The People, the Work......................still the same.

Salam-Alekum (Peace be upon you) from Riyadh Saudi Arabia

You answer Wa' Alekum Salam (And upon you peace)

I always imagined that working in another country would be somehow different. I don’t mean the language and cultural differences, but that somehow the people would be different, the space would seem different, the environment would change, but you’d be surprised at how quickly you realize that it’s not all that different.

My work environment is very similar and very much like what you would fine in the States. Sure there are differences with some of the cultural aspects, but people are still people who face the same struggles as we do. I still wear a tie and a dress shirt to the office while most of my Arabian colleagues wear a “thobe” (the traditional long shirt/dress that we see them wearing) and the head dress along with sandals. This is their traditional accepted dress standard for work and they wear it with pride. To be honest it looks very practical and very comfortable. I am the one that sticks out like a sore thumb because I’m the one dressed in western cloths. My cubical is like any other cubical in an office with a internet connection etc… Not all that different.

As a Leadership Coach, I am working to identify HiPo (High Potential) candidates who after being assessed are the top of their groups. There are 30,000 employees and out of those there are around 200 who have been nominated and who are being assessed by me and 7 of my colleagues. We sit and talk to them in a conference room that is very similar to any conference room you would find in any major city in the states. We talk with them and role play with them about work situations and ideas and they are just like you and I. They get nervous, clammy hands, stutter through their words, even forgetting words in their own language due to nerves. We offer them the opportunity to carry out the assessment in the preferred language of English or if needed in Arabic. I give them 100% credit because they usually work hard to accommodate me so that I’ll understand their desire to be part of this program. I admire and respect them for this effort. I’m trying to get Arabic started and I’ll tell you that it’s not an easy language. Today I had a candidate who had a speech impediment in Arabic and it was obvious in his English, but he didn’t skip a beat. It must have been hard to deal with that impediment and try to speak a foreign language, but he did AWESOME. He was/is an inspiration.

So what is different about working here? How is the environment different? Well there’s not much to report on the “different” side. People are people no matter where they are. I have deal with all the same types of personalities that you would think I would deal with in the same type of work in any other place. I have found that when you get past the media spin, the political drama and the typical silly arrogant prejudice that we see on every side, you find that the people are the same and the work is still the same no matter where you go.

Until next time

Ma’ Salam (Goodbye)

Evan