World Class Leadership Courses for Dubai and UAE Companies through Open Thinking

Oct. 1, 2012 - PRLog -- Looking over the corporate landscape in Dubai and in the global economy over the past few years one has to agree that change, very often, happens.
This has challenged tried and tested traditional leadership strategies that have been in a constant juxtaposition against economic trends and consumer confidence in a race to keep up with evolving technologies, all of which have created many gaps and uncertainties about the future.
Companies have had to grapple with being caught in the moving stream of the most competitive and dynamic eras in the history of commerce and trying to stay ahead of the curve that keeps bending.
“This is not such an unusual predicament,” says Michael J. Tolan, a leadership thought change expert,  “as the corporate leaders who have survived or emerged are often tested in this global commercial transformation.
While notable role models that often are held up as prime examples in the corporate world are Steve Jobs, Sir Richard Branson, many still believe that leadership is inborn, that you either have it at birth, or you don’t.  
Very often leadership surprising new role models emerge, noting the recent appearance of Angelina Jolie in the region and her positive impact as a ‘goodwill ambassador’ to the United Nations serving as a role model to young woman around the world. “Angelina Jolie is a classic example of a non- appointed leader that cares, therefore communicating the very core principle of encouraging the heart from the Leadership Challenge Practices.” he says.
The questions that many have is, can great leadership traits and practices be taught? Can leadership traits and characteristics be learned through a disciplined practice?
There is very active school of thought that believes that great leadership is an art and a science that it can be measured and duplicated, meaning that in also can be taught, learned and cultivated in people within organizations.
“Some of the traits of great leaders DNA is that they take responsibility for their actions, communicate their vision well, engage other for buy in, nurture the heart of the people that support their mission.” Says Tolan.
“Pioneering the disciplines required to achieve sustainable leadership is a cause that Michael Tolan has adopted together with his business partner Iyad Mourtada.
They both see the need to import best practices of great leadership skills to the Middle East region.
After a year of collective research they have enlisted the foremost teachings and expertise of the Leadership Challenge, an organized methodology that harnesses 5 core practices of leadership that great company leaders exemplify based on 30 years of solid research around the world. The book, The Leadership Challenge, which has sold more than 2,000,000 copies worldwide, is available through Wiley publishers, however courses in the Middle East were limited until now but to a few celebrity companies.
“We now have the capacity, methodology and technology to insert the Leadership Challenge into an organization, from supervisors to ‘C’ level executives.” explains Tolan from their Dubai based learning and development center.
Tolan who heads World Class Academy of Excellence has partnered with Mourtada, founder of OpenThinking LLC, to roll out this new source of tools for great organizational leadership to empower others to steer the course of their next generation with a proven model.
“ The timing of this initiative is our greatest challenge, because everyone in the region needs this knowledge all at the same time,” says Mortada.
“We have signed a partnership with Talal Abu -Ghazaleh University to make this available to students and adults throughout the region  and expanding into 25 country markets online, making it available on demand to a mass audience.
OpenThinking is based in the UAE and welcomes participation from any organization in the region that desires the importation of leadership excellence into their ecosystem including teachers, trainers and coaches who wish to undergo the training methodology.
“Great leadership practices will now have an opportunity to flourish in the region and we are excited to be a significant game changer and participant in the process”, adds Mourtada.