. The majority vote doesn’t necessarily yield the ideal outcome and an ill-informed voice — or even worse, voices — can be dangerous in determining where to head and what to do.
Benevolent leaders are conscious and considerate of their teams’ well-being, but they’re not limited by a mass of varying opinions. Instead, they’re driven by doing what they can to help others excel. I would prefer a system built to benefit the people than one built on their collective voice.
The priority of leaders should always be to create an environment where others succeed. How we do that is down to us. There’s no single answer, but getting it right might just require a dose of courage and a path less trodden.
— The writer is a CEO coach and author of “Leadership Dubai Style”. Contact him at tsw@tommyweir.com.
