Many finance authors, including this one, will usually talk about the big steps that a company has taken to become successful. Sony’s Walkman portable tape player in the 1970s, Microsoft’s Dos operating system in the 1980s and Apple’s iPhone today. But this is not managing a business so much as it is innovation; innovation can only take you so far, and it is not strictly necessary.
What is management at its core? It is constant maintenance and making small, continuous improvements, which the Japanese call Kaizen and is one of Toyota’s core values. A good metaphor is tending a garden. A garden, like a company, cannot usually just come into existence. Sure, you could buy plants and grass turf and have a garden overnight, but that is no different than buying a company. I’m talking about planting seeds and nurturing the garden.
So what does this entail? A whole book would not be able to cover it, but we can get a flavour by examining a few aspects, especially those relevant to the GCC. The first and foremost issue is actually taking action. This action can be speaking up, making a decision or just moving a project forward.
First we have maintenance action. Without maintenance, weeds begin to grow. At first this does not seem to be a big problem. But as the weeds grow taller and thicker, they end up choking all the grass and plants. Worse, for the uninitiated weeds seem like normal plants.
What does this mean in the real world? One facet is weeding out corporate politics and the employees who play them. Because corporate politics are like weeds they seem harmless enough taken individually and early on, but unchecked they grow and start choking off the productive parts of the company. Corporate politics can rarely be destroyed after it has reached a certain size. Just like weeds, it has to be yanked out as soon as it becomes visible.
Another area is morale, and in some sense it is the opposite of corporate politics in that morale is a good thing. Morale needs to be tended on a continuous basis. Just like you cannot expect a sapling to grow into a tree overnight, morale needs a long period of time of being tended to grow. On the flip side, destroying morale is no different than chopping down the tree – you are not going to rebuild it overnight, if ever.
A third area is misunderstanding the point of whether lack of decision-making creates problems for the company. As I have discussed in previous articles, our culture is one of respect, but sometimes this can be taken too far in the context of business.
Not speaking up is like not watering the plants. Sooner or later that silence will end in the equivalent of plants dying – departments will become obsolete and there is little that can be done to save them. Decision-makers need to speak up in a timely manner, even if it is a little at a time, to ensure the continued health of the business.
The flip side of this is patience. Take your time. Don’t push. You can rarely force something to grow, be it a plant or a company. But there is a fine line between patience and cowardice. At some point you need to accept that the withering plant cannot be saved. In the same way there will be personnel who are deadweight, business lines that are withering or business models that are fatally diseased, in all three cases silence is not patience, but a death sentence for the company.
Not all core management tasks lend themselves to a horticultural analogy. For example, management is not focused solely inward. There are external stakeholders and resources that need to be managed, such as clients, suppliers and potentially regulators. For such cases the lessons learnt from managing inward apply just as well.
A final note. There seems to be a culture of “no harm, no foul” in some companies. This could mean someone taking an unsanctioned risk who gets lucky in the outcome and therefore does not face repercussions. This culture is thriving because of a lack of speaking up or not wanting to rock the boat. This is dangerous and if not reversed can easily lead to the kind of systemic failure that destroyed the global financial services sector in 2008.
Sabah Al Binali is an active investor and entrepreneurial leader with a track record of growing companies in the Mena region. You can read more of his thoughts at al-binali.com.
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
5 of the most-popular Airbnb locations in Dubai
Bobby Grudziecki, chief operating officer of Frank Porter, identifies the five most popular areas in Dubai for those looking to make the most out of their properties and the rates owners can secure:
• Dubai Marina
The Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence are popular locations, says Mr Grudziecki, due to their closeness to the beach, restaurants and hotels.
Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh482 to Dh739
Two bedroom: Dh627 to Dh960
Three bedroom: Dh721 to Dh1,104
• Downtown
Within walking distance of the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and the famous fountains, this location combines business and leisure. “Sure it’s for tourists,” says Mr Grudziecki. “Though Downtown [still caters to business people] because it’s close to Dubai International Financial Centre."
Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh497 to Dh772
Two bedroom: Dh646 to Dh1,003
Three bedroom: Dh743 to Dh1,154
• City Walk
The rising star of the Dubai property market, this area is lined with pristine sidewalks, boutiques and cafes and close to the new entertainment venue Coca Cola Arena. “Downtown and Marina are pretty much the same prices,” Mr Grudziecki says, “but City Walk is higher.”
Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh524 to Dh809
Two bedroom: Dh682 to Dh1,052
Three bedroom: Dh784 to Dh1,210
• Jumeirah Lake Towers
Dubai Marina’s little brother JLT resides on the other side of Sheikh Zayed road but is still close enough to beachside outlets and attractions. The big selling point for Airbnb renters, however, is that “it’s cheaper than Dubai Marina”, Mr Grudziecki says.
Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh422 to Dh629
Two bedroom: Dh549 to Dh818
Three bedroom: Dh631 to Dh941
• Palm Jumeirah
Palm Jumeirah's proximity to luxury resorts is attractive, especially for big families, says Mr Grudziecki, as Airbnb renters can secure competitive rates on one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations.
Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh503 to Dh770
Two bedroom: Dh654 to Dh1,002
Three bedroom: Dh752 to Dh1,152
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
Company%20Profile
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The%20specs
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Bahrain%20GP
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Company%20Profile
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Company%20Profile
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Race card:
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; 2,200m
7.40pm: Conditions; Dh240,000; 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 2,000m
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed; Dh265,000; 1,200m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; 1,600m
10pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 1,400m
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
Company%20Profile
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