Working in international operations means time zones become part of your daily routine. While based in Doha, I regularly coordinated with colleagues, clients and partners across different regions, where business hours, weekends and public holidays rarely aligned. It was a constant reminder that managing global operations is as much about respecting people's time as it is about getting the work done.
It was a role that never truly ended. When colleagues in Washington were beginning their day, our teams in Kuala Lumpur had already finished theirs. London was somewhere in between, while Sydney was already preparing for tomorrow. The operational cycle continued around the clock, every day of the year.
People often ask me what the biggest management challenge was. Surprisingly, it wasn't budgets, technology, security, or even political crises. It was something much simpler, yet far more persistent: time. More specifically, respecting everyone else's time.
The Calendar Problem
Headquarters naturally develop their own rhythm. In our case, we operated on the Gulf working week, where Friday and Saturday were weekends. But our bureaux worked under entirely different calendars. Europe followed Saturday and Sunday. Some Asian countries observed different public holidays. North America had its own rhythm. There was never a perfect time that suited everyone.
Every international executive eventually encounters the same dilemma. Suppose your headquarters are in New York. A meeting scheduled for 9:00 a.m. may already be 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. in the Gulf. Is it reasonable to expect Middle East staff to remain in the office after hours? Now reverse the situation — should American colleagues begin work at 6:00 a.m. simply because it is convenient for colleagues overseas?
Many people dislike admitting it, but power influences calendars just as much as clocks do. Friends often tell me they have a Zoom meeting at two o'clock in the morning because their counterparts in another country insisted on scheduling it during their own lunch break. One side sacrifices sleep. The other barely interrupts lunch. Technically, both attended the meeting. Practically, only one side made the real sacrifice.
Technology Cuts Both Ways
Technology has certainly made global collaboration easier. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet and countless other platforms allow us to connect instantly across continents. Ironically, however, technology has also removed many of the natural barriers that once protected personal time. Before video conferencing, arranging an international meeting required considerable planning. Today, a calendar invitation can appear within seconds. Just because technology makes something possible does not necessarily make it reasonable.
Global organisations frequently speak about diversity and inclusion. Yet true inclusion also means respecting different working weeks, religious practices, public holidays and family commitments. Time-zone inclusion deserves to become part of executive leadership.
Rotating the Inconvenience
During my years managing international operations, we tried wherever possible to rotate inconvenience. If Asia stayed late one month, Europe might start early the next. If Doha asked Washington to remain after hours, we made every effort to reciprocate on future projects. Perfect fairness was impossible. Visible fairness was achievable. People generally accept inconvenience when they believe everyone shares it. They become frustrated only when the burden always falls on the same group.
Senior executives often expect flexibility from others while protecting their own calendars. That sends the wrong message. If a CEO occasionally joins a 6:00 a.m. meeting or stays online until late evening, employees notice. They recognise that the inconvenience is being shared rather than delegated. Respect cannot simply be demanded. It must be demonstrated.
A Personal Evolution
Earlier in my career, I accepted almost every meeting regardless of the hour. I routinely worked evenings, weekends and public holidays. Those experiences shaped my career and allowed me to work with remarkable people around the world. But experience also teaches boundaries. Today, unless there is a genuine operational emergency, I no longer schedule meetings outside normal working hours or during weekends. Burnout serves no one.
The most successful international organisations are not those that hold the greatest number of meetings. They are the ones that respect the people attending them. The clock may be universal. Respect is a choice. And perhaps the best measure of international leadership is not how many meetings we can schedule across continents, but how thoughtfully we protect the time of those expected to attend them.