Who would have guessed that children's stories written around two thousand years ago are still influencing our leadership styles to this day? Asian cultures, from the east to the west are fortunate to have a wealth of literature on morals and leadership.
Mirrors for princes, or the genre of literature aimed at sharing social and political morals with upcoming royals, offers the world written masterpieces on morals. These mirrors, or collections of stories, show us in a language the children can understand, how moral values such as decency, honesty and courage are indispensable character traits for any leader, whether a king or a line supervisor. Growing up, I learned how a book such as Kalila wa Dimna serves as the perfect example of a mirror for princes where fables of animal characters served as a tool for royal leadership wisdom, for two millennia, across three cultures;- Indian, Arab and Persian.
Royal moral leadership
A great example for moral leadership is His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq’s directives for open registration forums for interested members of the public to engage with top official in three significant areas: vision, finance, and people development. Establishing the tradition for such open forums chaired by HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, provides a two-way platform where the top leadership in the three said area are in open discussion with members for the to reach common consensus and understanding in pressing post-pandemic matters.
Oman Vision 2040
Oman Vision 2040 is an example of strategies and execution must go hand in hand. One point that the Unit Chairman Dr Khamis Al Jabri emphasized is how trust and confidence of all stakeholders in the common vision is the single most critical factor to the success of its execution. As a member of the public, it meant a lot to me to hear for the responsible leaders what really matters when it comes to vision execution.
Finance
Contributing to the overall welfare of the society is everyone’s responsibility, yet when considering the impact of global rising cost of living it is understandable how challenging it is to make new government fees popular. In all cases, financial policies are always better received when their return is well explained to the public through such forums.
Human resources
Workforce policies are without a doubt the most significant strategic tool in a nation’s arsenal. One matter that was clear in this form is that creating synergy between knowledge, productivity and lifestyle is still a challenge which all stakeholders must work together to resolve.
Overall, His Highness Sayyid Theyazin’s remarks on the importance of direct, open exchange of feedback on government policies were clear and uplifting. The Sultanate of Oman has a long moral leadership tradition, and this forum enhances trust and confidence that this tradition lives on.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
