Introduction
The book explains the relationship between leadership habits and hobbies. The author begins this chapter by inquiring about leadership habits and hobbies from a renowned Emirati businessperson and an equestrian. The rider explains to the author that it is necessary to learn the terrain and the unique qualities of the horse to maximize its use. In addition, the rider urges that one take good care of the horse to ensure maximum returns. Specifically, the rider defines the long terrain with differing conditions within which one competes. He adds that one should take care to maximize the use of the horse’s energy without depleting it; this is related to leadership habits. The leader needs to maximize his workforce without breaking them. This way, one can achieve peak results over a sustained period.
Main body
Firstly, the rider encourages people to take care of the horse first, cooling it down during water stops. This is similar to leadership where leaders are required to take care of their employees first. Thirdly, the rider must focus throughout the race, this is important for leaders to focus throughout the project to achieve success. In essence, employees are sensitive to their employer’s direction just as a horse is to the rider’s focus. The author gives an example of Sheik Rashid’s building in the 1960s, which required focus. Sheik Rashid saw Dubai in the image of New York City long before it was built. His ideas were bigger than Rashid himself and it inspired others. According to the author, while people focus on today, leaders should focus on tomorrow. In fact, most people thought Sheik Rashid was crazy when he built the Dubai World Trade Centre.
From Sheik Rashid’s story, it is evident that leadership is not always easy. Focus is required even when things are not working as planned. To maintain focus, three things are required. Firstly, a leader should communicate clearly. Secondly, the leader should evoke honor, and thirdly, the leader should put a plan in place to achieve team goals. The author thinks that most leaders tend to ignore the importance of communication. These leaders give vague descriptions of ideas to their teams. This habit can lead to time and effort wastage if the resulting product is undesirable. Therefore, leaders should know the exact thing they want and should communicate it clearly. One leadership style is to communicate to all employees just as Sheik Rashid did. The author gives an example of Dubai Airport’s free duty area that was given to the new manager to make it the best. Once that objective was achieved, he was asked to make it the biggest. The message was clear in both the first and second stages of the project and they were successful.
Conclusion
Evoking honor is also important in maintaining focus. Sheik Mohammed’s declaration that the Mall of the World would welcome 180 million visitors annually as a statement to evoke honor and to achieve its goal. Finally, the author encourages leaders to put a solid work plan in place. The plan must have specific deliverables to keep it on track throughout the process. According to Sheik Mohammed, deadlines are taken as normal leadership habits. Research by Ahmed Hassan has shown beyond doubt that Dubai’s unparalleled achievements came from their emphasis on solid planning and execution. The author argues that even the horse rider requires a solid plan to win the race. Therefore, planning is also necessary for focus.