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Paper Presented at the Islamic Training Course (ITC) for pre-medical students, Kulliyah of Medicine, International Islamic University, Kuantan at IKIP3 on Thursday 2nd December 1999 by Prof Dr Omar Hasan Kasule
1.0 INTRODUCTION TO LEADERSHIP
The subject of this paper has 3 different components: leadership management, and the future. It is the convergence and intersection of the three that defines the subject of our discussions ie those characteristics needed in Muslim leaders of the future.
A leader from the Islamic view is essentially a teacher and a coach. He leads by teaching leadership such that the followers in turn become good leaders. Good leadership is providing a model to be followed. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a model of conduct for the ummat, uswat hasanat.
The Islamic view is that every Muslim is a leader in his or her own way. Everybody has leadership responsibility, kullukum raa’I, and everybody is accountable on how well they discharged that responsibility, mas’ul ‘an ra’yatihi. “Abdullah b Umar reported the Apostle of Allah ( may peace be upon him) as saying: Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible of his flock. The amir ( ruler ) who is over the people is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock; a man is a shepherd in charge of the inhabitants of his household and he is responsible for his flock; a woman is a shepherdess in charge of her husband's house and children and she is responsible for them; and a man's slave is a shepherd in charge of his master's property and he is responsible for it. So each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock" Abu Daud 2:827, Chapter 1089, hadith # 2922
The society can not exist or function well without leaders. When any three Muslims are on a journey they are required to select one of them as a leader. Lack of leadership is anarchy. Leadership should aim at excellence in all endeavours. Excellence, ihsan, is a pillar of religion, usul al ddiin, and must manifest in whatever a Muslim does. The Prophet (PBUH) taught us to perfect whatever we undertake to do, itqaan al ‘amal.
Leadership is both science and art. It is experience and knowledge. Leadership attributes skills are not inborn but are acquired and anybody can learn to be a good leader. There are personal qualities that distinguish one leader from another. Abubakr al Siddiq had a personality that marked him among men as a leader. The Prophet recognised strength in Omar Ibn al Khattab and always prayed to Allah to strengthen Islam with him. These qualities whenever found should be nurturted and given an opportunity to manifest.
2.0 FUTURISTIC VISIONS- circa 2050
In the next half century a lot of drastic changes will occur in the world. We can extrapolate from today’s situation to work out the future scenarios. By about 2050 technology will have drastically changed the way people lead and manage. Bookshops may give way to selling books on line and printeries may not be needed. Robots will design and construct buildings. Many employees will work at home. Information will be so readily available to the common people. Communication will have become so easy that the world will for the first time become a real global village. These scenarios will require that people and organizations as well as the leaders drastically change the way they do things.
Leadership styles are going to change from directing to coaching, supporting, and delegating because of changing leadership environment. The following factors will change the environment. Lowering of barriers: information, political and military, cultural and language, distance and time. Computer technology will greatly change the way we work. Artificial intelligence, expert systems, and decision support systems will take over most of the mechanical leadership and managerial work such as Decision-making, Problem-solving, Strategy and planning, Organizing, Controlling, Evaluation. Leaders will have their time freed for functions such as: Communication, Negotiation, Co-ordination, Coaching/training, Motivation, and creativity. The low birth rates will result in a smaller workforce. Scarcity of skills will be accompanied by changing worker attitudes: independent-minded, desire for more satisfaction from work, little loyalty to organization, attitude of disrespect for authority, a hedonistic lifestyle of seeking only pleasure and avoiding any pain. Management style will have to change from authoritative to participative to be able to win the new work-force. The human dimension in management will become predominant. People will win in the people vs machines competition. Motivation and getting the best out of the worker will be the measure of a good manager. Importance of the individual (80:1-10, 17:70) will be appreciated. The economic system will have to change in response to well informed consumers. Competition among producers will be based on creativity in quality of products and efficiency of service, political/economic spheres will no longer be relevant. The ecosystem will also change: degradation, concern about the future of life on earth
Major civilisational changes will occur. The cycle of civilizations, al dawrat al hadhariyat, is one of the constant social laws. Each civilization has a fixed lifespan, ajal al umam (7:34, 23:43). Many factors contribute to the rise and fall of civilizations. The Islamic civilization was strong at one time the weakened. Ancient civilizations of Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, Persia collapsed. The British empire over which the sun could not set collapsed. The US is the current superpower; a time will come and it also collapses. Future leaders must understand the causes of the rise and fall of civilizations in order to predict the future civilizational scenario.
3.0 FUTUROLOGY
The study of futurology is now very important for leaders. Futurology studies try to predict changes that will occur based on current trends. Methods of futurology study include: scenario writing, model building, and extrapolation. Specialized institutions have been set up to study the future for example :2000 Committee and the Hudson Institute in the US, Mankind 2000 in UK, Futuriste in France, and the Institute Of Future Studies in London based in London. The work of these institutions can not be said to be perfect prediction of the future but they do identify trends that leaders and policy-makers should not ignore.
The Qur’anic paradigm of the future is summarized in the term knowledge of the unseen, ‘ilm al ghaib. Only Allah knows ghaib with certainty (6:73). Some aspects of ghaib are only knowable by Allah and are called absolute, ghaib mutlaq such as : death (31:34), the last day, yawm al qiyamat (33:63, 31:34), ruh (17:85). Some aspects of ghaib are knowable by humans and are called relative, ghaib nisbi, for example: history 3:44; the present 8:30; and the future 30:2-4. Human knowledge is however never perfect and is subject to error.
The Islamic attitude to the future is positive. There is always hope that before the last day human effort can always improve some aspects of human life or the environment. The Muslim faces the future from a perspective of iman that Allah will support and guide the foot-steps of the believers.
As we study the future we have to be aware of the fact that some aspects are fixed whereas others are changeable. We must deal with the changing and the stable in different ways. The natural laws, sunan llah fi al kawn, do not change. The basic attributes of humans do not change. Humans who lived thousands of years ago have he same weaknesses and strengths as those of today. Physical laws do not change; humans know them or do not know them. Here are however continuous changes in technology and its applications. Social organization is also changing all the time. Ideologies change. The ecosystem is also changing mainly because of technological changes. Human cultures e not static; they change continuously.
4.0 THE DIMENSIONS OF FUTURE LEADERSHIP
Creativity is the essence of civilizational change (creativity vs fossilization). Creativity is both rational & intuitive. Creativity is looking at issues from different and new perspectives. Creative thinking is divergent, lateral, and imaginative. The creative mind is: free un-inhibited, exploratory, and prepared. The creative personality is dynamic, non-conformist, and autonomous. The Qur’an encourages creativity and condemns blind following 38:8, 43:22-24, 37:69-71
The knowledge dimension will emphasize depth & understanding and not only knowing. Raw data must be changed into intelligence, knowledge must lead to wisdom. The process of knowledge reform is a new paradigm in knowledge that will challenge the Euro-centric paradigms of knowledge that are dominant in the world today. The process aims at objectivity of knowledge, al istiqamat, and understanding human nature: 50:16, 11:10, 100:6-8, 70:19-21, 41:49, 18:54 in all its complexity.
The cultural dimension will respect the identity of different communities/societies (11:118, 5:48), different languages and colors (30:22). The present Euro-centric view of other cultures as primitive will be successfully challenged. Under the new culture, all people will participate in the creation of technology instead of European technology being transferred. A global village will be created on the basis of multi-culturalism and new cultural paradigms will emerge.
5.0 ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS OF FUTURE LEADERS and MANAGERS
Tables 1-4 summarize the main attributes and skills that ideal leaders should have. We will highlight only some of these here. Taqwa is the basis of all. Leaders must be committed, ikhlas. We have no hope unless we recommit ourselves to Allah. Strength of personality and honesty are required. Pragmatism is a basis for planning and goal-setting. Team-work is the only way to harness all the energy. There is no room for individual work. A good leader must be a good manager and must use the most modern managerial skills in his work. A leader must have human skills. He must encourage and thank the followers.
HUMAN SKILLS OF FUTURE LEADERS
Interest in people
Tact
Compassion
Empathy
Enthusiasm
showing concern
tolerance
being supportive
keeping good company
trusting others
loyalty
helpfulness
impartiality
inspiring others
charisma
accessibility
respect for others
gentility
ability to inspire other
ability to motivate
ability to encourage
ability to direct
equitable
praising success
confronting failure
thanking people for good work
politeness.
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES OF FUTURE LEADERS
(a) Religious dimension:
Taqwa
deep spirituality
Islamic and refined personal manners
Adherence to the sharia
(b) Intelligence and wisdom:
Intuition
Intelligence
Flexibility
Clear mission and goals
Mastery of detail
(c) Strong, genuine and likeable personality:
will-power & decisiveness
stamina
deep belief in principles
acting on principle
not following the crowd
decision stickability
knowledge and uses of strengths
Acceptance weaknesses
compensating for weaknesses
Courage
Sense of humor
Ability to keep secrets
Genuine personality
Simplicity
Good listener
Honesty and credibility
(d) Commitment, motivation and responsibility:
sacrifice
participation
commitment and dedication
a high sense of personal responsibility
accountability
assuming responsibility for mistakes
dependability
high and self- motivation
enthusiasm
positive attitude
optimism
risk taking
truthfulness
(e) Physical and emotional well-being:
good health (physical and mental)
emotional balance & security
energy and hard work
positive attitude
(f) Self-control and balance:
self-discipline
self-control
non impulsiveness
firmness in crises and under stress
perseverance & patience
self-leadership
self-sufficiency
action-oriented
being always prepared
(g) Knowledge:
basic knowledge of Islam
knowledge of history
knowledge of current affairs
specialized knowledge as needed
CONCEPTUAL SKILLS OF FUTURE LEADERS
(a) Vision:
ummatic outlook
ability to see the whole picture
positive vision
thinking big
broad perspective
long-term vision and ability to articulate it
understanding maqasid al sharia
belief in success
set high standards
(b) Goals and objectives:
ability to identify goals & objectives
Foc on specific goals and objectives
not being distracted by daily problems
consistency
sense of direction
identification with organizational goals
(c) Objectivity and reality:
reality
realism
accept change
living in the present
correct sense of timing
learning from failures
(d) Creativity:
originality in thought and action
initiative
resourcefulness
understanding and using synergistic relationships
PRACTICAL SKILLS OF FUTURE LEADERS
(a) Planning and goal-setting:
goal-orientation
pragmatism
orientation to detail
(b) Communication:
communicating goals effectively
good communication
active listening,
(c) Team-work, motivation, coaching:
understanding and appreciating the different natures of human beings
effective meeting management
teaching and coaching others
management of conflict within the group and between groups
seeking and using advice
(d) Decision-making and problem-solving:
soundness of judgement
rational thought
quick but not hasty decisions
consultation and involvement of others
(e) Organizing and managing:
ability to prioritize
effective time management
ability to follow through,