Back in the MENA Region

This week the ISB Worldwide crew took me back to the MENA Region. We started in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Our friends at the ZAD Group organized a series of workshops and trainings.

The first stop was Abdul Lateef Jameel Company, (ALJ,) one of the largest Toyota Distributors in the world. We gave the LBC one-day workshop to about 90 people. ALJ's training facility is like no other in the world. The large room was every bit a palace with imported finery all from Morocco. The room was tiled in a beautiful blue shaded mosaic on the bottom half of the walls. Then the top half was an intricate lattice of wood swirling in Moroccan designs.

The next day we walked into the facilities of the College of Business Administration, (CBA.) This all-women college teaches women entrepreneurial and higher-level business skills. About 60% of the class was women, the rest men from a mixture of government and private-sector positions. We were told that this was a fairly rare scene to have men and women in a mixed educational setting.

The next two days we moved over to Saudi Airlines and brought the penguin culture into their multi-million dollar (or Saudi Riyal) training facilities. Wow! What a place.

Needless to say we ate like Emperor Penguins the whole time, and I'm afraid I may have gained a few extra pounds around my middle. Maybe I'll skip the next round of squid hunting.

Now, we're headed to Dubai in the United Arab Emerates. Wish us luck!