Hamdan Bin Mohammed Program for Sports Leadership Development launches 'Leadership and International Sport'

Hamdan Bin Mohammed Program for Sports Leadership Development launches 'Leadership and International Sport'

HBMPSLD focuses on developing leaders capable of managing international sporting organisations

January 25, 2009
Hamdan Bin Mohammed Program for Sports Leadership Development (HBMPSLD), an innovative leadership program designed to develop future sports national leaders capable of promoting the sustainable development of Dubai in the sports field, has announced that it recently launched the new module "Leadership and International Sport" that will prepare participants to represent the UAE or take leadership positions in various regional and international sporting organisations. Furthermore, the new module enables participants to identify various challenges and opportunities for the UAE to develop and assert its presence in the global sporting world.
The primary topics that will be discussed during the activity include Leading Change Management, International Sport Structures, Stakeholder Relations, Strategic Management for Sport and Organisational Design. The topics represent critical areas in international sport management and have been designed to provide continuity in the leadership development process of the HBMPSLD participants.
Adel Al Shared, CEO, HBMPSLD said: "The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Program for Sports Leadership Development aims to further enhance the presence of the UAE in the global sporting community in terms of innovative national and international sports programs. We intend to mould leaders who are not only adept with the intricacies of domestic sports, but will also take responsibility in taking our sporting programs to higher levels of success in the international level. Moreover, as the UAE is very active in various international sports bodies, these leaders will likewise be trained to represent the UAE or take important positions in various global sports organisations."
Suhail Al Maktoum, a program participant, said, “The components of the new module will certainly broaden our perspectives as it covers international sports management principles. I am keen to make the most of this opportunity presented by HBMPSLD to sharpen my leadership skills, specifically in the field of sports, at a time when the UAE is steadily increasing its focus on sports while trying to create influential sports leaders.”
The new module acknowledges the importance of a strong leadership in establishing successful large sporting organisations or even small sports clubs. Focusing on the sports leader's role in the process of change to rebuild and strengthen an organisation, the module seeks to enable participants to appreciate what successful leaders and managers do; building teams with respect to the "leadership vs. management paradigm"; and understand why organisations need periods of change and how to manage this process.
The module also provides participants an overview of the organisations that make up international sport such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), National Federations (NF) and National Olympic Committees (NOC) among others; detailing the roles and responsibilities of each sporting body. Participants will also be trained on how to identify the stakeholders and the key drivers of their respective organisations by exposing them to activities that develop effective stakeholder communication.
Another important aspect of leadership being covered by the module is strategy formulation, wherein participants will tackle organisational structure, organisational systems as well as the vision, mission, leadership and general management of a sports organisation; and strategy implementation, which includes discussions on cultural restraints, people, change management and development of organisational skills, core competencies and core capabilities.
In the subject of organisational design, participants will learn to demonstrate the use of a planning framework to design their infrastructure, identify skills/knowledge, identify roles needed, look at the cycle of keeping, getting and losing people, and develop change management plan.
Initiated by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Program for Sports Leadership Development is an administrative and managerial leadership program for all sports fields. The key objectives of HBMPSLD include ensuring a long-term systematised leadership development in sports; initiating changes for a progressive and productive sport society under the ‘Change Agents Program’; convening an elite group of sports leaders to help participants in the program benefit from their experiences; sharing insights about individual leadership styles and values; and helping Dubai Government to successfully implement the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015, in regards to the sports sector.
The candidates for the program submitted their applications through HBMPSLD's newly launched website (www.dubaisportleaders.ae). Further details about the program and its different activities are also available on the HBMPSLD website.