A giant opportunity for nationals...

The Sultanate Has Got Talent: A Giant Opportunity for Omani Leadership and Management.

I see it as a positive and significant development over recent months, and years that Omanis are assuming management of many premier organisations and institutions across the Sultanate.

Leadership and management are evolving to Omani nationals across a significant number of professions, bringing with them an opportunity to demonstrate a responsiveness to customer and client needs, an accountability to stakeholders, standards of performance and excellence within their professions, and responsibility to effective management and professional development of themselves and their staff.

Many organisations and institutions, not only in Oman, are not backwards in espousing who they are, what they do, using words like ‘Number One,’ ‘Best,’ ‘Service,’ and ‘Satisfaction,’ which regrettably, turn out to be little more than words. They are rarely subjected to the litmus tests of customer satisfaction because their opening times are wrongly posted, phone calls are badly answered or redirected, and responses to complaints are not audited. Service providers should test their services and responsiveness robustly, to know how effective they are. It may not be comfortable listening to know you and your team have not performed to your stated standards, but you need to know. Talk is cheap, and talking the talk is easy, walking the walk, not quite so.

Accountability to stakeholders includes government and ministry officials, shareholders, and you dare not forget the general population. With so much development taking place a significant amount of financial activity in all sectors, within the Sultanate, is reliant upon the national budget, the government purse, which is in effect the public purse. It stands paramount then that financial responsibility, accuracy and clarity remain at the forefront of all considerations.

It needs to be clearly understood that globally governments do not have to ‘make money,’ while the private sector does, and traditionally, that is why the latter has enjoyed less oversight, control, and monitoring. In return however, there is an implied responsibility to the national interest of a moral and ethical nature which is demonstrated in partnership longevity. This is the perfect, symbiotic relationship between the private sector and government, where both get what they need, and the society benefits. Greater fiscal responsibility in the national overview, and consequent associated savings will allow greater investment in the key social areas of healthcare, education, and social services.

Thirdly, we come to professional development, in both the government and private sectors of employment. Executives and management must have the opportunity to stay current with, or ahead of their professions, and should be subject to scrutiny from within. Especially under COVID-19, accepted protocols have been picked up and shaken mercilessly. There is hardly a single environment where the ‘norms’ have not altered significantly. Change has come, so get with the programme and know the changes from the top down. Be the facilitator, the driver of innovation and change, be the change. The day those below you on the corporate ladder know more than you, your days are numbered!

Know your workforce, every one of them, and make certain they know you! Make sure you know their names, and something about each of them. Have an overview on hand that you can refresh yourself with every time you visit a department or office. It will pay off in the long run. Have lunch, or coffee with them and let them know that you know them. Praise and appreciate their work, not the fact that they ‘turn up’ to their job, and at the same time slip in the stiletto by knowing who arrives late or leaves early every day, takes long lunches, or spends too much time on their phones. What? You don’t know... Oh oh.

This is the time for Omani Leaders and Managers. It is their generation, their opportunity, their time to drink from the chalice, and prove themselves, not only to be, but to do. Are you ready?