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Prepared for presentation to be held on 31 January at 2.45-3.45pm by Prof. Omar Hasan Kasule Professor of Epidemiology and Bioethics King Fahad Medical City
ESSENCE OF LEADERSHIP
• Leadership is essential for success 3 on a journey must designate a leader (Abu Daud 2:271 Ch 933 hadith 2601).
• Everybody is a leader. (kullukum raai Muslim 3:1017 Ch 758 Haqdith 4496).
• A good leader must also be a good follower
• Leadership and management roles of leaders require different but interrelated skills.
• Leadership is a trial (ibtila Ibrahim) 2:124.
• True leadership is more service than domination (sayyid al qawm khaadimuhum)
• Leadership is genuine and not manipulative.
• No personal ambition for leadership Abd Rahman buin Samurah Abu Daud 2:827 Ch 1090 hadith 2923).
LEADERSHIP and FOLLOWERSHIP
• Leadership is situational it depends on both the leader and the followers.
• Leadership succeeds by influencing and not forcing followers to move in a certain direction. Good followers automatically follow good leaders without force or compulsion.
• Leaders pull and not push they step ahead and are followed.
• Leadership in wrong hands is a disaster (amanat li ghair ahliha.. Bukhari 1:50-51 hadith 56).
• Leadership power Sulaiman Qur'an 27:15-44.
GOOD LEADER
• Leadership is character and integrity
• Good leaders empower their followers.
• A leader has credibility, walks the talk. Example of Omar family and Muslims
• There are 2 types of leadership power: personal and positional. A good leader knows how to balance them according to the situation.
• Balance and equilibrium of a leader Omar qawiyyu minn ghair unf…
• Gradual in getting compliance Muadh Ibn Jabal to Yaman
GOOD FOLLOWER
• The quality of followers determines the success of leadership (ijalina li al muttaqiin imaaman).
• The way of the followers is the way of the leaders (kama takuunuu yuwalla alaikum)
LEADER DISEASES
Pride fakhr takabbur
Vanity ghuruur
Uncompensated weaknesses: Abubakar anta aqwa minni Omar anta afdhal minni
Excessive veneration: tabjiil
Oppression: dhulm idhtihaad
Petty-mindedness: dhaiuq al ufuq
Manipulation: talaaub
Seeking false reputation: aal imraan 188
Abandoning followers:
- Unequal treatment of followers: ittaq aklkah qa aadiluu bauna awklladdikum bukhari 2587
- Ignorant leaders misguide: "Narrated Abdullah b Amr bin Al As dhallu wa adhalluu.. Bukhari 1:80, hadith # 100
- petty-mindedness: "Jabir b Abdullah petty mindedness destroyed tho who were before you.
- Muslim 4: 1366, Chapter 1065, Hadith # 6248
- Not inspirational "Abu Huraira man qaala halaka al naas fahuwa aqhlakuhukm. Muslim 3: 1382, Chapter 1091, Hadith # 6352
- Leader who deceives followers: "Narrated Maqil: leader deceives. Bukhari 9:197, hadith # 265
- Searching for follower faults: "Jubair b. Nufair, Kathir b. Murrah, Amr b. al-Aswad, Miqdam b. Madikarib, and Abu Umamah reported the Prophet ( may peace be upon him ) as saying: When a ruler seeks to make imputations against the people, he corrupts them" Abu Daud 3:1362, Chapter 1752, Hadith # 4870
- Seeking follower faults Abu Daud 3:1362, Chapter 1752, Hadith # 4870.
FOLLOWER DISEASES
• Disobedient follower Banu ~israil 2:51-56, 5:22-29, 7:148-156, 7:159-162). Disobedience leads to chaos and breakdown. al samau wa al taa
• Hypocrisy: say something in front of the leader and the opposite when away from him. Outward loyalty while plotting against the leader inn the back al nifaaq1
• Insincerity: dishonesty and lies ton the leader; doing selfish things that hurt the group anaaniyyat
• bad advice to leader: give advice to a leader that they know is bad either for some selfish personal gain, or to hurt someone else, or to hurt the leader by making him commit mistakes. Bitaanat al khair wa bitaanat al suu mBukhari 7198, 6611
• disloyalty, khiyaanat, khadhuula
• excessive veneration of the leader: pandering to his ego and showing him excessive veneration. When all of this gets to his head he may start behaving like a dictator, develop vanity and pride and eventually fail in leadership la tarfauuniu fawqa qadri
CAUSES OF LEADERSHIP FAILURE
• Refusal to admit mistakes and blaming them on others
• Belief of the leader that he is indispensable and behaving as a dictator
• Fear for position and neglecting training or developing replacements
• Disloyalty to superiors, peers, followers and the organization
• Lack of creativity: hating new ideas, persisting in unproductive but tested ways, and being too bureaucratic
• Lack of common sense, being away from reality and being theoretical
• Lack of human skills and handling followers well and equitably
• Lack of a sense of bottom-line that you have to produce results
• Failure to lead and following the crowd
• Condoning or tolerating incompetence
• Failure to recognize and reward good work (l) followers hating the leader.
CASE STUDY: LEADERSHIP AND FOLLOWERSHIP AT UHUD
Al bujhari kitab ak maghaazi bab ghazwat uhud
Consultation to fioght inside madina or go out
Refusal to ask jewish allies for help
CASE STUDY: LEADERSHIP AND FOLLOWERSHIP AT HUDAYBIYAH
Muslims did not shave to end umra..umm salmah advised the prophet to do it then all followed
TAKE-HOME LESSON
• Leaders through influence articulate the vision create the culture
• Followers follow the culture automatically
• Minimum regulations to allow creativity in approaching problems
• No blame culture
LEADERSHIP: ESSENCE AND NATURE
Importance of leadership: Leadership is a pre-condition for civilized existence. Absence of recognized leadership means chaos to the detriment of all. Any group of 3 or more must have a leader. Leadership is the single most important determinant of organizational success. Good leadership leads to success; bad leadership leads to frustration and failure. All members, supporters, and sympathizers of the organization are stakeholders who are concerned about the success and failure of leadership. One of the harbingers of doom is to place leadership authority in the wrong hands.
Understanding leadership: Leadership is the process of influencing people and making them do certain things. It is both an art and a science. It may be formal and legalistic or informal. It has rational, emotional, intuitive, and instinctive dimensions. Leadership involves moving followers in a certain direction mostly by non-coercive methods. Successful leaders get voluntary cooperation from followers. Good leaders persuade and do not command. Fear and authority are not leadership. Leaders who depend only on authority and coercion do not go very far. Poor leaders by contrast manipulate their followers. Manipulation is getting a person to do what they are not aware of or do not want to do. A few leadership skills are innate but most are acquired by experience and education. There is a dynamic interaction between the leader, the followers, and the situation. A leader of one group of followers may not be able to lead a different group. A leader in one situation may fail in another one. Roles of leaders and followers can be interchanged. A leader may be a follower of a more powerful leader. A good leader must therefore also be a good follower. True leadership is more service than domination. The leader is the servant (sayyid al qawm khadimuhum). Good and effective leadership is a source of greatness (‘abqariyyah). Great movements and changes in history are always associated with great leaders. Intended here is real, genuine, moral, and competent leadership based on character and integrity and not the phoney leadership that thrives on propaganda, deceit, and manipulation. Bad leaders are motivated by power alone. They just like the exercise of power. Good leaders have higher motivation. They want to use leadership power to improve and make a change.
Everybody undertakes leadership functions: Leadership is a function exercised by almost everybody each in his or her own sphere; you are at least leaders of yourself or leader of your family. Leadership can be in the community, the workplace, and in public organizations. Since everybody has some leadership roles, each one can become a more effective leader by formal training or gaining experience on the job. Not everyone wants to be a public leader. There are many people who are just not prepared to invest the energy necessary to shoulder the responsibilities of public leadership. Leadership involves the following specific functions: setting and communicating visions, goals, and objectives; representing followers; directing, coordinating, and integrating; influencing, mobilizing, motivating, creating enthusiasm and optimism; providing services and making a difference.
Empowering followers: There is no leadership without followership. The quality of the followers determines the quality of the leaders. A good leader may fail with bad followers. An average leader may succeed if he has good followers. In the long run, it is follower quality that determines the nature of a particular leadership situation. "The way you are is the way of your leaders". Followers get the leaders they deserve. Incongruence between followers and leaders is usually temporary and hardly exceeds a generation. Successful leadership requires that followers obey the leader. There are, however, limitations and conditions for that obedience as will be discussed later. Good leaders teach leadership, they pull and do not push. Good leadership involves empowering followers by coaching them and then sharing leadership power with them through delegation. Followers must be given real authority, information, and resources but must be held accountable for what they do. Empowered followers have heightened self-efficacy and self-confidence. They will have higher performance, exhibit more cooperation, achieve higher personal growth, and in the end all ensure the survival of the organization.
Leaders vs Managers: Leadership calls for different skills from management. Managers are not necessarily leaders. The reverse is also true. An organization may be well-led but poorly managed and vice versa. In practice, management and leadership functions overlap. An individual can exercise both leadership and management functions in varying proportions. You have to know when to lead and when to manage. Leaders are concerned with effectiveness; they are intuitive and visionary; they like change, innovation, challenging the status quo, and development; they are original; they focus on vision and its importance; they have a long-term view and inspire others to achieve and excel. Managers are rational problem-solvers whose concern is efficiency, process, and mechanics of achieving objectives. They administer for the maintenance of stability, harmony, and the status quo. They follow and do not innovate. Their view is generally short-term.
Selection, change, or renewal of leaders: Successful public leadership is always directly or indirectly dependent on the consent of the followers. A good selection of public leaders requires the participation of the followers. Leaders can not be imposed. The imposition of leaders can work for only a short time or is associated with unsuccessful leader-follower situations. The exact method of expressing the follower's view varies according to the circumstances of each group. Follower input whatever its nature can not be ignored. There is no correct answer to the question how long should one individual stay in leadership? It is better to leave this matter open and decide according to circumstances. Staying too long discourages the emergence of younger leaders and infusing new blood and new ideas into the organization. It may also result into inefficiency as the leader loses effectiveness with time. Frequent changes of leaders may on the other hand result in lack of continuity and instability. There are situations in which one long-serving leader is the only one with the skills and charisma to hold the organization together. In such a case you should not insist on change for the sake of change.
Problems faced by leaders: Leaders experience problems. Being at the top can be lonely. They take responsibility for failures. Followers may be disloyal to the leaders or the organization. Subordinates may have poor values that the leaders can not stand. There may be dissent. The leaders may be ahead of the followers in vision and thinking. External threats are always looming on the horizon. A leader is a public figure and has to accept more invasion of his privacy than an ordinary person. It is important that people know enough about leaders' private life to be assured that they are not involved in any activity that is incompatible with their leadership position. The leader must be accessible at all times and can not claim privacy as a reason for not carrying out leadership functions. The followers must however have some consideration for the leader and his family. They must give him some privacy so that he can lead an ordinary life
Leadership after trial:
‘And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain Commands, which he fulfilled: He said: "I will make you An Imam to the Nations. He pleaded: "And also (Imams) from my offspring!" He answered: "But My promise is not within the reach of evildoers. Qur'an 2:124
Good leader wants good followers:
‘And those who pray, Our Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) To lead the righteous’. Qur'an 25:74
Leader to be given some privacy:
‘O you who believe! Enter not the Prophet's houses until leave is given you for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its preparation: but when you are invited, enter; And when you have taken your meal, disperse, without seeking familiar talk. Such (behavior) annoys the Prophet: he is ashamed to dismiss you, but Allah is not ashamed (to tell you) the truth’. Qur'an 33:53
Necessity/obligation of having leaders:
“Abu Said al Khudri reported the Apostle of Allah may peace be upon him) as saying: When three are on a journey, they should appoint one of them as their commander." Abu Daud 2:721, Chapter 933, hadith # 2602.
Personal ambition for leadership discouraged:
"Abd al Rahman b Samurah said: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to me: Abd al-Rahman b. Samurah, do not ask for the position of commander, for if you are given it after asking you will be left to discharge it yourself, but if you are given it without asking you will be helped to discharge it." Abu Daud 2:827, Chapter 1090, hadith # 2923
Everybody exercises leadership responsibility:
(1) "It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: Beware, every one of you is a shepherd and every one is answerable with regard to his flock. The Caliph is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about his subjects (as to how he conducted their affairs). A man is a guardian over the members of his family and shall be questioned about them (as how he looked after their physical and moral well-being). A woman is a guardian over the household of her husband and his children and shall be questioned about them (as to how she managed the household and brought up the children). A servant is a guardian over the property of his master and shall be questioned about it (as to how he safeguarded his trust ). Beware, every one of you is a guardian and every one of you shall be questioned with regard to his trust." Muslim 3: 1017, Chapter 758, Hadith # 4496
Leadership authority in incompetent hands is a sign of doom:
"Narrated Abu Huraira: While the Prophet was saying something in a gathering, a Bedouin came and asked him "When would the Hour (Doomsday) take place?" Allah's Apostle continued his talk, so some people said that Allah's Apostle had heard the question, but did not like what that Bedouin has asked. Some of them said that Allah's Apostle had not heard it. When the Prophet finished his speech, he said, "Where is the questioner, who enquired about the Hour (Doomsday)?" The Bedouin said, "I am here, O Allah's Apostle" Then the Prophet said, "When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday). The Bedouin said, "How will that be lost?" The Prophet said, "When the power or authority comes in the hands of unfit persons, then wait for the Hour (doomsday)". Bukhari 1:50-51, hadith # 56
Disobedient followers:
Musa and Isaelites: Qur'an 2:51-61, 5:22-29, 7:148-156, 7:159-162
Incompetent leaders condemned:
"It is narrated on the authority of Abu Malik that Ubaidullah b. Ziyad visited Maqil b. Yasar in his illness. Maqil said to him: I am narrating to you hadith which I would have never narrated to you had I not been in death-bed. I heard Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) say: A ruler who has been entrusted with the affairs of the Muslims, but he makes no endeavors (for the material and moral uplift) and does not sincerely mean (their welfare) would not enter Paradise along with them"
Muslim 1: 82, Chapter 44, Hadith # 264
Omar was a great leader:
The Prophet said, “In a dream I saw myself drawing water from a well with a bucket. Abu Bakr came and drew a bucker or two weakly. May Allah forgive him. Then Umar bin Al Khattab came and the bucket turned into a very large one in his hands. I had never seen such a might person as he in doing such hard work till all the people drank to their satisfaction and watered their camels that knelt down there. Bukhari 5:23 Hadith #31, Bukhari 5:24 end of Hadith.
Leader serves community:
I heard Abu Hurayrah say, “God have mercy on Ibn Hantamah. I saw him in the Year of the Destruction carrying on his back two provision bags with a skin of olive oil in his hand. He and Aslam were taking it in turns. When he saw me, he said, ‘Where are you coming from, Abu Hurayrah?’ I told him from near at hand, and I began to take my turn to carry. So we all eventually came to Sirar where there were abut twenty isolated tents of Muharib. ‘Umar said, ‘What has brought you here?” They replied it was exhaustion. They brought out for us some broiled carrion skin that they were eating and some powdered old bones that they were scooping into their mouths with their hands. I saw ‘Umar throw his upper garment [over his shoulder], then adjust his waist wrapper. He continued cooking for them until they were satisfied. Then he sent aslam to Medina and he brought some stallion camels on which he counted them and set them down in al-Jabbanah. HE then gave them clothes, visiting them and others [in similar circumstances] frequently until God relieved the people of this drought”. Tabari 14 : 119
LEADERSHIP POWER
Leaders defined by actions: Leaders and followers are better defined by what they do than what they are or what they say. Actions can not deceive over time; reputation and nice words often do. Every leader has to expose himself through his actions since there is no leadership without activity.
Definition of power: Power is capability or potential to get something done. Influence is exercise of power to get something done. Authority is formal power that a leader has as a virtue of the position. Power and leadership are interdependent but are not interchangeable. A leader needs power to succeed and influence others but power alone does not make an effective leader.
Types of power: There are 2 types of leadership power: personal and positional. Both are used in varying proportions depending on the leadership situation. Personal power is based on character, expertise, charisma, and personal relations. Positional power is based on formal authority that includes decision-making, reward, punishment, and control of information and organizational resources.
Use of leadership power: The leader has to make a correct judgement of which source of power to use in a particular leadership situation. Influence is exercise of leadership power. Powerful leaders have more influence. They have credibility and can get more compliance from their followers. Leaders can get follower compliance by rational persuasion, appeal, pressue, promise of rewards, negotiations (win-win, compromise). Leader get followers to do things either by making small demands followed by big ines, or by starting with big demands followed by small ones of the big ones are not possible
Credibility: A leader gains more power and influence by building credibility. Credibility is based on competence (experience, knowledge, and skills), character (honesty, kindness, sympathy), self-confidence, activity and drive, boldness and assertiveness. The followers must trust the leader if he is to lead them well. Building credibility starts with self-assessment to know your strengths and use them, to identify your weaknesses and compensate for them. You have to listen to and learn from the followers. Keeping promises and being predictable are very important for credibility.
Leadership power: Sulaiman Qur'an 27:15-44
Being gradual in obtaining compliance: Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: Allah's Apostle said to Mu'adh bin Jabal when he sent him to Yemen. "You will come to the people of scripture, and when you reach them, invite them to testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is His Apostle. And if they obey you in that, then tell them that Allah has enjoined on them five prayers to be performed every day and night. And if they obey you in that, then tell them that Allah has enjoined on them Sadaqa (i.e. Zakat) to be taken from the rich amongst them and given to the poor amongst them. And if they obey you in that, then be cautious! Don't take their best properties (as Zakat) and be afraid of the curse of an oppressed person as there is no screen between his invocation and Allah. Bukhari:
Omar was feared:
“Narrated Saad bin abi Waqqas Umar bin Al Khattab asked permission of Allah’s Apostle to see him while some Quraishi women were sitting with him, talking to him and asking him for more expenses, raising their voices over the voice of Allah’s Apostle, when Umar asked for the permission to enter, the women quickly put on their veils. Allah’s Apostle allowed him to enter and Umar came in while Allah’s Apostle was smiling, Umar said, O Allah’s Apostle ! may Allah always keep you smiling. The Prophet said, These women who have been here, roused my wonder, for as soon as they heard your voice, they quickly put on their veils. Umar said, O Allah’s Apostle ! You have more right to be feared by them than I”. Then Umar addressed the women saying. O enemies of yourselves ! Your fear me more than you do Allah’s Apostle? They said, Yes, for you are harsher and sterner than Allah’s messenger you are going on a way, but he takes another way other than your”. Bukhari 5:23 - 24, Hadith # 32
Omar’s sensitivity:
According to Ahmad b. Umar : Umar b. al-Khattab passed through the market carrying his whip. He death me a blow with it and caught the edge of my garment, saying “Get out of the way”, the following year he met me and said, “Are you intending to go on the pilgrimage, Salamah? When I told him that I was, he took me by the hand to his house and gave me 600 dirhams, saying, use them to make your pilgrimage, and you should know that they are by way of compensation for the lash that I gave you. “I replied, But I had not remembered it Commander of the Faithful". “But I had not forgotten it! “exclaimed” Omar .Tabari 14 : 138 - 139
Toughness and softness :
Abu Ja’far [al-Tabari] said : (‘Umar) was hard on those with dubious reputations and severe in [seeking out] God’s truth until he extracted it, but easygoing in what was owed to him until it was handed over to him and compassionate and full of pity for the weak. …. According to ‘Ubaydallah b. Sa’d al-Zuhri-his paternal uncle-his father-al-Walid b. Kathir-Muhammad b. ‘Ijlan-Zayd b. Aslam-his father: Some Muslims had a word with ‘Abd. al-Rahman b. ‘Awf and said, “Speak to ‘Umar b. al-Khattab, for he has inspired so much fear in us that indeed we cannot look him in the face”. ‘Abd. al-Rahman b. ‘Awf mentioned this to ‘Umar and he said, “Did they really say this? ! I was indeed lenient with them to such as extent that I was afraid of God. I became severe with them to such an extent that I was afraid of God. I swear an oath in God’s name that I am more afraid of them than they are of me!”. Tabari 14: 111 - 112
COMPARING TYPES OF POWER
Fill the following table comparing types of leadership power. Write down 1-3 advantages/disadvantages for each type of power
TYPE OF POWER ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
REWARD
PUNISHMENT
EXPERT
PERSONAL RELATIONS
DISEASES OF LEADERS
Human imperfections: With the exception of prophets, no leaders or followers can claim being perfect. Any leader will have diseases (hopefully few). Followers also have diseases. The diseases of leaders and followers could be synergistic. The aim of good leadership is to minimize or compensate for them. This requires maturity and balance. The leader must be able to look at himself in a mirror or listen to trusted advisors to know and acknowledge weaknesses. Only the greatest can do this.
Socialization: Bad leadership is learned from poor role models in the home, the general society, and the work-place. Societies or organizations that depended on authoritarianism, no delegation, no participation produced the worst leaders in history.
Diseases: Good leaders have attributes and skills that have been discussed. Bad leaders are not necessarily those with opposite attributes and skills. Bad leaders have definite diseases that could exist alongside some of the good qualities. In the extreme some bad leaders have only diseases and none of the good qualities.
Deviant personality: Some bad leaders are actually psychologically sick: sadists, megalomaniacs, jealous, immature, or psychopathic personalities. Organizations and societies that allow such individuals to rise to the top pay a heavy price.
Pride and Vanity: Pride and vanity have destroyed many leaders. They are from the SHAITAN and eventually lead to mutual hatred between leaders and followers. They may also become a disease of both the leader and his followers in which case there is mutual hatred between groups,organizations, and even nations.
Uncompensated weaknesses: A leader is a human being and can not be perfect. There will be weaknesses. The way to deal with them is to compensate for them by relying on strong people who have the skills that the leader may lack. The careful leader will also avoid acitivities that he lacks the ability to do well.
Ignorance: Some bad leaders are sincere and are committing mistakes without being aware of them. Some commit mistakes because of basic inner limitations. Ignorance of a leader that is not acknowledged or compensated for spells disaster for the organization. Wrong decisions will be made and will be defended by the leader.
Excessive veneration: Bad leaders with weak egos seek excessive veneration from their followers. These are inadequate persons who are not sure of themselves. An organisation that allows such persons to occupy leadership positions will regret the consequences.
Oppression: Bad leaders who lack legitimacy, personal authority, and self-confidence tend to be oppressive. They try to use force to impose their will. Those who oppose this are dealt with badly. Oppression eventually fails.
Petty-mindedness: Petty-mindedness is a sign of an immature personality and lack of vision. Small things become big while big things are not even recognized. The self becomes more important than the public interest.
Manipulation: Bad leaders are manipulative. They control and do not build or develop their followers. Manipulation is not leadership. It is a form of coercion and deception. A manipulative leader does not deal honestly with followers. He uses physical and psychological pressures to get compliance. Often he uses outright deception.
Seeking false reputation: Bad leaders concentrate on building false reputations, appearances, and images. They neglect the hard work that produces real results. Such leaders who deceive themselves and their followers will not hide their weaknesses for long. False leaders are exposed sooner or later. If not exposed in their lifetime or period of tenure, history will expose them in unflattering terms. The Qur'an recounts stories of such leaders in bygone eras as a lesson to all of us.
Abandoning followers: Bad leaders will abandon their followers in times of crisis or danger. They will not stand to share the pain with them or lead them to a solution.
Unequal treatment of followers: Bad leaders treat followers unequally. There is favoritism. Those who praise the leader and pander to his ego are preferred over the more principled ones. Syncopaths are brought near while the productive and hard-working are kept away. Favoritism may also manifest as nepotism, appointments or promotions based on family relationships and not merit. Injustice of a bad leader may be in attitude, actions, judgements, decisions, and communication. All what deviates from the truth and fair and equitable treatment is injustice.
Deviant values: It is an irony of human experience that the best and the worst leaders can share some of the same practical and conceptual skills. They differ in the underlying values, personality, goals, and how the skills are used. Good moral leaders serve humanity while the bad ones cause suffering and harm.
Ignorant leaders misguide: "Narrated Abdullah b Amr bin Al As : I heard Allah's Apostle saying, Allah does not take away knowledge, by taking it away from ( the hearts of ) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till when none of the ( religious learned men ) remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray". Bukhari 1:80, hadith # 100
Oppression and petty-mindedness: "Jabir b Abdullah reported that Allah's Messenger ( may peace be upon him ) said: Be on your guard against committing oppression, for oppression is a darkness on the Day of Resurrection, and be on your guard against petty mindedness for petty mindedness destroyed tho who were before you. as it incited the to shed blood and make lawful what was unlawful for them"
Muslim 4: 1366, Chapter 1065, Hadith # 6248
Oppressor is finally punished: "Narrated Abu Musa: Allah's Apostle said, Allah gives respite to the oppressor, but when He takes him over, He never releases him. Bukhari 6:171, hadith # 208
Do not despair: "Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him ) as saying: When a person says that people are ruined he is he is himself ruined" Muslim 3: 1382, Chapter 1091, Hadith # 6352
Leader who deceives followers: "Narrated Maqil : Allah's Apostle said, If any ruler having the authority to rule Muslim subjects dies while he is deceiving them, Allah will forbid Paradise for him" Bukhari 9:197, hadith # 265
Searching for follower faults: "Jubair b. Nufair, Kathir b. Murrah, Amr b. al-Aswad, Miqdam b. Madikarib, and Abu Umamah reported the Prophet ( may peace be upon him ) as saying: When a ruler seeks to make imputations against the people, he corrupts them" Abu Daud 3:1362, Chapter 1752, Hadith # 4870
DISEASES OF FOLLOWERS
Diseases of followers:
Followers, like leaders, have diseases: hypocrisy, insincerity, bad advice to leader, disloyalty, disobedience, and excessive veneration of the leader. Followers show hypocrisy when they say something in front of the leader and the opposite when away from him. They may outwardly show loyalty and obedience when they are secretly plotting against him. Insincerity is all forms of dishonesty and lies to the leader and fellow followers. It also includes doing things for selfish individual interests while hurting the interests of the group. Some followers may give advice to a leader that they know is bad either for some selfish personal gain, or to hurt someone else, or to hurt the leader by making him commit mistakes. Disloyalty in all its forms is bad. It is however not loyalty to support and follow a leader in committing immoral acts. Followers must obey the leader as long as he is ordering them to do good. Disobedience rapidly results into chaos and break down of the civil order. Violence by the ruler against followers or among followers rapidly ensues in a situation of anarchy. It is for this reason that obedience should not be withheld even if the leader commits some minor mistakes. Some followers may spoil the leader by pandering to his ego and showing him excessive veneration. When all of this gets to his head he may start behaving like a dictator, develop vanity and pride and eventually fail in leadership.
Causes of leadership failure:
Leadership failure is a consequence of a series of mistakes. An organization can survive a few leadership mistakes. When the mistakes are consecutive and cumulative, the death certificate for the organization is sealed. Leadership failure has several often inter-related causes: (a) refusal to admit mistakes and blaming them on others (b) belief of the leader that he is indispensable and behaving as a dictator (c) fear for position and neglecting training or developing replacements (d) disloyalty to superiors, peers, followers and the organization (e) lack of creativity: hating new ideas, persisting in unproductive but tested ways, and being too bureaucratic (f) lack of common sense, being away from reality and being theoretical (g) Lack of human skills and handling followers well and equitably (h) lack of a sense of bottom-line that you have to produce results (i) failure to lead and following the crowd (j) condoning or tolerating incompetence (k) failure to recognize and reward good work (l) followers hating the leader.
Responsibility and accountability:
A leader is accountable for all what goes on. He should have the courage to admit his mistakes so that he may correct them. He must also take ultimate responsibility for mistakes committed by subordinates although he is not personally directly culpable. He was supposed to select only the best and most competent, train them, and supervise them so that they make no mistakes. Bad leaders do not take personal responsibilities. They are not accountable for mistakes in their organization. They look for excuses (even valid ones) or shift responsibility to others. It is a sign of personal weakness and emotional immaturity for a leader to pretend to be all-knowing and perfect all the time.
Results/bottom line:
A leader is judged by results. Lack of a sense of a bottom line is a sure way to leadership failure. Such leaders may tolerate or even condone incompetence in the organization because success and results do not matter to them. They will fail to recognize and reward good work. A leader must achieve results. If he fails, even if he worked hard and sincerely and even if he has valid excuses, he is considered to have failed and he must accept responsibility. Accepting responsibility is the first positive step toward looking for a solution.
Arrogance and feeling indispensable:
When a leader starts thinking that he is special and that there is nobody else who can be in his position he is already on the way to being lost. He will soon become a dictator and will suppress all dissent and refuse to listen to advice. He will not develop his followers. Shaitan will encourage him to become increasingly arrogant until he eventually fails. An insecure leader fears for his position and tries to oppress or suppress people with leadership ability in the organization. This is an insincere person who should not have been a leader in the first place. A mark of a good leader is not coveting positions.
Putting people down:
Poor leaders, actually leaders by default, put down people and are only manifesting their own lack of self-confidence and a feeling of low self-worth. They assume that everybody else must be like them. Such leaders either do not last long or continue leading failing organizations.
Mistrust and disloyalty:
A bad leader does not trust others and is not trusted. He will be disloyal to his superiors, his peers, and his subordinates. He will even betray the organization in pursuit of his selfish interests.
Lack of creativity:
When a leader starts thinking he knows all and is perfect in all what he is doing, he closes his mind to new ideas. He suppresses creativity and innovation and persists in old ways even if they are unproductive. Some of such leaders realize the futility of their stand and tend to hide behind bureaucratic policies, rules, and regulations.
Inaccessibility:
A leader who is not accessible soon loses touch with realities in the organizations. He can not know what is going on at the grass-roots level. He lives in an ivory tower and his decisions and actions lack the common sense that is expected.
Poor human relations:
Poor leaders are poor in human relations. They demotivate followers, harass them and make them loathe the organization. Many followers will leave at the first opportunity. Some leaders develop this people incompetence into an art. They are aware of their inadequacy and inability to change so they make sure no follower stays too long with them. They know the follower will eventually get fed up with them and may confront them one day. They make sure he leaves before that breaking point. High turnover thus becomes a normal way with dire consequences for the organization.
Following the crowd:
Some leaders abdicate their responsibilities. They fail to lead and follow the crowd. Some could justify this by saying that they are 'listening' to their followers. The main motivation for this is to be loved by the followers. Some leaders just do not want to confront the practical realities and difficulties of leadership and are content only with the pomp and material benefits of leadership.
Consequences of hatred by followers:
No person should insist on continuing in a leadership position if he/she is hated by the followers. Leadership can not succeed if there is no good relation between the leader and the followers. Confrontations and divisions will sooner or later occur in the organisation. If a leader is in position for the good of the organisation and not personal interest, he will rather resign than expose the organisation to the risk of failure.
Causes of hatred of followers for leaders: A leader who does not respect followers is soon hated. The causes of hatred are: impersonal behavior, not listening to followers, being self importance, wrong decisions, claiming credit for followers' work, blaming followers for the leader's mistakes, being secretive, withholding information, failure to protect followers from external attacks, public criticism of followers, not consulting followers, and over-working followers.
Torment for no genuine reason: "Hisham reported on the authority of his father that Hisham b. Hakin b. Hizam happened to pass by people, the farmers of Syria, who had been made to stand in the sun. He said: What is the matter with them?. They said: They have been detained for Jizya. Thereupon Hisham said: I bear testimony to the fact that I heard Allah's Messenger ( may peace be upon him ) as saying" Allah would torment those who torment people in the world" Muslim 3: 1378, Chapter 1083, Hadith # 6328
Disappearance of honesty: "Narrated Abu Huraira : Allah's Apostle said, When honesty is lost. then wait for the Hour. It was asked, How will honesty be lost, O Allah's Apostle? He said. When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour." Bukhari 8:332, hadith # 503
Leader should not have pride/vanity: " Hadrat Amir ibn Rabiah says that once he accompanied the Prophet ( p.b.u.h. ) to the mosque. The thong or strap of his shoe got broken, Hadrat Amir took it so as to mend it. The prophet refused and said, " This thing smells pride, and I dislike vanity or pride." Hayat 2:611
Cruelty: (1) Pharaoh Qur:an 2:49 (2) Nimrod Qur'an 21:66-70 (3) Dhu Nuwas Surat al Buruj: 1-8
Arrogance: Pharaoh: Qur'an 28:38-39, Qur'an 79:21-24
Dishonesty: "Narrated Hudhaifa: Allah's Apostle narrated to us two narrations, one of which I have seen (happening) and I am waiting for the other. He narrated that honesty was preserved in the roots of the hearts of men (in the beginning) and then they learnt it (honesty) from the Qur'an and then they learnt it from the ( Prophet's ) Sunna (tradition). He also told us about its disappearance. saying. " A man will go to sleep whereupon honesty will be taken away from his heart, and only its trace will remain, resembling the traces of fire. He then will sleep whereupon the remainder of the honesty will also be taken away (from his heart ) and its trace will resemble a blister which is raised over the surface of skin when an ember touches one's foot: and in fact, this blister does not contain anything, So there will come a day when people will deal in business with each other but there will hardly be any trustworthy persons among them. Then it will be said that in such and such a tribe there is such and such person who is honest, and a man will be admired for his intelligence, good manners and strength, though indeed he will not have belief equal to a mustard seed in his heart. The narrator added: there came upon me a time when I did not mind dealing with anyone of you, for if he was a Muslim; his religion would prevent him from cheating, and if he was a Christian, his muslim ruler would prevent him from cheating; but today I cannot deal except with so and so and so and so" Bukhari 8:332-333, hadith # 504