Leading Across Cultures with Hazem Alkhaiat

Leadership is a passion of mine, and I wanted to strengthen my skills to become a better leader. Developing and leading a team is challenging because people come from different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and cultures. Leaders need to set norms, understand their team’s capabilities, and help them move forward while handling day-to-day business.
One of the most important stages in the team life cycle is helping members transition from forming, storming, norming, and performing. Leaders must be equipped with the right skills to manage all situations and help their teams achieve goals and objectives.

It was eye-opening to work closely with teammates from such diverse backgrounds. Active listening was an important technique I practiced to better understand and connect with others. Bill Klepper also introduced a powerful exercise in which team members shared the high and low points of their careers and lives. This built trust and connection, helping us feel like one cohesive team.

One defining moment was during a group exercise. Around my table were colleagues from Spain, the United States, the Dominican Republic, India, and me from Saudi Arabia. As we worked through a case study, our discussion evolved into a dynamic exchange of perspectives.
Each person’s insights—whether shaped by New York’s fast pace, India’s emerging markets, or the Middle East’s business environment—combined into a solution richer than any of us could have created alone. That moment showed me the true power of collaboration.

The program introduced me to the “team success formula”:

• Know yourself (self-awareness)
• Manage yourself (self-management)
• Know others (social awareness)
• Do something for others (social engagement)

This formula reshaped how I think about leadership. It’s not only about setting strategy but also about creating an environment where people feel supported, valued, and motivated to contribute their best.

I applied the TRACOM self-awareness evaluation with my team to understand their social styles. This helped me assign roles that matched their styles and skills, enabling them to inspire, engage, create, and deliver—values that align with SABIC’s mission.

The program has already influenced how I assign roles and responsibilities, ensuring people are matched to the tasks where they can excel. Over time, this will raise performance, strengthen collaboration, and reinforce SABIC’s cultural values. It’s about building not just strong teams, but sustainable, high-performing ones.