Middle East cultural intelligence · Private and confidential
I help UK business leaders build personal relationships in the Middle East.
In the Middle East, trust comes before the contract. Relationships seal the deals, not just the numbers. I give well-informed, one-to-one advice to business owners, financiers and senior leaders in the UK and Europe who need to build trust with partners and clients in the Middle East and beyond.
I help you get to know the person, read what is not being said and avoid the costly mistakes. My advice comes from more than 22 years of living and working in the Middle East, across 12 countries, predominantly embedded in businesses on my own as an observer. It is backed by doctoral research.
It is a long journey, but I am with you all the way.
What I do
What is cultural intelligence?
Cultural intelligence (CQ) is the ability to work effectively across cultural differences. It is used wherever people from different backgrounds need to understand each other and get things done together: in cross-border deals and sales, leadership, global teams, overseas postings and diplomacy. The most widely used framework, developed by Earley and Ang, breaks it into four capabilities.
Drive.
The motivation and confidence to engage with cultural differences.
Knowledge.
Understanding how cultures differ in values, norms and practices.
Strategy.
Planning and checking your assumptions before and during every meeting.
Action.
Adapting your tone, pace and body language as the situation requires.
I apply all four to the Middle East: who really decides, how trust is built and how a counterpart views directness, deadlines and relationships.
Beyond the basics
Cultural intelligence is not only for business.
You probably know the basics already: the handshake, standing up when someone enters the room. If you live there, they soon become second nature. What takes longer is building relationships remotely, by phone and email between the UK and the Middle East, and in person, from the boardroom to a formal dinner or an invitation to someone’s home. MERCAG is for anyone working or living in the region, not just business leaders. I also support partners who want to understand the culture their other half is working in, or about to move to.
Wasta and gatekeepers
Wasta is an informal network of personal connections and influence with no real equivalent in the UK. It can slow decisions, sidestep process and affect hiring, contracts and promotions. It also puts expectations on international professionals that can be deeply frustrating. Understanding how it works helps you make sense of what is happening around you, and keep your own conduct transparent.
A collective society
The UK is largely individualist: you speak for yourself and your own results. Much of the Middle East is collective, where people think first of the group, the team and the wider community. Decisions are not made quickly, as consultation happens behind closed doors and takes time. Loyalty runs deep and genuine praise is warmly received, as long as it is given in a way that does not put someone on the spot.
Status, respect and hospitality
Respect for seniority and reputation shapes how openly people speak to you. Some things are said directly, others are only hinted at. Hospitality is a point of pride. It is their country and they want to host you, without expecting anything back. Rushing to pay for a meal can cause offence. You can buy dinner one day, but that takes time, and even then expect a friendly fight over the bill.
Women in Middle East business
Navigating a male-dominated business world.
Some of the most powerful leaders in the Arab world are women, yet much of business life is still shaped by men. I help women executives and professionals navigate it with confidence. Find out more
From the boardroom to the majlis
Not your average culture consultant.
MERCAG came to me, not the other way round.
Over the years, I found that friends and colleagues kept coming to me with the same questions about working and living in the Middle East.
Then a chance meeting changed everything. A frustrated City financier told me he was getting nowhere with a contact in the Middle East. We had only just met, yet within minutes he was wishing he had that kind of advice at work, every day. A stranger had seen the value straight away. That was the moment MERCAG was born.
Most cultural advice is written for boardrooms. I work there, and on the ground. I have ridden in trucks with Iraqis, drunk tea in people’s homes and, as a lieutenant, led a troop of UAE Marines for four years without a translator. Ten years of study and doctoral research turn that into advice you can act on.
Whether you run a company or are moving abroad with your partner, talk to me in confidence.
Let’s start a conversation.
To talk about working or living in the region, for you, your team or your partner, or to book a call, get in touch with Darren.