The Five Exemplary Practices of Leadership

I recently listened to a lecture by Dr. Tariq Suwaidan on the Prophet (peace be upon him) and how he was the greatest role model of an effective leader.  And in his lecture, he made reference to the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership which are found in Kouzes & Posner book “The Leadership Challenge” which is cited to be the most trusted source on becoming a better leader and based on over 20 years of research of what the best and exemplary leadership practices are.  And alhamdullilah, I happened to have the book so started to browse through it again.
Here’s a summary of the five practices:

1) Model the way
-Clarify Values: Find your voice, affirm shared values, reflection and action
-Set the Example: personify the shared values, teach others to model the values, reflection and action

2) Inspire a shared vision
-Envision the Future: imagine the possibilities, find a common purpose, reflection and action
-Enlist Others: appeal to common ideals, animate the vision, reflection and action

3) Challenge the Process
-Search for Opportunities: seize the initiative, exercise outsight, reflection and action
-Experiment and take risks: generate small wins, learn from experience, reflection and action
4) Enable others to act
-Foster collaboration: create a climate of trust, facilitate relationships, reflection and action
-Strengthen others: enable self-determination, develop competence and confidence, reflection and action
5) Encourage the heart
-Recognize contributions: expect the best, personalize recognition, reflection and action
-Celebrate the values and victories: create a spirit of community, be personally involved, reflection and action
And a few of the most interesting quotes I found in the introductory chapters were:
“Leadership is not the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women.  It is a process ordinary people use when they are bringing forth the best from themselves and others.  When the leader in everyone is liberated, extraordinary things happen”.

“The domain of leaders is the future.  The leader’s unique legacy is the creation of valued institutions that survive over tie.  The most significant contribution leaders make is not simply to today’s bottom line; it is the long-term development of people and institutions so they can adapt, change, prosper, and grow”
In sha Allah we can practice and inspire these practices in our children so that Allah (Swt) makes them among the leaders of the righteous:) Ameen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suffering in Silence...No More...

I had a sister recently email me with a situation that I hear and have seen often yet don’t see very much done about.  She’s a sister who moved to a new city after being married,  became pregnant soon thereafter and was blessed to become a mother, yet she is struggling in her marriage, she feels lonely and she wants to get her life back in order. I feel many sisters will suffer in silence and subhana’Allah, although to some it may seem like there is really nothing to complain about when a sister these days has even had the opportunity of being married and was blessed again with the gift of children.  Yes, we should be thankful in times of goodness and patient in times of tribulation and always turn to Allah (SwT) first and foremost, yet we know Allah (swt) says: ““And the human being was created weak” (Surat al-Nisa, 4:28).  Although our faith in Allah (swt) should give us tremendous strength and perseverance, at the end of the day we are human beings and we will...
Read more

Living on Purpose and with Purpose

Alhamdullilah, as Muslims, we are given the gift of understanding our purpose on earth, which people will spend a lifetime searching for, in the Quran in the following verses: “I have not created mankind and jinn except to worship Me” (51:56) “When your Lord said to the angels: ‘I am placing on the earth a caliph” (2:30) These two verses would need pages and chapters written to reveal their full depth and meaning.  Very briefly though, ‘worship’ in the first verse is not limited to our prayers and fasting for example but can truly encompass everything we do in our lives when we do it with the intention of drawing nearer to Allah.  So it can include our eating, sleeping, spending time with our loved ones, studying, working, etc. As for the meaning of ‘caliph’ – this term is used to define the one who will take care of this earth, help build it, make a positive difference and fulfill the role of leadership that Allah (Swt) has placed them in – whatever that role may be – from a Hea...
Read more

The Story of "Mrs. Normal"

Many people will spend years or even an entire lifetime not living the life they really want – one that is filled with  success, happiness, and fulfillment .  They will settle for mediocrity and live a ‘normal’ life. Have you heard the story of  “Mrs. Normal”?   Mrs. Normal grew up in a ‘normal’ family, received a ‘normal’ education, married a ‘normal’ man, had ‘normal’ children, and then, died. The story of “Mrs. Normal” is probably the story of 95% of people and some may ask,  but what is the problem with being ‘normal’ ? Normal is fine alhamdullilah and growing up with a family, receiving an education, being married and blessed with children are all in deed good things in theory. But is solely achieving these series of steps considered  amazing or outstanding ? Is it living our life with true   ihsan  (excellence) as Allah (Swt) asked of us? Is it fulfilling the role Allah (Swt) assigned as in the Quran as caretakers ( khulufa’a)  of this earth whose responsibility is to make a posi...
Read more