Twenty-five years ago, when I was in business school in Canada, all of our exams were open book. The school’s rationale was simple: if they wanted to prepare us for the real world, then we needed to be tested in an environment that resembled it. On the surface, that sounds favorable but having experienced it firsthand, I can tell you it wasn’t always the case.
We were given an overwhelming amount of data and qualitative information in the form of books, articles, and case studies. If you couldn’t sift through it quickly, identify what truly mattered, and apply it under time pressure, you would drown in information and fail to complete your tasks on time. Ironically, failure didn’t come from a lack of access to knowledge. It came from the inability to make decisions amidst abundance.
What I learned was this: it was far more useful to move forward with a solid grasp of the data than to attempt to read every word in pursuit of certainty, something that is probably impossible anyway.
That learning shaped who I am today
Dubai
Experience
Shortly after business school, I moved to Dubai. Over the last 25 years, I’ve not only watched this city transform before my eyes, but I’ve also seen other cities and countries attempt to replicate its trajectory.
But the reality is simple: there is only one Dubai.
What stood out to me early on was that progress here seemed to require a different relationship with uncertainty. Agility, speed, and momentum appeared to matter more than perfection. That led me to ask a question: does Dubai’s leadership philosophy explicitly embrace the idea that mistakes are a necessary cost of progress?
Dubai Leadership Philosophy
To explore that, it’s worth looking at the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. From the perspective of a long-term resident and as a former management consultant who worked closely with the Executive Council of Dubai, it has always appeared to me that policies are tested, institutions evolve, and initiatives are launched at a pace that contrasts sharply with the cautious incrementalism seen in many other regions.
Across his writings and reflections, one idea appears again and again:
“ The fear of mistakes is far more dangerous than mistakes themselves. ”
Mistakes as a Cost of Movement, Not a Sign of Failure
In his book Flashes of Thought (2015), Sheikh Mohammed directly challenges the idea that effective leadership is about avoiding errors:
“ To take risk and fail is not a failure. Real failure is to fear taking any risk.”
— Flashes of Thought, Profile Books / Motivate Publishing, 2015
This statement reframes failure not as an outcome, but as a mindset.
Why Fear of Mistakes Kills Innovation
To explore that, it’s worth looking at the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. From the perspective of a long-term resident and as a former management consultant who worked closely with the Executive Council of Dubai, it has always appeared to me that policies are tested, institutions evolve, and initiatives are launched at a pace that contrasts sharply with the cautious incrementalism seen in many other regions.
Across his writings and reflections, one idea appears again and again:
“I might go easy on people who make mistakes, but never on people who make no effort. ”
— Flashes of Thought, 2015
This principle has deep implications for organizational culture—particularly for environments that value compliance over experimentation. When leaders penalize mistakes rather than hesitation, innovation slows, and risk aversion quietly becomes the norm.
Speed, Courage, and Growth
In his book Flashes of Thought (2015), Sheikh Mohammed directly challenges the idea that effective leadership is about avoiding errors:
how much more we can achieve.”
— Flashes of Thought, 2015
This perspective positions progress as a function of decisiveness, where courage and momentum matter more than perfection. It’s a lesson that applies directly to strategic decision-making, especially in fast-moving, complex environments where waiting for complete certainty often means missing the opportunity altogether.
Learning Forward, Not Falling Back
“When you fall, you won’t stand up in the same place—you will stand up a little ahead. ”
— Interview, SheikhMohammed.ae, 11 February 2013
It reinforces the idea that growth is directional. When setbacks are met with reflection rather than blame, leaders don’t return to where they started. They move forward with greater awareness. Dubai’s story is meaningful to me not only because I’ve lived here for nearly 25 years, but because I’ve seen it progress through significant uncertainty: regional security unrest, financial crises, and even a global pandemic.
Leadership Coaching is about Guiding not Directing
In my work as a leadership facilitator, running facilitation workshops with top executive teams across Dubai and the UAE, or as a CEO coach that Dubai organizations trust at the most senior levels, my role is not to be directive. It is to guide. Whether leaders are dealing with technical challenges or deeply adaptive ones, there are multiple pathways to insight.
Often, the most powerful outcomes come not from answers, but from the stories and frames that allow leaders to reach their own conclusions.
This is equally true at the level of board-level strategy, where the cost of inaction is often far greater than the cost of informed experimentation.
My Conclusion
Dubai’s leadership philosophy highlights a core trade-off: fewer mistakes mean slower progress, while faster progress inevitably includes visible mistakes. The real danger is not failure, it is hesitation.