Kenoco,
Im sorry things didnt work out for you at QR. I hope things are better where you are now. What you have to understand is that AAB is not the only leader who is this way. Probably 90% of the Arab business men act in the same way. I am not just talking about the CEOs of airlines, but all CEOs in all industries.
Ill give you an example. I moved to Dubai with my family back in 1994. My Dad was hired as part of the design team to build the Jumeirah Beach hotel and Burj Al Arab. The guy in charge of the whole thing and the guy putting the capital behind the project was Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He is a very repected leader and business man throughout the world. He is a very likable, and well liked guy who has been a main force behind getting Dubai to what it is today. However, he wanted his project done, he wanted it done right and he wanted it done NOW. He was chasing the heels of the companies, in many ways very angrily, firmly explaining to do whatever it takes to get his project completed on time and correctly. This meant the staff had to work their butts off for the last couple of years of the project. And I mean they REALLY had to work. My Dad was going into work at 6am, working through to 8pm 6 days a week. Most of the time on Fridays he would have to bring work home and spend half the day at his desk. During the summer, he would be lucky to get 2 weeks holiday. All this because Mr. Maktoum wanted his project completed on time. The staff working on the project knew they had to put in the effort or they would be out of there. So they stuck together and got the job done.
That seems like a hell of a lot of work to do, and a lot of people would leave those working positions. A lot of people did. Why did my Dad do it? Because he knew it would have to be done and he knew things would get better for him and the family. For all those that did stay and worked through it, they are sitting in very good jobs in Dubai. They have much larger salaries, bigger homes, nice cars and posessions, get to go on great holidays...etc...etc. All of those guys and girls who worked through it all through the years have become very respected members of their respective industries in Dubai and are offered great positions all of the time.
You look at cities like Dubai and Doha and see their growth. It is phenominal. These ciities still have a lot of catching up to do, as their 'boom' was more delayed than their western counterparts. It is businessmen like AAB that have brought these cities to what they are today, and what they will be. They have rather unconventional ways of doing their business than the western guys, but if you put a more conventional leader from the west in the chairs of the Arabs, the growth of these cities and businesses would be nowhere near where it is today.
AAB and his airline have a lot of catching up to do. He looks 300 miles to his east and sees a well established international carrier. For Qatar to grow as a country, it NEEDS a good and well respected airline. That is what much of the growth of Dubai has been based around and that is what Doha will be too. We are not talking about just building another low cost carrier here, we are talking about building a major national carrier and doing it in a fraction of the time that other majors have done it. British Airways' roots stretch back over 80 years. QRs roots dont even stretch 10. You need someone drastic at the head of the airline, with a very ambitious vision to get things done. It is people like that who have brought the middle east to what it is today.
I know many of you dont find all of this easy, but you just have to stick it out. If you are planning on making a move to the middle east, you have to take time to do A LOT of homework. Those who stay are those who understand what I have said above. For those of you who leave, it was just too much of a change from your home country. You have to understand that the middle east is a very different place, with a very different way of doing things. AAB is still learning. Also, you have to remember it is not just you guys who are under pressure, he is too. The Qatari government wants a great airline in a very short space of time. AAB has been chosen to do this. I dislike some of the things I have heard about some of the conditions you have to work in, especially the cabin crew, but the work has to be done. What you need to do is just go to work and get on with it. Work as a team, stick together and welcome the newbes with open arms. The more staff can stick together and stay at QR, the better off you will all be. You complain than you have to work too much. Well, if so many didnt leave, QR would have more staff to shuffle around.
Help AAB out. Stick with him. I am not defending some of the things he has done, but if you help him, he will help you. If you stick together, it will pay off. Things will get better. Like I said before, if you leave you will regret it. QR is a new airline. If you were working for a new carrier back in the western world you would have to work just as hard, or harder and would not be getting nearly the same return and career prospects. Remember, Qatar Airways is not Emirates, it is Qatar Airways.
Kenoco. I understand what it would be like to work for AAB. I have experienced the similar pressure by other leaders through my family. These leaders are all alike. Yes you have had first hand experience with him, but he seems the same as all the rest. Believe it or not, no matter what you do in the middle east there is always someone bitting at your heels to do a better job and get things done. You have to understand this in order to have a successful career in the middle east. People always seem to paint a very rosy picture of the middle east, saying that everyone is well off. Many are, but what people dont realise that its not handed to you on a plate. You have to work your butt off to get there.
Take it Easy Guys
BYB
