"We had a blockage of two toilets at 83, Al Young Villages; Al Ain.
 
Aziz Khan came out to fix it. It took 3 days of a lot of hard work, Aziz burnt his clothes with drain cleaner acid, he cut his hands, but he never stopped until the job was done.
 
It was a dirty nasty job to have to do but he made sure he cleared the problem, which turned out to be a great big stone that took a lot of work to remove.
 
I wanted to say he is a great employee of your company and he deserves credit for his attention to his work.
 
Kind regards"

"Dear Ms Jenkins
 
I have just read the letter that has been distributed around Oyoun Village and it has prompted me to let you know how happy we are with the improvement in service that has been evident in recent months.

I notice your comments regarding the health club building and your plan to use it to its full potential. The geographic location within the village and the space available makes it a natural hub for the village community and it would be great to see it used more often.

The back gate has been a bone of contention amongst residents for some time as has the restriction on entering the club house via one door. It would be much appreciated by all the residents of Oyoun Village if these two points were rectified and more in line with the wishes of the residents.

 I can honestly say that things have never been better around the village and to my knowledge many people feel the same way. Thank you to everyone involved and we hope that things go from strength to strength as time goes by.

Yours sincerely"

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 19 October, 2009- Khidmah LLC, Abu Dhabi’s first Emirati-owned and -operated services management company, announced today the addition of two new members to its management team.  Brad Robbins has joined as Services Division Director and Tamer Hashem has been appointed Security Services Manager. The new appointments mark another step in Khidmah’s rapid growth since its launch just over seven months ago.

Brad Robbins joins Khidmah with an impressive professional and academic background in the field of facilities management. He served for two years as Head of Infrastructure, Asset and Facilities Management at Nakheel, where he was directly responsible for the operations and facilities management of master-planned developments including The Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Island and International City.

With 17 years of experience in the field, Mr. Robbins’ portfolio includes several large scale projects, including facility management services for commercial and residential buildings at Morgan Stanley in Australia and maintenance services for Sydney Airport. Mr. Robbins holds a Masters degree in Facilities Management from the University of Sydney University. In his new position, Mr. Robbins will be responsible for services management of all Khidmah properties, ensuring increased operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Tamer Hashem will lead the Security Services team of Khidmah. His main responsibilities consist in implementing security policies,  strategies and procedures, as well as managing the workforce of security teams and implementing technological security solutions and systems to be applied in all Khidmah managed properties.
    
Prior to joining Khidmah, Mr. Hashem served as a police officer for ten years and as a trainer in the police college in Egypt.  He also worked for   various  multinational organizations including the UN Peace Keeping Missions, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and  Barclays Bank  where he occupied similar roles to his new position in Khidmah, trained people and built up security teams. He brings 15 years of experience to Khidmah, thereby contributing to the high quality of services provided by the company. Mr. Hashem holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law and a Diploma in Police Sciences from the Police College, Police Academy, Egypt.

Sutton Turner, Chief Executive of Khidmah, said:

“We continue to expand our team, recruiting the very best leaders in the field of services management.  “Brad and Tamer will bring great leadership to security and services and we look forward to welcoming them to our team.”

Khidmah’s portfolio of services includes property management and leasing, additional landscaping, cleaning, maintenance, health and fitness, resale, online (www.UAE2let.com and www.Resale.ae) and call centre services today. Khidmah now provides its services to seven residential and commercial developments in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai, including Golf Gardens in Abu Dhabi, Oyoun Village in Al Ain and Lake Shore Tower in Dubai.

(Notes from today’s Leadership lesson)
In 2005, I became a part of an organization that helps train leaders.  The organization is built on leaders training leaders who then train leaders under them.  A successful sales executive in the US automobile industry, a non-profit professional, and I went to Russia where over 3 days of 8-hour lessons, we trained leaders about qualities and techniques of leadership.  Now the 700 attendees of these lessons had to agree to then turn around and teach the same leadership lessons to at least 25 people during the next 6 months to be able to continue in the 3-year program.  So through the influence of just three leaders, 17,500 people were trained (the 700 attendees each taught 25 people, 700 x 25 = 17,500).  This is an example of how good leadership reflects the Law of Multiplication.

The Law of Multiplication only works when you become a Leader of Leaders.

“If you develop yourself, you can experience personal success.
If you develop a team, your organization can experience growth.
If you develop leaders, your organization can achieve explosive growth.” John C. Maxwell

Leaders who Attract Followers … Need to be Needed
Leaders who Develop Leaders … Want to be Succeeded

Many times people see an incorrect depiction of leadership.  Leadership is not about having a throng of followers or people doing things for you.  Leadership is not about ordering people around!  This is called dictatorship, not leadership.

Leadership focuses around what needs to get accomplished together as a team.   Leadership focuses around what is left behind – an improvement to the business, to society, to the environment that is bigger than one person – where it takes a team together to accomplish this goal.  A true leader leaves an organization in a better situation than he found it.   Leadership is never about the leader.  It can never be about being needed.

Leaders who Attract Followers … Develop the Bottom 20%
Leaders who Develop Leaders … Develop the Top 20%

Human action naturally follows the 80/20 principle, commonly known as the Pareto Principle.  We spend 80% of our time on 20% of our issues.  As a leader, you spend 80% of your time on 20% of your team, but which 20% are you focusing on?  As a leader, if you let 80% of your time be focused on the bottom 20% people – your team will never accomplish your goals.  As a leader you can not focus on your “problem children.”  These problem children can not get in the way of you spending time with your “straight A students.”

Straight A Students	Problem Children
Take less of your time	Take More of the Leader’s Time
Solve problems for you	Bring you more problems
Take things off of your plate as a leader	Add things to your plate
Represent you well	Embarrass you
Produce Fruit/results	Eat the Fruit others produce
Have positive attitude	Have negative attitudes
Want to do extra work	Create extra work for the team
Want to be a Leader	Will never be a Leader

Questions:  Who are your best future leaders?  Who are your “Straight A Students?”  You must be deliberate with setting up time for them each week to continue their development, hear their concerns, and give them the time and effort to grow them as leaders.

Leaders Who Attract Followers … Focus on Weaknesses
Leaders Who Develop Leaders … Focus on Strengths

Hear again the 80/20 principle holds true.  If you focus on the Problem Children, then you are by definition focusing on your problems and not your strengths.  Unsuccessful people usually need help with the basics.   Are you focused on why you did not make a deadline or are you focused on how you can improve on something.  Are you focused on your problems?
One of the things we do here at Khidmah is have everyone take the Birkman assessment test upon joining.  This test helps each person and their supervisor know the strengths and weaknesses of a person.  It is important for everyone to know where they should improve, but at Khidmah, it is just as important that each person is placed in the area of her strength.

Leaders Who Attract Followers … Treat Everyone the Same
Leaders Who Develop Leaders … Treat Individuals Differently

Leaders must give rewards, praise, and responsibilities based on results.  The people who produce results should get the greatest rewards.  Effort is good and needs to ENCOURAGED, BUT NOT REWARDED – THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.   Equal treatment to all on your team leads to disincentivizing the good players for the sake of the marginal players.   There is a growing trend in the West, which rewards little league teams for participation.  In fact they give everyone a trophy, even the losers.  This is not leadership, and does not encourage excellence or above average performance.    To be a leader, you must encourage all to perform, but make sure you focus on the results that are produced and reward them.

It should be noted that as a leader, you must know the leaders you lead.  Each person is different and cannot be rewarded the same.  Some leaders like public praise, some are driven by time with their family, and some only see financial incentives.  So it is critical for the leader to know whom he leads and what is important to each person.  What and How to praise is very important.

Leaders Who Attract Followers … Spend Time with Others
Leaders Who Develop Leaders … Invest Time in Others

As a leader, you must be very intentional with the time you spend with the leaders you are developing.  Each leader must invest into those they lead differently and work to develop each person.  If you are not improving those around you, then the time you are spending with others is wasted time.

Again, a leader must know what each person needs and then be intentional with the time they spend with others.

Leaders Who Attract Followers … Grow by Addition
Leaders Who Develop Leaders … Grow by Multiplication

Each follower that you add to your team will only equal the amount of work they can produce.  However, when you add a leader to your team, this not only adds to your team what they can produce but also it multiplies by what the leader’s followers will produce.  In order for Khidmah to keep up with the massive growth in the future, we must be adding people to our company that can lead others.

Leaders Who Attract Followers … Impact Only People They Touch
Leaders Who Develop Leaders … Impact People Beyond Their Reach

If a leader only attracts followers, the leader will burn out.  This happens because all of the pressure and decisions must be made by this one leader.  Leaders who lead followers find they have to “touch” all of the followers and followers become needy for the leader.  However, when leaders lead leaders, they are freed up from pressure and all of the decisions.  Leaders take things off of their leader’s plate – or lighten the load of their leader.   With this lightened load, the leader can then go out and increase the vision, see new opportunities and grow the overall wellbeing of the department or organization.

Lead On!
Sutton

(this material for this teaching is from Dr. John C. Maxwell’s Law of Multiplication)

- Company welcomes online applications from national students across the UAE
- Exceptional students to be offered employment on graduation

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 30 September, 2009: The first intake of Emirati students has completed the first three weeks of a new internship program at Khidmah LLC, Abu Dhabi’s first Emirati owned and operated services management company.  The Khidmah internship program has been developed to provide a rounded introduction to working within an expanding company in Abu Dhabi’s real estate industry; offering workplace training in property management, services management, finance and call centre management systems and other aspects of a working in a fast-paced business environment.

Designed to boost the skills and provide real-life work experience for final year UAE national students interested in pursuing private sector careers in services management and real estate, the program is part of Khidmah’s drive to promote hands-on learning and build professional careers for young Emiratis. Interns who excel during their placements may be offered full time employment at Khidmah on graduation.  The first two participants in the program from Zayed University began their internships on 6 September and are now working with Khidmah teams and mentors in finance and IT – their respective study disciplines – until the end of October.

Sutton Turner, CEO of Khidmah, says
“At Khidmah, we believe that everything rises and falls with leadership.  Being an Emirati owned and operated business we are focused on developing and training young national leaders.    The internship program gives participants the opportunity to see what the service management business is like; evaluate Khidmah as a possible employer; and make a direct contribution to Khidmah through an intern project providing participants with hands on experience and confidence for their future.

“we are  passionate about development of leaders.  Each week for the past 16 months, we  have given Khidmah staff and interns a one-hour leadership class.   During these sessions we have open discussions where ideas and principles are shared between our staff.  These classes add to the value of a practical, yet educational internship program.

“Over the next ten years, we aim to have former Khidmah interns in every major company and ministry in the UAE, taking the leadership lessons they learned at Khidmah and teaching them to the people they will lead in future.”

Emirati students from UAE colleges interested in participating in the Khidmah internship program can apply for a place online at www.Khidmah.com . There are no restrictions on courses being studied, but would-be participants must have a keen interest in Abu Dhabi’s services management and real estate industry. Only two or three students will be awarded internships at any one time to ensure that mentoring experiences at the company are maximized and that students gain as much benefit from their placements as possible. Extra course credit may be awarded by the university to students on completion of the internship.

- Abu Dhabi services management company’s head office staff hits 60
- Portfolio developed, growth from 900 units after three months to over 1500 after six

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 04 October, 2009: Khidmah LLC, Abu Dhabi’s first Emirati owned and operated services management company, today announced details of the company’s expansion since launch six months ago - with staff numbers increasing more than tenfold from 20 to 230, and units under Khidmah management increasing from just under 900 after three months to more than 1500 units at the half year mark.

From launch, Khidmah has stuck to a targeted growth strategy and intense hiring drive despite the global downturn, recruiting 60 head office staff of industry veterans and innovators from UAE and international markets. The head office team – which includes graduates from some of the world’s most renowned educational institutions - has been supplemented with a 140 strong workforce providing on-the-ground property management services; from dedicated call centre staff to maintenance and landscaping teams. Sutton Turner, CEO, himself an alumnus of Harvard Business School, led international recruiting trips to Bangladesh, India, Nepal and the Philippines to hand-pick employees with the strongest commitment to customer service and most developed skills base.

The growth of the team has also enabled Khidmah to expand its portfolio of services – from property management and leasing at three months; to additional landscaping, cleaning, maintenance, health and fitness, resale, online (www.UAE2let.com) and call centre services today. Khidmah now provides its services to seven residential and commercial developments in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, including Sun and Sky Towers in Abu Dhabi, Oyoun Village in Al Ain and Lake Shore Tower in Dubai.

Sutton Turner, CEO of Khidmah, says:
“We’re an ambitious Abu Dhabi company with great plans. We have been able to take advantage of the current economic crisis to launch Khidmah; there are always opportunities in every crisis. Growing from 20 people six months ago to now over 230 staff and workers will allow us to fulfill the vision of Khidmah.

“During this first year of business, we have focused our attention on building the foundations of a great company. First you need incredible, positive people with good experience and education. Second, a well communicated vision and mission to focus these employees to become a team and do something bigger than any one person. Third, an integrated software system to increase communication and efficiencies, which decreases costs. Last, and most importantly, great board and shareholder leadership to see what the future needs and build the value of a service focused business.”

On the back of this initial period of growth, the company moved to new permanent offices in Abu Dhabi after being based temporarily at Sas Al Nakhl Village.

WHAT IS VISION?

Good leadership and vision are difficult to separate.  Actually, I dont think you can have one without the other.  All good leaders are driven by vision.  They are not satisfied with maintaining the status quo.  They long to take their vision somewhere.  A vision is an idealistic way of looking at the future.  However a Mission clarifies how you will get to the Vision.  A Vision is the starting and the ending point.  If you do not have the end point, you cannot start.

• Vision is seeing the future, in the present, built on the past.
• Vision is seeing the invisible and making it visible.
• Vision is an informed bridge from the present to a better future.

VISION IS A CLEAR MENTAL PICTURE OF A BETTER TOMORROW, WHICH MOVES A PERSON TO BELIEVE THAT IT NOT ONLY COULD BE DONE, BUT IT SHOULD BE DONE.

Why is Vision needed?

1. Vision allows people to act when they are no rules and procedures.  Those who understand or see the vision, understand the spirit of an organization.  They know where the company wants to go and can base decisions upon that Vision.
2. Vision eliminates micromanaging.  With a well communicated vision, people don’t need to be told what to do and what not to do.  A strong vision cultivates an environment of empowerment.  It is almost impossible to empower people when they have no vision for the future of the business.
3. Vision gives the Leader a destination.  The first question to ask your leader is “Where are you leading me to?”  Good leaders see the vision and communicate this vision to their team.  The team then catches the vision and takes on the vision as its own.  Everyone stays on track and arrives at the same destination when a clear vision is present.
4. Vision is more important than any one single person.  When there is a BIG vision, it is bigger than any one person or one leader.
   We discussed during our leadership meeting MLK’s speech in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963.  It was a speech called “I have a Dream,” but really, it should be renamed to “I have a Vision.”  It was his vision for the future, a better future, for America.  What is important for us to learn from MLK is that he had the Vision, and he communicated the Vision.  MLK died shortly after the speech, but the vision lived on and most people believe that now 45 years after the speech with the election of Barak Obama, the vision has now partly materialized.  The vision was bigger than MLK, and the vision did not die with him.  The vision was bigger than any one person.

Khidmah’s Vision Statement:

As Abu Dhabi’s first Emirati-owned services management company, we serve an exceptional people at an exceptional time. We provide this service not only for our company’s advancement but for the advancement of our nation. In all that we do, we serve the sustainable future of our Partners, of Abu Dhabi and of the Emirates, wherever we go in the world.

We are Khidmah, We are Service
Lead On!
Sutton
(the main resource for this teaching comes from Dr. John Maxwell’s training of Equip)