Saudi Arabia is now a nation of city-dwellers, and ‘cities don’t lie,’ says urban development leader

Bestselling author and researcher Brené Brown talks about courage in this week’s episode of Leadership Next. She frames it in the context of showing vulnerability and leading in a period where “people are emotionally dysregulated, distrustful and disconnected.” Says Brown: “Leadership is plumbing and poetry. A good leader is poetic enough to set a vision that people want to follow, but they can also build the systems to deliver against that.” You can listen to the full conversation with Kristin Stoller and me on Apple or Spotify.

Many of the systems needed to thrive in business are built by leaders in the public sector. At the turn of this century, Venezuela was the richest country in South America. Now its economy has collapsed under the weight of corruption, mismanagement, human rights violations and other woes. It’s hard to imagine creating the infrastructure for a thriving economy without a fundamental shift in its politics.

Cities are the engines for innovation, job creation and growth in most countries. The skills needed to effectively run those cities are similar but distinct from what it takes to run a company. I’m glad we had a chance to discuss that in Riyadh with H.E. Fahd bin Abdulmohsan Al-Rasheed. He’s currently Advisor, General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and Chairman of the Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority, our host partner for the Fortune Global Forum, alongside Invest Saudi. Al-Rasheed has also been a leader in urban development across Saudi Arabia and represents the country as a lead on Urban 20, which brings together mayors from major cities in G20 countries. Among other things, the group has created a Masters of City Administration program to help leaders hone the skills of business and public service in leading cities. 

In 1950, one in five Saudis lived in an urban area. Today, more than 85% do. That trend is playing out around the world. Great cities are hubs for great people, businesses and visitor experiences. “Cities don’t lie,” said Al-Rasheed, adding that Saudi Arabia wants to attract at least 400,000 global executives to move to the kingdom within the next five years. “You can’t build a country on your own. You need to partner with the world.” Click here for my full conversation with Al-Rasheed.

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Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com

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CEO Daily is compiled and edited by Joey Abrams and Claire Zillman.