A quote that I recall, ‘In leadership, it is not what the leader has on the head. It is what he has in the head’. In essence, it highlights the importance for one especially leader to continuously update and enhance his knowledge and skills towards the attainment of self and organizational excellence. A famous Arabic proverb reads, ‘one who does not have shall not (be able to) give’.
What does it take for one to lead a team?
Skills and knowledge aplenty on the table, the ‘bad news’. The good news; it is learnable. The fact remains that every and each of us, the living soul, is entrusted with trust or ‘amaanah’. It is upon birth. Allah SWT the Almighty has, upon created man, endowed with His Blessings the needful faculties that would allow man to perceive probabilities and act responsibly within His divine guidance.
This ‘takleef’ or accountability is truly a gift from Him, The Ever-Living or ‘Al-Hayy’. The privilege is exclusively for mankind; none other as other beings are not entrusted with this ‘amaanah’ to lead. The huge responsibility comes with it tests. These tests, as He the All-Knowing are to elevate the status of man to shoulder the big responsibility on earth.
In the Holy Quran, Surah al-Ankabut (29:2) that reads, ‘Do the people think that once they say We believe that they will be left without being put into the test’. One can only expect that tests are part of the human journey. Tests are created especially for the living souls as none other creations are ‘endowed’ with tests that are to elevate its status.
In addition, the famous 25 Prophets pbuh are sent to mankind to guide and show to the divine light and God the All-Knowing has chosen five of the Prophets pbuh as ‘Ulul ‘Azmi’. The Prophets Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad pbuh are the five Prophets who were given extra tests during their missions towards the ummah of their times.
At present times, we can appreciate the many different skill sets needed for a leader to lead, say, an SME or a government agency and even a corporate business. Each of these may warrant its leader to acquire and to practise the skills required for each of the organization. It suggests the continuous process of learning for each of us. I would normally share with learners as GOLFer; Go on Learning Forever.
As a summary, ‘leading is not in the telling, it is in the doing’ sums up well the personal experience for a leader to go through and lead self and the team. Different skill and knowledge might be relevant when one is still young.
As he gets older, starts to have his own family, manages the household and perhaps the member staff at the work place, gets along with different personality within the community & neighbourhood, the same person is expected to experience and learn new skill set and knowledge. His ‘fardhu ‘ain’ (personal obligation) may no longer be the same.
Hence, if one is asked on the needful skill of the day, what would that be?
By :
Hj Syamsul Amri A Razak