‘Dairy Cows in Saudi Arabia’ - A leadership story

Aug 4

In 1980 I was working for a very small subsidiary of BP Nutrition, helping to support the management of agricultural projects in Saudi Arabia.

In 1976 my first job after leaving university was with a group of 35 young men milking cows on a farm at Buraidah, in Gassim Province. The work was hard, the conditions not good and after my 12-month contract was over I was asked to stay on with the company to help manage the farms but based in the UK.

Following a very difficult period on the farm, the young men had become very disillusioned with the work and the conditions. They were threatening to stop work. Something that in Saudi Arabia at that time would have been very dangerous and against the law. The local management on site had become too close to the owner of the farm and had promised all sorts of improvements which never materialised. The situation had become very difficult.

We decided that a change of leadership was required and offered the job to a person who has since become a life-long friend. Ken Baker was 20 years older than me and a very experienced leader having worked in a number of senior positions on major farming estates in the UK. We travelled out together knowing that the following 72 hours would mean either that we would have to close down the project, or that Ken would be able to turn it around.

The morning after we arrived on site, Ken called a meeting of all the staff. He had obtained their passports from the client and spoke to all of them directly, explaining who he was, what he knew about the situation, that he would listen, and take action where he could but not promise anything he couldn’t deliver. He also explained how serious a situation it could be if people refused to work. He also offered to buy airline tickets for anyone who wanted to go home and showed them that he had their passports. At that time in Saudi Arabia the local sponsor kept the passports. They had to be handed to the sponsor on arrival.

Not a single person stepped forward asking to go home. The young men went back to work, conditions on site improved. the work was better organised and trust in the leadership was restored. The project continued for the full contracted period. Ken stayed as manager on site.

Ken showed me that successful leadership requires you to: