One of my favourite pastimes is listening to stories about what great leaders do, or, in the case of the one I am about to share, did. Recently I was told of how the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum led the transformation of sandy settlements into a modern city.
Each morning following Fajr prayers, Sheikh Rashid would drive around town and check on the progress of the projects, not only government projects but also those in the private sector. I asked the storyteller: "Do you think they would have accomplished what was done without this type of micro-monitoring?" The immediate reply was "no", followed by another story.
One day Sheikh Rashid noticed progress was not being made on a particular project; it had stalled on the first floor for too long. So when he returned to his office, he called the owner of the building. After some chit-chat, he inquired about the status of the building. When the owner replied: "It is going superb, we are up to the third floor." Sheikh Rashid replied: "You must have the best contractor in the world."
"Your Highness, why do you say this?" queried the owner.
"When I was there a few hours ago, the building was just on the first floor," Sheikh Rashid replied.
The owner received the message, as did other leaders and the legend of the story still lives today. This leadership practice made me wonder: "Should leaders be micro-monitoring?"
This approach to leading is highly disputed; many leaders argue that it is wrong to monitor this intensely. The textbooks say leaders should give the vision or direction to their employees or teams and let them get on with it - planning and executing. Reality does not work like the textbooks read; leading results requires monitoring.
When this concept of micro-monitoring is presented as a leadership practice, the immediate argument is that leaders should not do it. They reply micromanaging is wrong.
Here I think we need to draw a distinction on terms: micromanaging is telling your team how to do something and micro-doing is doing the work for them. Unfortunately this is a trap that I have witnessed many leaders get stuck in.
However, micro-monitoring is the work that leaders need to do. It is the role of the leader to lead the delivery of results, and this requires monitoring.
The twice-a-year performance review that many leaders rely on is simply insufficient when it comes to monitoring. It is flawed by logic as the timing of monitoring is too infrequent to allow for correction and recovery if delivery falls behind.
Reactive performance reviews are the antithesis of the practice Sheikh Rashid maintained. He took a proactive approach to ensure leaders would deliver on the vision.
When leaders have the mindset of making sure their teams succeed, then monitoring moves from inspection, which invokes resistance to the practice, to that of proactively ensuring success. It only makes sense that leaders should focus on others succeeding, as it is their job to lead delivery of results and they are accountable for it.
Monitoring is more than a formal twice a year or once a quarter process. It should have the right frequency and be proactively focused on successful execution. Are you monitoring enough and in the right way?
Tommy Weir is an authority on fast-growth and emerging-market leadership, an adviser and the author of The CEO Shift. He is the founder of the Emerging Markets Leadership Center
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Results
2pm Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,800m
Winner AF Al Baher, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Alla Mahlak, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner Davy Lamp, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly.
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner Ode To Autumn, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner Arch Gold, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
4.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,800m
Winner Meqdam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
5pm Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner Native Appeal, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
5.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Amani Pico, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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