Ex-British officer offers guide to doing business in the Gulf

By Denise Marray Doing business overseas often entails operating out of one’s comfort zone. Tried and trusted modes of operation in the home country might not always be relied on in another culture, even in today’s international market place. So it pays to put some time and effort into gaining an understanding of the culture and customs of the country before rushing headlong into encounters and making a poor impression due to lack of knowledge or sensitivity.Today, many businesses from around the world are focusing their attention on the Gulf region. For anyone wanting to take some wise counsel before setting foot in the Arab regions, help is at hand in the distinguished form of former British army officer, Jeremy Williams OBE, whose knowledge of the region has been gained over several decades of working in the Gulf. His book Don’t they know it’s Friday? A Cross-Cultural Guide for Business and Life in the Gulf is required reading by those who want to build good, profitable and lasting relationships with their business counterparts. I meet Williams in the richly historic surroundings of the century-old Cavalry and Guards Club in the heart of Mayfair. Fine military paintings adorn the walls and regimental silver gleams on polished surfaces in the beautifully proportioned rooms hung with chandeliers. We take tea in the library beneath a portrait of the Battle of Balaclava. Around us is the uniquely English symphony of discreet conversation and the gentle clatter of teacups. Williams first set foot in the Gulf in 1969 when he was posted to Sharjah in the UAE where he served with a British armoured car squadron. He was subsequently seconded to the Dubai Defence Force (DDF) where his squadron consisted of local Emirati soldiers. This was in the early ’70s when Dubai had a gentler pace; he recalled that his office tent was pitched on the site occupied today by the towering Burj Khalifa. Back in those days Sheikh Mohamed would sometimes fly in at the weekend to join the DDF families enjoying water skiing at Ajman and on one memorable day His Highness thrilled Williams’ young son and daughter by treating them to a flight in his helicopter. Some years later Williams went to Saudi Arabia where he spent three years with the National Guard. He returned to the UAE serving as the British Defence Attaché in Abu Dhabi during the Iran-Iraq war and the onset of the Gulf War, concluding his Attaché career in the post of wartime Defence Attaché in Bahrain through the Gulf War. During these 15 years of service in the region he often encountered what he termed “passing businessmen who asked strange questions about Arabs.” He found to his surprise that intelligent, Western educated men and women often had a woefully limited understanding of the region and its culture. Questions might include: “Is Islam important?” or “What’s the difference between Sunni and Shia?” or “I’m a CEO and a woman; how will I be perceived in business?”Realising he had the experience to help bridge this knowledge gap, he formed his company Handshaikh Ltd which has now been offering cross-cultural training for over 20 years. Clients range from multi-nationals to SMEs. On February 27, he will conduct a training seminar at the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce in London.The kind of questions asked in the training sessions might relate to negotiating strategy or tips on how to behave in a social context. Women might be anxious about how to engage with male counterparts: they worry, for example, about whether they should shake hands. Williams is very good at giving clear, simple advice. In the Gulf a woman should not extend her hand but should follow the lead of the man — who may prefer not to shake the hand of a woman as it might not be the cultural norm. “A simple rule is: hold back — let the Arab initiate the handshake, man or woman” advises Williams.Above all visitors should be aware of the high importance placed on giving and accepting hospitality. If food or drink is offered it should always be graciously accepted as it is a sign of friendship and respect; refusal is seen as somewhat clumsy. People who lump all Arabs together, he warns, are heading for a fall as their attitude displays an ignorance of the unique and very different cultures across the 22 countries of the Arab world. This is a bit like categorising all Europeans together and likely to result in the person being perceived as ignorant.He points out that many of the current generation of Arab businessmen and women in the Gulf are well-travelled and have studied in universities and business schools in the US and Europe. Often it is the client from the West who finds him or herself at a disadvantage through limited knowledge of the region. In today’s competitive market with approaches being made by companies from all over the world, the foreigner who wades in with a clumsy, ill-prepared, arrogant or condescending pitch will stand out for all the wrong reasons. The focus should be on developing joint ventures and partnerships. An initial quick, concise summary of what is on offer and (if the Arab client has power of negotiation) at what price is essential. It is expensive for a company to send an executive to the Gulf in order to seek business, but Williams stresses that it is important to invest time and patience in building relationships. Often, he advises, it is better for a company to have as their representative a personality who is not necessarily, for example, the company’s most brilliant architect, but rather a steady, competent person prepared to invest the time to forge strong ties and to earn trust, ideally by being resident in the Gulf for some years. Trying to force the pace and expecting a quick return is not going to work. As one Arab businessman remarked to Williams about an executive on a flying visit, who seemed to be a rush to move onto the next meeting: “If he can’t give us some time before we’ve paid him — we’re never going to see him to sort out problems after we’ve paid him.”Williams has adapted to the cultural differences between the West and the Gulf. In the UK, last minute invitations and requests are often seen as a source of stress or inconvenience and possibly even an indication that the recipient is not seen as important by the host. But he has learned that such invitations are given as a sign of friendship and hospitality and that it is better to take a relaxed, flexible view and make the effort to accept and attend and cope with short-notice situations in the same spirit. Above all he says, “Be yourself,” and don’t fake anything, because pretence will quickly be perceived. “Arabs are very observant. Especially the women.”