Tip #1 - Don't try to import leadership approaches like the GCC exports oil.

As places like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC were once far-away lands, they've now become sought-after career destinations for expatriates and exciting to the global business community. The GCC is, however, a culturally-different business environment. A leadership assignment here is poles apart from one at home or in the Western world. The practice of oil exportation is pretty much consistent no matter where the final destination or usage. But leadership is a different commodity and an organisation shouldn't expect to be able to import its native and historical leadership practices — or Western-oriented models of leadership — to a work environment that has more nationalities than the United Nations. Leaders in the GCC need to adapt their leadership approach to fit the demands and needs of the region, and the GCC workforce, while focusing on the organisation's strategic vision and goals.

Through working with organisations across the region, I have noticed a fascination with the latest and most popular and supposedly global approaches to leading. Personally, they often seem a bit faddish and like the "flavour of the month". They are supposedly global, yet in reality they are not oriented for the complexity of the GCC market that comprises of a staggering number of nationalities.

Risks

GCC businesses face risks when it comes to importing a global approach to leading. If your company is tempted to import foreign approaches to leading that are coming out of the West's best business schools there are two risks you need to consider. The first is the risk of financial loss in regards to the investment you make in a development programme and second is the possibility of a adopting a leadership approach that is misaligned with the GCC business context.

The first risk is across the GCC, there are a number of leading organizations who have invested over $1 million (Dh3.6 million) each in prestigious and self-proclaimed global leadership development programmes only to confess after such an investment that they still did not have the leaders necessary for success in their market. At the conclusion of these programmes, they were left wrestling with the reality of having invested in a programme that are not getting the results they were after. Instead, they were left asking, "What just happened?" And the second risk is the most important consideration, "What if the context changes?" Do you think the business environment in the GCC is the same as that of Ohio and Michigan (in the US) from 1950? The obvious answer is a resounding "No!" The GCC is vastly different from Ohio and Michigan today and even more so from what they were like 60 years ago.

The reality is most global approaches are not created for the realities of the GCC work environment as this a very different context. Yet, most of the leadership and management practices used in the Gulf still are imported from other markets.

Organisational leaders in the GCC need to recognise how unique their work culture and environment is. Then instead of immediately relying on one of the prestigious or popular Western-based leadership approaches, the focus needs to be on determining what the real leadership challenges are and what type of leader is needed.

The writer is Vice President, Leadership Solutions, Kenexa.