Research by Meirc in 12 Middle Eastern Countries forms basis for new leadership book

DUBAI 16 October 2010: Palgrave Macmillan Publishing (UK) this week released a new book titled Developing Multicultural Leaders: The Journey to Leadership Success. Authored by Dr. Farid Muna and Dr. Ziad Zennie, the book analyses field research conducted by Dubai-based Meirc Training & Consulting in 12 GCC and Middle Eastern countries.  More than 300 executives from 129 organizations were interviewed in depth regarding their personal journeys to leadership success.

Developing Multicultural Leaders synthesizes international literature from notable management thinkers and practitioners to answer the question "What makes great organizational leaders?" Utilizing Meirc's extensive field research, the authors provide a new multicultural perspective in a bid to discover what makes great leaders.  The book tackles five related issues.

1. What influence do early childhood years have on success?
2. What are the specific life experiences that contribute to leadership success?
3. How do leaders with potential become outstanding?
4. What critical paths must leaders follow on their journey to success?
5. What must great leaders do exceptionally well to become and remain outstanding?

Dr. Muna and Dr. Zennie provide a new framework for thinking about leadership from various perspectives without losing sight of the big picture.  Developing Multicultural Leaders describes what leaders and their organizations must do on the journey to leadership success.

The authors identify three distinct stages of leadership development:

  • The early ingredients for success gained from childhood to the time one starts a career. Potential leaders are those who have some, if not all, of the five ingredients. 

  • The paths that aspiring potential leaders should follow once they start a career. Five such paths were identified in the book.

  • What leaders should do exceptionally well to become and remain outstanding in organizations, especially those leaders that are operating in multicultural environments.

The book's lessons are illuminating and beneficial for current and aspiring leaders as well as those responsible for recruiting and developing them. This is an indispensable tool for organizations and expatriates working in multicultural environments, who must take into account the nuances, similarities and differences in context and cultures.

More information, including a table of contents and praise for the book, can be viewed at Meirc's website: http://www.meirc.com/the-book.html

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Looking at the Whole Elephant
On Leadership, Followership, and Culture
A Framework for Understanding Leadership Success
A Road Map to Success
The Making of Outstanding Leaders
The Early Years of Potential Leaders
Paths to Outstanding Leadership
Learning to Lead: Cultivating Emotional Intelligence
What Outstanding Leaders do Exceptionally Well
Styles of Emotionally Intelligent Leaders
Decision-Making Styles, Execution, and Accountability
Recruiting and Developing Talent
Implications and Recommendations
Final Thoughts
Appendices
A. Research Methodology and Data Analysis
B. Semi-Structured Questionnaire and Invitation Letter to Organizations
References
Index

-Ends-

FARID A. MUNA is Chairman of Meirc Training & Consulting. He worked in both the West and the Middle East. He earned his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, and his Ph. D. from London Business School, UK. Dr. Muna is the author of The Arab Executive and Seven Metaphors on Management.
 
ZIAD A. ZENNIE is a Partner with Meirc Training & Consulting. Before joining Meirc in 1992, he held managerial positions with a major oil company in Saudi Arabia and a consulting firm in Lebanon. Dr. Zennie completed his graduate studies at the University of Dayton, USA, and obtained his Ed. D. from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

© Press Release 2010