September Opens with a Question, Not an Agenda

The Story
In Sharjah, a founder had two significant meetings in the first week of September. In both, she opened not with business but with the break: how was Eid, how was the summer, how was the family? In one meeting, ten minutes of genuine conversation surfaced a shift in her counterpart's thinking that had occurred over the summer. She adjusted her approach before the agenda had begun. The meeting that followed was the most productive of the year.

Cultural Principle
In Gulf professional culture, a return from a major break is a social moment before it is a professional one. The person who honors that sequence, placing the human before the transaction, signals an awareness that experienced counterparts recognize and remember.

Takeaway
In September, open with the return before opening with the agenda. A genuine question about the summer can tell you more about where a counterpart now stands than any briefing note prepared in advance.

Warmly,
Taqua