Dubai with its luster did not attract me. Cairo with its grime did not deter me.

The last few weeks have been demanding in terms of travel where I had to tour the region on various assignments. Among these travels two destinations stood out and kept a lasting impression in my memory due to their contrast and the effect the created; Dubai and Cairo.

Dubai as all may know is the perhaps the busiest city with the most activity in construction, growth and attraction of people from all over the world. Clean organized streets, elegant shopping malls, restaurants satisfying every taste, tall glassy skyscrapers , and shiny people wearing brands and driving latest car models. This should be an ideal place for anyone seeking happiness and success, shouldn’t be? Well, possibly, but not for a few people, with me among them. Many are surprised at my reaction towards Dubai. This is where the action is; shouldn’t everyone seek their fortune there?

From a professional standpoint, Dubai does offer tremendous opportunity. However, what I personally did not find there is a hidden element of “belonging” or of a “community”, which I consider important. I cannot really place my hand on that element. It is something in the air, in the surroundings, and in the souls of people. I wish I can be more accurate in articulating that.

On the other hand …

Cairo is perhaps the largest city in the Middle East and one of the largest cities in the world in terms of population, number 14 to be exact with around 8million inhabitants (which many doubt as a modest estimation). Cairo is second to Mumbai in terms of density! Check the statistics on Wikipedia.

Cairo’s streets are crowded night and day. A simple and seemingly short route can take an unidentified period of time. I had a training to conduct just 20km outside Cairo. That used to take me an hour each way to reach. We never were able to start at time. Usually an hour or so after the designated time! People, no matter, how early the plan to head out would have an incident that prevent them from being on time. Buildings are old, most cars are falling apart, and places are not that fancy (compared to Dubai or other cities I’m used to).

Yet, I was not repelled and felt a sense of community and a “real” place! I sit at rather “public” café on 26th July street in Zamalek that is around 3 meters wide, with patrons rubbing shoulders while they drink their tea, hibiscus or draw smoke from their shisha (of course!) – I feel at place! You could be sitting with a building guard or a famous lawyer and not feel a difference. They all share the place and seem to enjoy their time despite their own issues. You can easily approach anyone and just talk about anything and sooner or later there will be a simple joke or laughter.

I am not saying that we need to avoid Dubai (or other similar cities), nor embrace Cairo (or other similar cities), but seek the place that we personally feel we blong to and can find our happiness there.

My question to myself is what creates that sense? What makes someone feel a belonging to a place or not?

Corporate Governance and Responsibility Forum – Day 2

Here are we are back to the Forum in Day 2. Multi-days forums usually show their effectiveness in following days, when the first impact of excitement is starting to wear-off. So, it is good to see that momentum remained in the second days in more heated discussions and debates to the benefit of all.

I would like to share a very interesting session we launched towards the end.

Conventional wisdom in such forums calls for pushing for concepts within these forums, so the sensible thing to do was to continue to rally for corporate governance and responsibility. BUT, we thought we wanted to challenge that. In the final session we brought two panels of experts on two sides:

1. PRO corporate governance and responsibility (makes sense!)
2. COUNTER corporate governance and responsibility (dangerous)

For some reason, I was chosen to be in the second panel and bring possible counter views on implementing governance and responsibility, which I personally thought to be fun!
So the first panel started by illustrating on the benefits that governance will bring to the region and attracting foreign investments and such, which was sort of clear after two days of workshops.

Comes our turn to “respectfully” disagree about the timing and the maturity of other systems in place before good governance and responsibility are to be in place.

I, along with my fellows, challenged that people rallying beyond governance may loose the bigger picture of the real motives behind it, which should be doing the right business and doing business right. The race towards rules and regulations may empty that good concept of its soul. I draw an analogy on the ISO certification that became the craze of the industry in the 90’s and factories were piling loads of paper trail just to show that their ISO.

My panel actually succeeded in coming up with strong arguments!

HOWEVER, towards the end we countered ourselves in saying that governance is not about just having the laws, regulations and procedures but about having the right thinking about what works and why it should work. Corporations have existed for a long time. The main mission of corporations has been and still will be to create value and wealth. In that process there has to be a balance in the environment between maintaining ethical and transparent conduct, and allowing freedom for operations.

In summary, everything we do or preach for has two sides. We need to see that and maintain an outlook at the bigger picture in our choices.

The Forum ended with a great enthusiasm and helped the attendees to exchange views and more importantly enjoy that in a relaxed atmosphere.

Until the next forum …

Corporate Governance and Responsibility Forum - Day 1

This is a forum means a lot to me since I have been involved in it since its inception (which doesn’t really mean I have been actual work organizing it! Thanks Maali! :) until it became a reality. Today (March 13th) is the first day and it seems it is up to a good start.

Audience is coming from diverse backgrounds which is enriching. We have international organizations like the OECD, NGO’s, government agencies, and of course the private sector.
In the press conference, we were faced with some good questions, and here is a summary of key responses:

• This forum has not been prepared without regard to other seemingly similar forums and conferences, contrary we consulted with others to ensure the timing and theme meshes well with other events.
• In our forum we are concerned mostly on the view and the role that the private sector can play in instituting good governance and responsibility practices. Some of the comments assumed that we are planning that in isolation of the government, which is not really accurate since we have a good participation from relevant government agencies.
• Good corporate responsibility is not an issue of creating sets of laws, but a genuine and honest desire by companies to truly engage with the interests of their societies to create a sustainable development beneficial to both.
• No matter how tight rules and regulations are weaved, they cannot ensure a perfect state of good governance, transparency and ethical conduct. There has to be a balance between creating a good operational environment and making that environment a feasible one to operate in without too many complexities.

Witnessing the discussions of the day I got with some key observations. There has been some courageous remarks of leaders in their discussions, as in “we have been spending on responsibility programs for 10 years and people do not know about it. Shall we be more vocal about it?”. Oppennes of people was really good in sharing their experiences and being honest about waht worked and what didn't.

The general mood is one that is being influenced by two main forces: the sheer amount of challenge facing this region in creating sustainable development environment that creates jobs and enhances living conditions, AND having faith that what we do today and need to do tomorrow will succeed in addressing these challenges.

Although this forum is organized by my firm and partners, I am personally very satisfied with the whole setup and the logistics, which was immaculate.

Until tomorrow ..

Everyone is a Producer! Everyone is a Star! The power of Web 2.0

Have you heard about Tila Tequila? I am sure those of who frequent MySpace have probably passed by this young lady who is becoming a known figure in modeling and singing. She did do some modeling jobs “here and there”, But her big break came three years ago when MySpace founder Tom Anderson invited Nguyen over to his new site. She is even featured in the TIME magazine issue of Dec 16th, 2006

“Over the next couple of years she turned her online persona into a full-fledged business."This is my job," she says. "That's how you maintain your popularity and keep it alive."” Now, she boasts more than 1.7 million friends on her MySpace profile! She has her own fashion line now!

The story of Tila is not an isolated one, as there are many people who became known film makers or writers and many more who will be under the lime light.

Just now I understand what Marshall McLuhan has said longtime ago that “medium is the message” and “audience is the content”, which does not need any explanation now as we are witnessing how the Web is making a difference as a communication medium and how we, as audience, are fueling the Web with our own creations.

So what is going to happen next?
Let me caught Marshall McLuhan again in his saying “if it works, it is obsolete”! So the current abilities and tools of today are soon to be out of sufficiency as people will demand more and be supplied with more.

Here is what I foresee:
1. More people will be contributing with their content in blogs, media, and “digs”.
2. Majority will not be able to sustain the drive of creations and will fall off the curve.
3. The few who will stay in the game will have a good chance of “commercializing” themselves. Already, we see video sites paying top hitters or sharing revenue. The relationship will be more professional.
4. There will be added-value services to “manipulate” content as in providing online mixing of videos (check eyespot.)
5. There will be “agent” services to check on the “creations” of people of various sources (photos posted, videos watched, or blogs written) and determine if a person is a good employee, suitable partner or a security threat.
6. We will see “hyper” sites that provide aggregation of content, access and subscription to various services.

What do we need to do?
My simple suggestions:
1. Experimentation – try out the different things that you can do online. Start a blog, upload a few pictures or videos. Use that as a learning experience of your own interests and creativity.
2. Moderation – it is easy to get sucked in this world. Watch out the time you spend online and be disciplined at the amount of time you spend online. Perhaps dedicate certain times for your online contribution. There is a real life out there!
3. Self-regulation – Always know that whatever you do online will be (or is) being watched by someone and assess what would that could mean a few years down the road.
4. Enjoy is as another channel of self-enriching source

With that, I leave you with a little mix I did to show my creativity and "discipline" :)

Corporate governance forum set

RazorView, under its new trademark Schema, will hold the first regional Corporate Governance and Responsibility Forum this month.

The forum, to be held at the Mövenpick Dead Sea Hotel from March 13 to 15, will bring together leading businessmen, stakeholders, family business owners and experts of corporate governance and responsibility from the Mena region and internationally to create a localised framework for corporate governance and responsibility that compliments the regional business environment and corporate culture.

Attendees and participants will be coming from Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt and Lebanon, said an official spokesman.

Regional and local companies have become aware of the competitive benefits provided by corporate governance and responsibility and their implications on developing businesses, ensuring the sustainability of businesses and the positive impact it creates on the international markets.

The forum will be addressing the corporate demand and processes to bring into effect value generating corporate governance and responsibility corporate cultures.
'The need to hold such a forum has become a necessity and well overdue in order to evolve the region's implementation of corporate governance and responsibility and align the regions business practices with international standards in a manner that is both applicable and effective in the MENA region,' said chairman of the organising committee Maali Qasem.

The idea of holding this forum has been very well acknowledged by many companies in the MENA region that believe in the necessity of implementing relevant corporate governance and responsibility concepts, and that is shown by the number of participating companies and organisations.

The forum is sponsored by Investment Dar, Agility Logistics, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, and the Arab African International BankTradeArabia News Service

Problem Solving and Strength Seeking – The Art of Appreciative Inquiry

Ask any consultant about how he (or she) approaches a typical engagement, and most probably the answer will be somewhere down these lines: “we understand the current situation, the future position, what the gaps are and then create plans to bridge that”. At the heart of this process is “problem” identification and solving. There is no “problem” with that, as we instinctively seek to identify what is “wrong” with the situation and engage in rectifying that.
However, by using negative words and descriptions (‘the problem’), we can often over-emphasize the negative aspects of the situation and depress the enthusiasm of those involved. Instead, why not look at what is working, and take that forwards? It is a more positive approach.

That is a school of thought that I recently came to learn about through a good old friend of mine (Hania Qubain), who was kind enough to direct me to “Appreciative Inquiry” (AI).

Wikipedia explains Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as ” a process for engaging people across the system in renewal, change and focused performance. The basic idea is to build organizations around what works, rather than trying to fix what doesn't. A proven benefit of the approach is its reliance on the acknowledgement of contribution at the individual level, which leads to trust and organizational alignment. Since the method creates meaning by drawing from stories of concrete successes and lends itself to cross-industrial social activities, it is enjoyable and natural to many managers, who are thought to be naturally social people focused on the bottom line.”

AI manifests some key assumptions to start with:

1. In every society, organisation, group or individual, something works


2. What we focus on becomes our reality


3. Reality is created every moment. Every society, organisation, group and individual has their own realities


4. The act of asking questions of an organisation, or group influences the group in some way


5. People have more confidence to journey to the future (the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (the known)


6. If we carry forward parts of the past, they should be what are best about the past


7. It is important to value differences


8. Te language we use creates our reality.
   

Appreciative Inquiry utilizes a 4-stage process focusing on:

• DISCOVER: The identification of organizational processes that work well.


• DREAM: The envisioning of processes that would work well in the future.


• DESIGN: Planning and prioritizing processes that would work well.


• DESTINY (or DELIVER): The implementation (execution) of the proposed design.

I immediately felt how well AI meshes with a lot of my personal thinking that I actually decided to attempt to use it at a current case in hand, where we were asked to envision a new future for a 30-year old organization. The proposed approach captured the attention of the leadership team and clearly showed a positive change in mood, just by introducing the concept. Of course, a lot of work has to be done to carry that approach in reality. The good thing is that there are so many practitioners of AI that openly share their experiences.

We are still at the beginning of the process, so there is a lot to learn and practice. I hope for this to be a success for that organization and share the experience with the rest.

I conclude with a famous quote of Albert Einstein provoking the “genius in the question” who said ““What would the universe look like if I were riding on the end of a light beam at the speed of light?”. An attendee enlightened me that he said that when he was 16 years old!

رحيل خالي الإعلامي المعروف رياض الشعيبي (أبو محمود) إثر نوبة قلبية Mourning My Uncle Riyad Shuaibi

With great sadness I mourn my dear Uncle, Riyad Shuaibi. He has been a role model and inspiration for me even since I could remember. I grew up hearing about his legacy and accomplishment in the Arab medial arena: the first voice announcing the launch of the radio service of Dubai in the 60’s, launching the first colored TV broadcast in the 70’s, publishing the leading newspaper "Al Bayan" in UAE, the first Arab satellite channel in the 90’s, and producing many of the household names of popular TV shows that people still remember to our days.

I vividly recall the times I spent with him in the presence of influential people discussing media trends, major projects, or regional issues of the Middle East. These left an ever lasting impression inside of me to be involved and to care about the world around me.

I used to go up to him proudly when I score well in school, when I got accepted into university, when I went to do my Masters in McGill and whenever I make a big step in my life. His few encouraging words and his looks were sufficient to keep me going and ignite the passion inside me to do more and make him proud of me. I needed very little from him and I got so much out of him.

When I got that telephone call in the dawn of Saturday, February 20th from my mother, I clearly sensed the urgency in her voice calling me to go up to his house. I knew something was critically terrible. The short road to his house felt like a slow motion ride to the unknown. There, I got the news. I can find little description of the feelings and events that took place then. The rest is history. I was involved in every step of the way to be a support to my family at such time of grief. The warm and solid feelings I felt from everyone who knew him made us know that we are not alone in this and that he meant a lot to so many other people.
We lost a great man and a legacy. But, we all have a bit of him inside of us and know what would he say or do in important events of our lives.

God bless you my uncle, keep your memories alive inside of us, and guide us to always make you proud of us even when you are away …

خالي رحمت الله عليه كان و ما زال أعز الناس وأغلاهم إلي و لكن علمت أنه قدر الله ، و حسبنا الله و نعم الوكيل. و أدعو الله أن يسكنه فسيح جناته و يبارك في ذريته ليكملوا مسيرته.
دعواتكم الصالحة..

The Best of … Jeddah

It’s been sometime since I added a post as I was in business travel. So, I feel it is appropriate to return to posts about travel with a series on “The Best of …” to share first-hand experience on cities I travel to. Starting with …
Jeddah
This is a wonderful city on the west coast of Saudi Arabia by the Red Sea. An active city since ancient time for being a port and a trade hub, it gained even more importance as a gateway to Mecca, the holy Islamic city.
There is a great amount of information in Wikipedia about Jeddah.
Vis Requirements
Saudi requires entry visas for ALL nationalities, except GCC nationals. The business visa requires the following:
1. An Invitation From a Saudi Party
a. An official invitation letter signed by the Chamber of Commerce
b. Commercial registration documents
2. Official documents from the local part
a. Company registration
b. Local Chamber of Commerce Certificate
c. Employment letter
Take all these documents to the local Saudi Consulate. The process to issue the visa if all is ok is 24 hours. Fees are around $55 for a single entry, and around $150 for multiple entry. It is tricky to get a multiple-entry and is dependent on the “strength” of the inviting party and the local regulations of the Saudi Consulate. In Jordan, I have been fortunate to usually receive 3-months multiple entry. Other places may grant up to 6-months.
Make sure to fill an entry card when arriving at the airport or you may have to go back all the way once you have reached the control window without one. You also have to fill another card on you exit.

Airports
There are two terminals in Jeddah:

1. Jeddah Saudia (SV) Terminal
This is dedicated to Saudi Airlines (SV) flights and closer to the city. It has a smaller duty free shop. It has many rent-a-car outlets that are open 24 hours.

2. Jeddah North Terminal
This is further north around 20 minutes from the first one, and serves all “other” airlines. The duty free is much larger. Beware that rent-a-car is limited in number and working hours (7AM-12AM). This may cause inconvenience if arriving late or departing early. You need to arrange with an agency prior to travel.
I recommend using SV if possible when traveling to and from Jeddah due to the distance from downtown.
I would avoid buying from the duty free as it is much cheaper to buy from the city where you have more selection and better bargaining power.
Business Atmosphere

Places to stay
Many of the known 5-star hotel chains exit in Jeddah. The ones that I personally (and subjectively) recommend are:

The Hilton
This is among the newest, grandest and more prominent hotels in Jeddah directly overseeing the sea at the northern corniche. The entrance and the foyer are just majestic. Prestigious functions are usually held in the attached conference center. You need to book early to ensure availability. Rates are high, but corporate rates may go down as low as SR550 ($140). Downside is it is far from most business and government locations, you need to have your own car, or be subject to the pricy limos and taxis (if available!). Level of service is not consistent due to its size and the many “high-status” other guests that reside in. I used to say there a lot, but not anymore.

The Intercontinental
This is among the oldest 5-star hotels in Jeddah. It is right by the sea but closer to the downtown. The building is not as grandiose as The Hilton. The interior is quite “tacky” with green wall panels and mirrors! Reminds me Vegas for some reason! But the rooms are renovated and very accommodating. Go for a superior room with beach facing. Rooms are equipped with a 39’ LCD TV and touch-screen phones. Restaurants of the hotel are quite nice, especially the Fish Market (sea food) and Spears (all the meats in the world!). Rates can go as low as SR420 ($110) for a standard room with corporate rate agreements. The location of the hotel is more convenient for shopping malls, downtown, business locations and government agencies.

To be continued ..

Thank you Your Majesty! Cancelling two public holidays in Jordan

I’ve been contemplating writing about the amount of public holidays in Jordan for sometime after the last “Eid Adha” which coincided with the New Year and Christmas occasions resulting in a over a week of public holidays. But that was not the only occasion. Jordan is “blessed” with a good number of public holidays. In brief, economists in Jordan estimate near to 4.5 months of holidays, or 139 days! These include public holidays, weekends, paid leaves, and sickness leaves. They also estimate around $30M of lost productivity per day. For a country like Jordan with ambitious targets for economical development, each day really counts.

So, His Majesty King Abdullah the II declared the cancelation of two public holidays in this news piece by Petra:

“King Abdullah on Wednesday directed the government to scrap two public holidays to help “boost productivity and dedication” starting this year. “I hope that Jordanians can celebrate the two occasions [the Monarch’s birthday on January 30 and King Hussein’s birthday on November 14] by enhancing national economy,” the King told Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit in a letter. The King asked the government to set a clear calendar, pointing out public holidays and daylight saving time for the coming five years to “help public and private institutions set well-defined and long-term plans” — Petra

I know some people, mostly employees, may not like this, but think about the large number of daily workers, merchants, and small (and large) business owners and how too many days-off impact their living and their financial performance, which in turn reflect on the overall economy.

I am really glad that a country like Jordan has looked into that and make an action about it. I highly value that His Majesty has chosen the most personal days to him to let go of, which are the birthdays of His late Father King Hussein, and His.

Related Links

King Abdullah II Official Website

Late King Hussein Official Website
Arabic - الملك يوجه الحكومة لالغاء عطلة عيد ميلاده

The Fast Lane on YouTube!

I posted this video a couple of days ago and I wouldn't think that it would get that amount of exposure! I was cruising to my favourite cafe when I spotted this Lamborghini Gallardo and thought it would be cool to take a quick capture of it using my Nokia 9500. Then thought of posting it to my YouTube account.

I got over 20,000 views in these two days and still growing strong. The video was the most viewed in the "Autos" section and #45 across all videos for that day, with good amount of comments and responses.

It is amazing the amount of exposure that one would get form the new wave of "user-generated" content in the many Websites out there.

So, keep you mobilephone cams on!