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W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2026-01-30 14:31:00
Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, reviewed the most important leadership lessons and experiences that he acquired during his professional career, especially during his close work with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him. He said: “20 years of direct work with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has given me a set of important leadership lessons, most notably discipline, continuity, and simple leadership. “And clarity, building institutions, not individuals, empowering teams and creating new leaders, leadership under pressure, leadership legacy and Emirati values.” This came during his participation in a session entitled “Leadership from the Field” that brought him together with members of the 2025-2026 batch of the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Development Programme, which is organized by the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development, with the aim of preparing Emirati leaders capable of managing strategic and transformational projects, and keeping pace with rapid global changes in various sectors. Vitality. Mattar Al Tayer highlighted the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for strategic projects that changed the infrastructure landscape in Dubai, such as the Dubai Metro, the Dubai Tram Project, the Floating Bridge, and the Water Canal, pointing out that His Highness’s direct directives and careful field follow-up were the main factor in overcoming challenges and achieving achievement within the highest quality standards. He added: “Working with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum had the greatest impact in refining my leadership skills, as I was honored to work with His Highness for 40 years, including 20 years in which I worked closely with His Highness, which enabled me to gain distinguished leadership visions that directly contributed to the development of major strategic projects and the achievement of qualitative achievements. An Exceptional Leader Mattar Al Tayer began his speech by welcoming the members of the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Development Programme, expressing his appreciation for He was pleased to be present among an elite group of Dubai’s promising leaders, stressing that their participation in a program bearing the name of an exceptional leader is a great pride for them and constitutes an incentive to inspire leadership values and excellence in their future career. He expressed his appreciation to those in charge of the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development for their continuous efforts in qualifying leadership cadres, ensuring the sustainability of leadership competencies and the continuation of the development process in the future. Mattar Al Tayer touched on the beginnings of the establishment of the Roads and Transport Authority, He described that stage as the most important turning point in his professional career, noting that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum commissioned him to prepare a study to establish a road and transportation authority, by transferring tasks from various parties, including the municipality and the police, under one umbrella, and delivering the study within two months. He added: “Thanks to the clarity of His Highness’s vision and his directives, I worked day and night with two experts, and we were able to complete the study and deliver it to His Highness within just one month. This is half the required period, and the decision to establish the Authority was issued in November 2005 after the study was submitted in October of the same year. “Discipline and Continuity Mattar Al Tayer pointed out that during his years of work with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, he acquired many important leadership lessons, most notably discipline and continuity, stressing that discipline and commitment are among the most important qualities of a leader. He touched on the story of the commitment to operating the Dubai Metro on the specified date of 9/9/2009, noting that the project was completed. It was successfully implemented despite the great challenges resulting from the global financial crisis in 2008, stressing that the Emirate of Dubai, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and his direct follow-up, was able to finance the project, change the program and method of implementing the project, and the operation of 7 stations was approved on the specified date, and the gradual opening of the remaining stations. He also touched on the water canal project, praising the role of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in following up the project on the ground to ensure that traffic and infrastructure services on the street are not affected. Sheikh Zayed Bio. He stated that the experience of implementing the Dubai Tram project confirmed to him that the field follow-up of the leader contributes to strengthening discipline and commitment within the work teams, and is an essential factor in completing projects according to the highest standards of quality and efficiency. He added: “I learned from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum the importance of the “secret shopper” tool in enhancing discipline and commitment to performing responsibilities efficiently, and I was keen to adopt and implement the secret shopper system in the authority, through which I carry out field tours to determine the quality of service provision and the workflow of projects.” “Leadership is simple.” And clarity. Mattar Al Tayer said: “The most important thing that distinguishes His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is that he foresees the future and leads with a clear vision and directives, and this has a major role in enabling departments and institutions to complete projects with the highest levels of efficiency and quality.” He added: “The law establishing the Roads and Transport Authority in 2005 included articles that enable the Authority to establish companies, and after less than twenty years, the Authority established 4 companies (Salik, Parkin, Dubai Taxi, and Mada Media) whose market value exceeds 80 billion dirhams,” indicating that the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum contributed to the completion of strategic projects with high speed and efficiency, including the floating bridge, the water canal project, and the Infinity Bridge. Building institutions, not individuals. Mattar Al Tayer stressed that every success in the Roads and Transport Authority we turn into a “work methodology,” and every mistake we turn into a “learned lesson” that is circulated in the institutional system, indicating that the total value of the projects The amount implemented by the Authority over a period of 20 years exceeds 175 billion dirhams. He said: “We are working in the Authority on two paths to build a sustainable institutional system, which are developing policies and guides to generalize work with distinguished practices for its sustainability, and developing solutions to address challenges in the form of institutional work processes and systems.” He added: “To ensure the sustainability of the leadership system in the Authority, it has adopted a system of job succession. Any leader in the Authority who leaves the job has a qualified replacement.” He takes his place immediately and continues working, and this system is supported by a qualification and training program,” pointing out that a successful leader builds an effective system that works efficiently even in the absence of people. Empowering teams and creating new leaders. Mattar Al Tayer explained that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is considered one of the most prominent leaders in creating and empowering leaders, noting that the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Preparation represents a practical model for this approach, and a strategic platform for preparing a new generation of leaders capable of taking responsibility. And creating the future. He added: One of the things I requested from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum when establishing the Roads and Transport Authority was to allow the selection of a work team. At that time, I attracted young cadres from various specializations and worked to qualify them through specialized programs. He gave advice to young leaders, stressing the importance of being frank and honest when assigning them any task, and recognizing the extent of their ability to perform it, stressing at the same time the necessity of continuous learning and benefiting from Experiences of specialists and experts. Leadership under pressure. Mattar Al Tayer reviewed the lessons learned during the global financial crisis in 2008, the “Covid-19” pandemic, and the “low air roar,” noting that the direct directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and his presence in the field, contributed to overcoming challenges and continuing achievement without interruption, while maintaining the quality of projects and efficiency of performance. He pointed out that the leader in times of crises and pressures, must have the ability to He is calm and keen to spread positive energy in the work team, and it is also very important for the leader to review priorities, reorganize and distribute roles to ensure achievement. Leadership Legacy and Emirati Values Mattar Al Tayer said that working within the team of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum represents a unique experience, as the most important pillars of effective leadership according to His Highness are leadership from the field, love of competition and first place, interest in innovation, empowering and appreciating employees’ efforts, spreading positive energy, humility and serving people. His Excellency reviewed The 10 most important points he considers to be a summary of the leadership lessons he acquired during his professional career, saying: “I liked a saying by one of the thinkers in management in which he summarizes the concept of leadership in 3 words: concern, determination, and mission.” He pointed out that concern is the goal to be accomplished, purpose is the desire and passion for accomplishment, and mission is the work required to achieve the goal. He stressed that among the leadership lessons also are: having an innovative mindset, a clear vision, and keen insight, and working with passion and ambition. Organization is the key to successful management, continuous development and learning, leaving the comfort zone, building a reliable work team with follow-up and monitoring, remembering that challenges reveal the qualities of leaders, sharing experiences and creating new leaders, and being positive, proactive and innovative. At the conclusion of the session, Mattar Al Tayer issued a challenge to the members of the Mohammed bin Rashid Program for Leadership Development, which consists of proposing innovative projects in the transportation sector within the axes: luxury, health, education, hospitality, and innovation, with the projects being studied by a specialized team. The winning project will be honored at the World Summit of the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) for the year 2026. It is noteworthy that the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development is keen to hold regular sessions for its members with prominent government leaders, to enhance direct learning from practical experiences and expertise, and to enable young leaders to hone their skills and raise their readiness to lead strategic projects and achieve excellence in their professional careers. Since its establishment, the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development has succeeded in consolidating its position among the best centers in the world in the development process. Leadership, as the Center translates the visions and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, regarding the priority of investing in people, as it is the basis for the success and purpose of development strategies. The Center aims to “prepare tomorrow’s leaders,” and seeks to identify, build and develop Emirati leaders at all levels, through specific programs and purposeful activities that contribute to qualifying leadership figures who have diverse vital skills and can adapt to developments and deal with changes. Flexible and intelligent, it has the competence and knowledge that qualifies it to make fundamental decisions and innovate solutions to future challenges.
