JEDDAH, 6 April 2006 — A two-day seminar addressing leadership excellence ended yesterday at the Hilton Hotel in Jeddah.
Around 70 managers, executive directors and administrators attended the seminar with the purpose of enhancing their skills that can benefit their positions to move forward.
“My goal is to help people with the information that I have in 100 countries before I die,” said Stephen G. Haines, president and founder of the Center for Strategic Management (CSM), noting that this is his 80th seminar. “Something that I’ve learned through one of the attendees, Khalid Zainal, was the need for the boss to make some sacrifice for the sake of his employees.”
The first day the seminar began with a focus on the point that any organization needs both leadership and management. Haines and Chander Mohan, Dubai-based CSM’s regional managing partner, explained how to enhance self-mastery, build inter-personal relationships and facilitate empowerment teams. Haines then said that focusing on a crucial three goals must be the top concerns of every leader. Designing clarity of purpose, building simplicity of execution and sustaining a system of results in which an annual strategic plan that is received and updated is encouraged.
And though some abandon skeptics, “skeptics are my best friends,” Haines said. And explained that it is because they will keep him from making or repeating any mistakes and therefore we should not abandon them.
When it was Mohan’s turn, he said that according to one of his center’s studies, that when it came to managing and leadership skills, women are not equal to men. He said, “women are proving to be better.”
Waheeb Linjawi, president and managing director at Saudi Cable Company (SCC) admired the presentation and the performance of Haines and is looking forward for more seminars to take place. Vice President of Finance and Administration at the SCC Walid Abualjadail said the workshop were very effective and useful as they exchanged information with others.
Mohand said that, “to become a leader, you should focus on two goals to increase your leadership skills in a more systematic and effective way.” First, develop an in-depth understanding of, and immersion in, leadership. Second, apply that understanding to lifelong learning and specific leadership skill development.
Haines afterward continued to say that for a company to be distinguished in positioning in a market, its leader must look at being unique, different and in the same way better in the eyes of the customer.
He also said that while positioning, the company does not need to have different strategies because as the company moves, people too move, “and it is going to be confusing to them.”
At the end of day two Haines said that body signs are important. “You believe what you see more than what you hear,” and thus creativity is what we need. And concluded that after creativity innovation comes next so we can bring the ideas and have greater results and achievements.