• Home
• /
• UAE

3 important lessons Sheikh Rashid taught Sheikh Mohammed

"Three lessons from a wise teacher made my way of living, and a ruling philosophy for my people."

Sheikh Rashid was a great influence, recalls His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The values and leadership style of his father served him well as he charted out a global vision for Dubai.
"Sheikh Rashid started his rule with great energy and high spirit. Each day of his reign was a school that I attended. On every new day, he had a new idea, a project and an insight."
Also read
Sheikh Mohammed reveals the best person he has ever known
Sheikh Mohammed recalls pain of losing his mother

When Sheikh Mohammed walked in the desert without food or water

"I recall one of the important decisions he had taken after assuming the office. He created many local councils for the municipality, with the participation of traders and others with talents, including engineers, workers and intellectuals."
When I asked him about the reason for inviting all these new faces, he told me with a serious look on his face: "One cannot stop learning. We want them to tell us how can we build Dubai, and we want them to teach you how to be a leader, because your training has just started."
"It was my first lesson from Sheikh Rashid. It was so deep yet simple, and I have recognised how important and great this lesson was whenever I had greater responsibilities."
I grew up knowing that the most difficult thing a ruler could do is to ignore a truthful advice. I remember Sheikh Rashid telling a member of the council: "I think you are a person with extraordinary leadership skills. Can you launch the project and keep up with it until the end?"
I asked him: "Why did you tell this man he is a leader? He has limited skills and doesn't deserve such word!"
"He took a deep breath and told me that a successful ruler should surround himself with leaders, and we always look for them. But when we can't find any, we should make leaders, give them responsibilities and support them until they became true leaders. It was a golden sentence. A simple one, but a great secret for the country's success."
The third lesson I want to mention in this chapter also is about leadership. I asked him: "Who are the true leaders in this world?"
He answered: "True leaders are not what leaders were in the past. The world has changed. True leaders are the silent giants who have wealth, not the politicians who make a lot of noise. This answer still impresses me until now, because I see it clear every day."
"Economy always controls politics."
"Three lessons from a wise teacher made my way of living, and a ruling philosophy for my people."
 
In what he is calling his "incomplete biography", His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has broken his latest book, Qissati (My Story), into 50 chapters, narrating 50 stories in his 50 years of serving the nation. Khaleej Times got a signed copy of the book from the Dubai Ruler and everyday, we will be featuring excerpts from each of the 50 chapters.