Proceedings of 11th International Business and Social Science Research Conference
8 - 9 January, 2015, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai, UAE. ISBN: 978-1-922069-70-2
Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan: Authentic Leader, Level 5
Leader, or Both: A Case Study
Reynold James and Arwa Said Abdallah Al Saaidi
The role of leadership -or lack thereof- in recent times, is currently a topic of considerable debate,
both within and without academia. A significant portion of the literature squarely attributes the
global financial crisis of 2008, and organizational failures of earlier years, to the ethical and moral
bankruptcy of organizational leaders, and the credibility-trust void within the top level leadership
of governments and industry across nations. Two models of leadership –arguably a panacea to
such leadership failings- and which in recent years have been vigorously doing the rounds, are
Authentic Leadership (Avolio, Luthans et al.,2004), and Level -5 Leadership (Collins 2001). One
outstanding leader of recent times, whose life and leadership style arguably combines the best
of both approaches, is Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan (considered the Father of the Nation of the
UAE]. Despite his renown and much revered status in the oil rich GCC region, there is limited
mention of his leadership style and visionary qualities, in the English / Western academic
literature. This case study –whilst analyzing Sheikh Zayed’s leadership style, using the lens of the
Authentic and Level 5 leadership models- purports to fill this gap.
Key Words: Sheikh Zayed; United Arab Emirates; Authentic Leadership; Level 5 Leadership.
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Reynold James PhD, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Arwa Said Abdallah Al Saaidi, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE. email: Reynold.James@zu.ac.ae