Introduction
Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prime minister and the vice president of the UAE, came into power in 2006 following the death of his brother Sheikh Maktoum. Since he took office, he has undertaken incredible reforms to the Dubai government. In 2010, he set out the Vision 2021 for Dubai whose main objective entailed ensuring that the UAE could emerge one of the best nations around the globe (Maktoum, 2012). As the ruler of Emir of Dubai and the UAE, he is the vision carrier. This responsibility is reflected by his central role in steering Dubai’s growth to become the most preferred global city for tourism and business destination (Maktoum, 2012). This paper analyzes Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s leadership with the goal of identifying his leadership behaviors, including his weaknesses and strengths based on situations in which such behaviors are showcased.
Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Leadership Behaviors
Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum portrays a transformational leadership behavior. Drawing his discussion from the transformational leadership theory, Bass and Steidlmeier (2002) argue that transformational leaders enjoy all they do while in the line of duty. The scholars also assert that such leaders put their personal concerns aside while executing their work to help in achieving their vision. Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum evidences this behavior considering his achievements such as setting out a clear strategic plan that detailed the UAE’S Vision 2021. Through the vision, Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum sees the UAE as completely transformed to become the best global city (Maktoum 2012).
The transformational leadership behavior of Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum is evidenced by Dubai’s competitive position to host events that seek to highlight the municipality’s capacity to become a major global city. Expo 2020 Dubai (2016) reveals, “Expo 2020 Dubai will be a monument to the Green Economy, a landmark in sustainable development, and will contribute to the BIE legacy as one of the most sustainable Expos in history” (para.5). Hence, Dubai’s 2020 Expo will be an attempt to display how cities can execute their daily activities in planetary responsible ways.
Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum has evidenced a clear promise to transform the lives of the less fortunate people. As a result, Al Maktoum’s transformational behavior is supported by his strong commitment to corporate responsibility. For example, he initiated the UAE-Pakistan assistance program to help the nation (Pakistan) to rebuild itself following the heavy flooding in 2011. He has also provided aid to Palestine and Afghanistan to help individuals who are affected by the ongoing war (Maktoum, 2012). In 2007, he made public a plan for donating $10 billion in setting a foundation for education in the Middle East (Maktoum, 2012). He noted that the money came to help in bridging educational gaps between the Arab world and the developed nations. His transformational behavior is appropriate considering that the UAE plays a strategic role in the Middle East’s geopolitical, economic, and social matters.
Reasons why Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum was Successful
Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum is not only humble but also practical. He thinks through any situation to come up with solutions that have earned him trust from all UAE residents and even other global leaders. His philanthropic approach to people’s problems makes him incredibly famous (Bennis, 2016). He has the capability for pulling resources together to secure economic success for the UAE. Although he likes working alone, he is easily approachable. Hence, people can easily articulate their problems on areas that require policy reviews. Consequently, his decisions are informed by tactical problems on the ground. This trait has earned him high trust since he is capable of resolving people’s problems with a high degree of precision. The Emeriti people and even global partners celebrate his transformational behavior, a case that demonstrates that he is indeed famous and successful.
Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Politics is one of the areas that may perhaps make leaders’ personality and thoughts influence the way they lead and/or interact with their followers. The experiences of various presidents show that some politicians may end up complaining about their offices that they hold during their tenure. Others curse their experiences as presidents. For instance, President Jefferson termed his presidency as supreme or marvelous but full of misery while “Buchanan termed his experience as a crown of thorns” (Landy & Milkis, 2000, p.4). Opposed to these experiences, Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum is always motivated. He works hard to fulfill his official mandates as opposed to interpreting his roles as the ruler of the UAE.
The success of the Expo 2020 will reveal how Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum will have managed to transform Dubai to become a planetary sustainable city. Indeed, a dossier compiled by London Centers for Economics and Business Research presents European cities such as Frankfurt, London, and Copenhagen as leading in terms of their sustainability index based on people (social), planetary (environmental), and profits (economics). In the profit factors category, the index ranks Dubai in the 47th position while Madrid is in the 4th position (Koch, 2015). Hence, the transformation of the city of Dubai, which is characterized by environmental pollution associated with the opulence behavior of its residents into a planetary sustainable city, would be one of the strong points of Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum that will leave a long-lasting legacy.
Apart from his strengths in playing transformational roles in the leadership of the UAE, Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum has other strengths, which enable him to assume effectively his role as the ruler of a prosperous nation. He is highly creative and concerned about research (Bennis, 2016). To this extent, he ensures that his mission is achieved through evidence-based approaches. He has a clear commitment to seeking solutions to any miseries. However, his main weakness arises from his solitude behavior. He likes working alone. Bennis (2016) supports this position by noting that he is a person who likes things done in his methods and using only his ideas.
Issues of Ethical Leadership
The fact that Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum is always concerned about issues that influence people’s lives exposes his leadership to minimal ethical concerns. However, drawing from the arguments raised by Bennis (2016), his behavior of wanting things done based on his methods and ideas attracts ethical issues. Policies that influence the whole nation require reviews and brainstorming. It is incredibly difficult to achieve the goal where one person is the sole director of all affairs in a nation, especially where such directions are based only on ideas that should not be opposed.
Conclusion
Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the ruler of the UAE. He is a motivated leader who hardly complains about the challenges of leadership roles. Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum critically thinks through his ideas before implementing them. He is highly charitable and committed to philanthropy. The leader has practically demonstrated his transformation leadership behavior aimed at making the UAE the preferred global destination through the Vision 2020. Hence, his leadership behavior can be summarized as transformational.
References
Bass, B., & Steidlmeier, P. (2002). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership behavior. The Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 181- 237.
Bennis, W. (2016). Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum: Personal profile. Web.
Expo 2020 Dubai. (2016). Sustainability. Web.
Koch, W. (2015). The Great energy challenge, Web.
Landy, M., & Milkis, S. (2000). Presidential greatness, Kansas: University Press of Kansas.
Maktoum, M. (2012). My vision: Challenges in the race for excellence. UAE: Motivate Publishing.