Future leaders innovate not imitate

To be successful, emerging and aspiring leaders must be inventive and no longer imitate out-of-place past leadership styles, inapplicable to the 21st century, leadership academics say.

As the world gets smaller and moves into uncharted territory, successful leaders of this century will differ from those of the past, Adam Kingl, director of London Business School emerging leader programme, said.

"The next generation of leaders should recognise leadership can be invented and no longer imitated," he said.

In the 20th century, ambitious youths read the biographies of successful leaders and imitated their strategies to get ahead. However, future leaders need to grasp that they can now reinvent management fit for purpose. "They need to understand they can be innovative and create a leadership culture that allows them to better realise their strategies," he added.

Out with the old

In a world of increasing challenges the younger generation of future leaders must be given room to innovate and think critically, Ghaleb Darabya, chair of the Harvard Dubai School of Government 21st century leadership programme, said.

"We need to foster a young generation who question reality and constantly ask why; because an ability to think critically is imperative as we face the challenges of the 21st century," Darabya said.

"Old styles of leadership are no longer applicable in the 21st century, as the answers don't lie with one person any more… it's a collaborative effort," he said. "We are talking leadership at all levels of society, government, private and public sectors. Each one of them is responsible for certain pieces of a collective responsibility," he added.

In with the new

"The H1N1 virus originated in Mexico and within ten days it had spread to every continent," Darabya said. "This is the new reality of globalisation and the speed at which the world is moving, which presents a lot of threats to us as humanity," he said.

Emerging leaders should be ready to face new challenges and compete in the surfacing industries of a post-petroleum world. "Inevitably those types of industries are global, so they should also have a global perspective," Kingl said.

In such a world, future leaders should focus on enhancing their people skills and versatility to nurture potential in others, Monica Gallant, chair of the business department at Dubai Women's College (DWC), said.

"When you try to lead in a dynamic and changing environment you can't expect to have all the ideas. You must inspire and motivate your teams to come forward with interesting ideas too," she said.

The power of listening

"Leadership is no longer leadership when you're not initiating new things and giving people room to grow," because it is nurtured through mentoring and listening, Dwightford Anthony from the business faculty at DWC, said.

"A leader must truly listen to the songs beneath the words and have empathy," Darabya said. "He or she must be able to put themselves in the shoes of others and understand their frustration."

"Listening allows a leader to diagnose the system and societal problems, because before intervention they must really understand the causes of issues," he added.

Darabya said successful modern leadership is about bridging current realities with future aspirations. "For that you need humility, which teaches wisdom, because if you listen you learn new things," he said.

Imitating innovation

Yet it seems some potential future leaders already know this. Sarah Ameri-Mills, interior design student and president of the American University in Dubai International Aid (AIA), said she believes the three most important characteristics of successful leadership are: listening, keeping up with technological trends and self-belief.

"US President Barack Obama is someone I admire because he listens to people and actually does what he says he's going to do," Ameri-Mills said.

The use of new-media forums like Facebook and Twitter are also important to the achievements of a leader in today's world. "Obama was successful in his election campaign because he accessed tools used by younger people to reach them," she added.

"What's great about President Obama's leadership is that he was elected by an underprivileged majority in America," Seerwan Jaafar, management student at Heriot-Watt University, Dubai Campus, said.

"So now he's been given a platform for these people… which makes it really interesting to see what will happen next," he added.

However, although it may be impossible to gauge Obama's true leadership quality at such an early stage of his presidential career; his popularity with the youth may mean imitation as an old form of leadership is not over just yet.

Nurturing women leaders

Emirati students will tackle global issues of women’s empowerment and leadership and Islamic governance at this year’s Insight Dubai Conference, which begins today at Dubai Women’s College (DWC).

A group of 65 DWC students will join 65 of their international counterparts from 35 countries for the five-day event.
“The overriding theme of the conference is to help young women develop the confidence to become leaders in their own countries,” said Dr Monica Gallant, co-chair of the conference. “Gender diversity is very important in leadership as women can bring a different angle to men…and intercultural and multicultural exchange are the sort of things one needs to develop leadership skills,” she added.

The exchange aims to have a far-reaching impact on global harmony. The main focus is to break down stereotypes international students many have of the Middle East and the position of women in it.

“Understanding different cultures dispels some of the myths people have,” said Gallant. “Students from the West and outside the Middle East may have preconceived ideas about what Middle Eastern women are like, so our students will be able to tell a different story,” she added.
Gallant said that although 65 may not seem like a significant number, the impact spreads well beyond any boundaries. “These students will go back to their countries as ambassadors for cultural understanding and bring it to their institutions.”

Similarly, the multicultural exchange serves to nurture more Emirati woman leaders better prepared to work in a diverse environment like Dubai, added Gallant.
Steady growth

In its sixth year, the conference has grown as it gains recognition in the international community. For this year’s event, DWC received over 500 applications from students wanting to participate. “Other people want to see what we are doing here because for the first time we have seven different international teachers coming to observe how we run it,” said Gallant.

Students from the West and other countries such as Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Turkey, Sudan — and for the first time — Haiti, will listen to guest speakers like Najla Al Awadhi, Deputy CEO of Dubai Media Incorporated and Member of the UAE Federal National Council. They will also engage in group activities centred on the conference’s theme. For example they will hold mock court cases on child custody and human trafficking, adhering to Sharia legal principles.