Insights
For each of the 14 years I lived in the Middle East, one proverb, and the leadership lesson it taught.
14 years of Arab wisdom
Year 1 · Aden, Yemen · 2007
Within days, the whole street knew my family by name. I quickly learnt relationships come before the work, and teams that know each other work better.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 1)Year 2 · Aden, Yemen · 2008
My detailed business plans fell through. The training company was born only when I got curious about where I could really help. I learnt to hold plans lightly and stay agile.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 2)Year 3 · Aden, Yemen · 2009
Quoted in almost every teambuilding workshop I ran. In 2009 my small team trained 1,300 staff at one company, which was only possible by partnering with Egyptian colleagues. I learnt however bold the goal, it takes many hands, and diverse teams achieve far more than any one person.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 3)Year 4 · Aden, Yemen · 2010
My Yemeni friends taught me the danger of trusting blindly. When security worsened and threats were painted on the office door, the team moved and planned ahead. I learnt to assume good intent, but extend trust wisely, not naively.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 4)Year 5 · Aden, Yemen · 2011
Learned in the middle of the Arab Spring. The leaders people follow through a crisis are the ones who serve them.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 5)Year 6 · Aden, Yemen · 2012
In 2012 my business was days from closing because of the Arab Spring. Then, against all odds, contracts arrived to train thousands of people in conflict resolution, and the team grew from two staff to more than 90 trainers. I learnt that success is rarely ours alone. Always give credit where it is due – God provides!
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 6)Year 7 · Aden, Yemen · 2013
Learned not from friends but from stubbornness. I learnt that asking for help is a leadership skill, not a weakness.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 7)Year 8 · Salalah, Oman · 2014
Out of fuel in the desert, I was rescued by an Omani driver who turned around on a 10-hour journey and simply said, “You are my guest.” I learnt that a guest is not someone you choose, but someone placed in your path to care for. Great leaders treat people that way.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 8)Year 9 · Salalah, Oman · 2015
When oil prices fell and training budgets dried up, resilience alone was not enough. A trusted Omani business partner, and many cups of tea, opened the doors. I learnt that both business and leadership rise and fall on relationships. As another camel proverb says: trust in God, but tie up your camel.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 9)Year 10 · Salalah, Oman · 2016
Wisdom modelled every day in Oman. I learnt that trust across differences is built one bridge at a time.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 10)Year 11 · Salalah, Oman · 2017
Culture is “the smell of the place”. I worked with teams across Oman that smelt of frankincense and others that smelt of onions. The environment shapes people, but the person beside you makes the real difference. I learnt to choose who you sit next to, and be someone worth sitting next to.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 11)Year 12 · Muscat, Oman · 2018
I arrived with a strong spirit of independence and left with a stronger spirit of partnership. I learnt that some loads are meant to be shared.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 12)Year 13 · Muscat, Oman · 2019
Shared by a Bedouin elder around a campfire in the Wahiba Sands: the desert has no walls, so the Bedouin has no bars. Our environment quietly sets our limits. I learnt to help people notice the walls that shape our thinking, and help others see beyond them.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 13)Year 14 · Muscat, Oman · 2020
“If God wills.” In a year of closed borders, cancelled plans and endless waiting, my Arab friends showed me how to hold the future with open hands and live fully in the present. I learnt to plan carefully, hold outcomes loosely and take the next faithful step.
Read the original post on LinkedIn (year 14)All 14 years were first shared as daily LinkedIn posts under #QwisdomofMEast in January 2021.