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A School of Leadership:

The UAE Approach to Leadership

I have always wanted to write an article about the wise
leadership of the UAE, but I was always worried about not
being able to give the subject the value it deserves. The UAE
leadership approach, which is a school of leadership all its
own, should be taught in schools, universities, and organi-
zations across the globe as it will help many nations in ad-
dressing important issues related to innovation, creativity,

excellence, quality, passion for new ideas, health, arts, ar-
chitecture, construction, and the built environment, avia-
tion, business, and commerce, agriculture, manufacturing,
oil and gas, IT, and AI in particular, space technology, climate
change, alternative sources of energy, financial sustainability,
women empowerment, tourism, tolerance, and coexistence,
and education amongst many others. In the UAE, we smell innovation daily, and we are all driven
by the concept of excellence. The great vision of the Father of the Nation, the late HH Sheikh
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (May God bless his soul and send him to heaven), was a driving force
in helping the UAE become one of the most progressive and advanced nations on earth.
The current great and visionary leadership, headed by President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin
Zayed Al Nahyan, is playing a major role in driving excellence in every single sector, and the area
of Higher Education is no exception. We are fortunate to be living and working in the UAE as
Emiratis and Expatriates all side by side to contribute to the progress of this great nation and to
underwrite its economic development. The United Arab Emirates' non-oil trade reached a record
high of 3.5 trillion dirhams ($953 billion) in 2023, according to official sources. HH President
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in 2015, “In 50 years, when we might have the last
barrel of oil, the question is: “When it is shipped abroad, will we be sad?” he asked. “If we are
investing today in the right sectors, I can tell you we will celebrate that moment”. The rulers of
the seven emirates are providing exemplary leadership in supporting their citizens and residents.
“My Vision: Challenges in the Race for Excellence,” a book by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler
of Dubai, is “a must-read” book. In this book, HH examined aspects of the UAE's unique develop-
ment experience with plenty of outstanding ideas related to innovation and excellence. The UAE
is home to more than 200 nationalities, and as expatriates, we all consider it to be our second
home.
Let me conclude with a quote from the late HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (May God
bless his soul and send him to heaven): “The real asset of any advanced nation is its people, es-
pecially the educated ones, and the prosperity and success of the people are measured by the
standard of their education”.
Professor Ghassan Aouad
Chancellor & Acting Provost, Abu Dhabi University

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