A Life in Administration Book

A Life in Administration is a book that explores the autobiography of its author, Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, detailing his administrative career and observations throughout his journey. He served as a diplomat and held ministerial positions in several ministries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Ministry of Education included it in 2018 as part of the curriculum for the Administrative Skills subject in secondary education.

The concept of A Life in Administration is based on the real-life experiences of Ghazi Al-Gosaibi in managing various entities in Saudi Arabia. He served as a diplomat and minister, with a long career in administration.

Ghazi Al-Gosaibi directed A Life in Administration to the general reader, specifically to two groups. The first group consists of the younger generation, who are experiencing the developmental renaissance that Saudi Arabia has undergone and that the author witnessed. The second group includes young administrators in the public and private sectors, who will find in his long administrative experience some useful lessons and valuable insights, as management involves many variables and even more constants.

A Life in Administration contains several administrative insights that the author, Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, derived from his professional career. Among them is the idea that the middle class is the guarantor of stability in any society and that if people are given the opportunity to achieve, their accomplishments will be remarkable. He emphasizes that university departments and curricula must be structured according to labor market needs and national development paths. He also identifies two management approaches: offensive and defensive, assigning each to the appropriate type of administration. He favors the offensive approach, which involves anticipating decisions and resolving problems before they escalate.

The author offers advice for those starting a new job, stressing the importance of learning everything possible about the new workplace. He advises managers to personally test the services provided by the administrative body they oversee, hold a morning meeting with department heads to discuss work developments and issues, and maintain a weekly reading file. He also notes that the duality of ownership and management creates challenges due to the lack of mutual understanding between the two. Additionally, he highlights that field visits are an integral part of management and asserts that no individual should remain in a position if their presence compromises the safety of others.