The passion he has for his work is glaring. Humility, discipline, affability and in-depth knowledge are traits that you will easily notice when you first meet him. Perturbed by the fact that most employers treat their employees just as a production unit, this unassuming and light tan-skinned middle-aged man is set on a mission. Armed with a degree in English from King Saud University, teaching experience and various refresher courses in people management and training, Saud Al-Omair joined Dale Carnegie Training in October, 2006 and is currently the General Manager of Training in Riyadh. ‘'We work in developing organizations' competitive edge, which simply means the people in there,” he says. “Our main goal and objective is to help people become better at work. We help in developing the soft skills of the people which includes leadership skills, presentation skills, sales and marketing, team building skills and that is most important.'' ”Companies recently realized that it is not only the technical part of competence that people need. We address these issues by conducting interviews surveys, workshops, based on which we determine the training needs for a company; this is how we develop our unique programs, so they are not generic. It is developed to address the training needs of each organization.'' Saud says the three most important parameters in an organization are knowledge, skills and attitude. He explained that while organizations hire staff for their knowledge and skills, failing to inspire them to exhibit the right attitude will affect the output of the organization. In hiring staff, organizations consider a prospective employee with a good knowledge of the job who will exhibit punctuality, honesty, courtesy, tactfulness, team participation, resourcefulness, time management and innovative skills. A close look at these qualities reveals that apart from a good knowledge of the job and innovation, the rest have to do with attitude. “In fact, attitude matters most,'' he said. This young trainer is based in Riyadh and often travels to other parts of the Kingdom. Asked what he loves most about his job, Saud smiled and replied, “The best thing about being in training is that one has the opportunity to help people to become better human beings, to improve the way they interact with others, the way they do their business, this is professional and it is what I like. I can easily see their appreciation after the completion of the training program, when I look into the eyes of people and the way they express it to me.'' No doubt his job has come with its challenges. “For the past two years I have been very been busy training or managing trainers and that unfortunately comes at the expense of my family. I just don't have enough time to be with them. I wish I could bring about a balance.'' Interestingly, his job has even imparted wisdom on his personal life in various ways. “It has really helped me a lot. It changed the way I treat my kids, relatives and even the way I look at people. it has helped in the way I interact with people in general,'' he commented. Toast mastering is one way he relaxes and he is currently the Vice President-Education of Desert Diamonds Toastmasters, Riyadh. “I make sure I always find time to join my colleagues in Desert Diamonds Toastmasters Club. I started Toast mastering less than two years ago and it means a lot to me.'' He visits the gym for exercise at least twice a week and loves to relax in a coffee shop conducive for leisure where he reads newspapers. This trainer par excellence who had in the past, served on a board as a section designer and translator as part of a competency-based military project, hopes to own his own business in training someday. ‘'My ambition is to have my own business in training. I am working on that,'' he remarked.
