The Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) hosted His Excellency Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chief of Dubai Police and General Security, for a guest lecture on the leadership qualities of the founding father of the UAE, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. His Excellency also shared insights from his latest book ‘Soft Power in the Leadership Qualities of Zayed: 110 Leadership Qualities’.
The event drew the participation of His Excellency Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Minister of State and Member of EDA’s Board of Trustees, His Excellency Bernardino León, Director General of EDA, as well as students, faculty and staff of the Academy.
During the session, His Excellency Lt Gen Tamim highlighted the challenges Sheikh Zayed faced during the first stages of the establishment of the UAE federation. He also shared his experience as an author, offering the audience a behind the scenes glimpse of his book from conceptualisation to the various stages of writing, as well as examining its essential content. The book release coincided with the Year of Zayed, declared by the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to mark the 100th anniversary of Sheikh Zayed’s birth and to highlight his role in establishing the UAE.
His Excellency Lt Gen Tamim said: “Sheikh Zayed has provided us with an exemplary soft power approach to follow. His ideas, values and interest in human rights, culture and art have made him a role model for leadership. Before writing my book, I researched several prominent leaders who had left an indelible mark on their people, but I could not find anyone like Sheikh Zayed. He was a distinguished leader, diplomat and politician, a tolerant and gracious strategic thinker, who advocated for social issues and the environment. He sought to make his people happy and worked for them without expecting a reward.”
He added: “My book provides an overview of a few select leadership qualities of the late Sheikh Zayed. But of course, I was unable to include all of them. Our founding father was an exceptional leader not only for the UAE but also for the region and the world at large. This is what prompted me to write this book, in which I try to answer the questions that future generations may ask about Sheikh Zayed, who left an immortal legacy for our country.”
His Excellency Lt Gen Tamim emphasised the vital need for educational institutions in the UAE to incorporate elements of Sheikh Zayed’s leadership qualities in their curriculum, and for the students in the country’s schools to learn about eminent personalities of the UAE’s own history and culture.
Thanking EDA for hosting him and praising its efforts in qualifying the nation’s future diplomats, he stressed the importance of diplomatic work and its crucial role in continuing the UAE’s achievements and preserving its success.
His Excellency Bernardino León said: “We were honoured to host His Excellency Lt Gen Tamim at EDA. He provided us with valuable insights on the exemplary leadership qualities of Sheikh Zayed.”
He added: “Sheikh Zayed laid the foundations of the UAE’s foreign policy. He was a wise leader, who believed in Emirati youth and its ability to achieve the ambitions of the country’s leadership and its people. At the Academy, we work relentlessly to instil our founding father’s core values in our students, as we firmly believe these are integral qualities for Emirati diplomats that will enable them to become worthy representatives of their country on the global stage.”
In addition to his role as Deputy Chief of Dubai Police and General Security, His Excellency Lt Gen Tamim is a member of The Executive Council of Dubai, Chairman of the Emirates Talent Association and Chairman of the Board of Governors of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University. He previously held several leadership positions, most notably as Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police. He has written multiple books, including ‘Police and Human Rights’, ‘Rashid’s Journey into Building and Development’ and ‘Strategic Planning’. He also received several awards, such as the United Nations Award for the Most Prominent Arab Personality in the Fight against Drugs, ‘The Bizz World Leader Businessperson’, the EU Parliament Prize for Human Rights and Environmental Protection and a gold pin by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR), making him the first military official to achieve this honour.
