Steel-Toed Psychology: Lessons From the Saudi Worksite

Barakah means blessing. I learned that when I went to Saudi Arabia chasing a version of it—not the mystical kind, but the kind that shows up when people do meaningful work and treat each other with decency. I was brought in to consult for SABIC (Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation), one of the largest petrochemical companies in the world. My job was to teach about leadership, safety, management, and productivity. I had my ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and OBM (Organizational Behavior Management) tools packed, ready to talk about behavior, systems, and performance. What I didn’t expect was to find something deeply familiar—beneath the heat, the formality, and the cultural differences was the simple truth that people everywhere are trying to reduce suffering and improve quality of living. That’s the real barakah.

I wasn’t in a tourist zone. No camel rides or skyscraper malls. This was a working industrial hub—dry, remote, and functional. Most of my days were spent in training rooms, but that’s where the good stuff happened. I met engineers, supervisors, and shift leads who weren’t there for sightseeing either. They were there to get better at their jobs, lead with integrity, and go home to their families without anyone getting hurt. They weren’t interested in fluff. They wanted tools that worked. And once we cut through the formalities, we got down to business—behavior, reinforcement, values, and leadership. The stuff that matters.

I brought with me tools from ACT and OBM. I didn’t call them that—no one needed a lecture on acronyms. I talked about values, consequences, reinforcement, and psychological flexibility. We discussed what it means to lead by example, how to create work cultures that people actually care about, and how to do more than just check boxes on compliance forms. And guess what? None of that needed translation.

In conversations over cardamom tea and dates (the fruit, not romantic encounters), we talked about burnout, about motivating teams, about the stress of balancing family and work. Familiar themes from my consulting around the world arose. One guy told me he was concerned he was missing his kids growing up. A supervisor told the group that there are a lot of expectations from the higher-ups, and he was feeling a lot of stress. Another admitted he was a little skeptical about having a psychologist in the room (just like all the other boardrooms I’ve been in) until we started talking about how emotions, expectations, and self-judgment show up when trying to effectively lead a team. He was grateful for the consultation about accepting your feelings and engaging in values-based commitment when facing these challenges.

During lunch, one guy used the word barakah—a blessing, a sense of spiritual grace or goodness in life. The men at the table wanted barakah in their families, in their schedules, in their efforts. And even though I came from the U.S., wearing a button-down and trying not to sweat through my collar, I knew exactly what they meant. Every single person I met wanted the same thing I’ve heard from factory workers, executives, therapists, and athletes everywhere else: They want to feel like their effort matters, they’re not wasting time, and their work leads somewhere meaningful.

I didn’t come home from Saudi Arabia with souvenirs or a list of must-see spots. I came home with a reminder: The human condition shows up with everyone everywhere. We want to be useful, suffer less, and enjoy a quality of life.

Training team photo, SABIC leadership program, Saudi Arabia

Source: Daniel J. Moran