Nurturing leaders’ hearts is often called for, but many fail to do so. My experience attending various leadership courses focused on developing my Head with leadership theories and strategic thinking, and my Hand for leadership skills, such as team management and effective communication.
Current leadership training does not necessarily target the Heart on authenticity, vision, and good character. Oftentimes, trainers themselves display poor examples of characters. I encountered one trainer who taught authentic leadership with good values but ended up being a narrow-minded businessperson. The reason he teaches authentic leadership is because the money is there and participants believe in it, but not because he believes in it. Unfortunately, universities and business schools are plagued with such inauthenticity too.
I have also experienced highly efficient leaders but with poor character and work ethics: suppressing and shouting at others, displaying inferiority complexes, caring for only selected employees, and keeping on backbiting other colleagues. This has then created a toxic culture, to which I was mentally, spiritually, and even physically affected. Without a virtuous leader, various forms of corruption may manifest, and even perpetuate! This is the case of the rotten apples affecting other apples in the barrel, a metaphor used to describe the police force in the United States!
On the flip side, I have been blessed with amazing leaders, leading from their hearts with great visions and purpose, fantastic humanistic and spiritual values, and profound wisdom all around. I have witnessed others grow exponentially, with many organizational developments.
Leading with a virtuous heart is imperative for the holistic growth of the self, others, and the organization.
Islamic leadership with amānah
There are various Islamic leadership models. The one that I use revolves around amānah. This Arabic term has several meanings, including accountability, responsibility, integrity, trust, honesty and so on. It is also related to amān, which means peace, safety and security.
Islamic leadership with amānah is about leading oneself and others towards peace in the hearts of people. Every one of us has the responsibility to manifest peace in our hearts, and the hearts of others. Often, we may unintentionally hurt others without words and actions. We apologize and rectify this. Sometimes, the organizational policies that were established (un)intentionally hurt others. We modify and improve. Through Islamic amānah, we bring ourselves and others from the multiple darknesses of hurt, harm and corruption, and into the light of peace and prosperity.
Corruptive leadership persists
Unfortunately, the climate at the moment is one where corruption is perpetuated. Issues with human rights, gender equity, climate justice, mental illness, cyberbullying and others persist and are even flourishing. How can be navigate this world? Where are the beacons of light to guide our hearts?
Hudhaifah [bin Al-Yaman] said:
“The Messenger of Allah {s.a.w} narrated two narrations to us, one of which I have seen {happening} and I am waiting for the other. He narrated that (in the beginning) trust was preserved in the roots of the hearts of men, then the Qur’an was revealed, and they learned it from the Qur’an, and then they learned it from the Sunnah. Then he narrated to us about the disappearance of trust, saying, ‘A man will go to sleep whereupon trust will be taken away from his heart, and only its trace will remain, like speckles. He then will sleep, whereupon the remainder of the trust will also be taken away and trace will remain like a blister, like an ember that you roll on your feet, it causes pain and you see it swollen while it contains nothing.’ Then he took a pebble and rolled it over his leg. He said: ‘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, such that it would be said that in such and such a tribe, there is such and such person, who is honest, and until a man will be admired for his strength, intelligence, and good manners, although indeed he will not have faith equal to a mustard seed in his heart.“‘
He (Hudhaifah) 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 me, and if was a Jew or a Christian, his Muslim ruler would prevent him from cheating me; but today I cannot deal except with so-and-so and so-and-so.”
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi
Heart-centered Leadership Development Plan
First and foremost, we have to be the leader ourselves. We purify our hearts as best as we can and bring others along. If you are leading a team or organization, it will put a strain on one’s heart. Hence, there is a need to develop the heart so that it is stronger with clear visions and well-developed virtues.
Through our executive coaching, we can use the GROWTH model to craft a heart-centered leadership development plan. One of the outlines used for executive coaching is as such:
Have a clear moral purpose and goals for the self, others, and/or the organization
Establish the actual reasons why the established goal is important. Then, examine the current starting point, and start to craft the path toward the goals
Identify obstacles faced or anticipate them
Devise strategies to overcome these obstacles, and finally achieve your goals!
Design a detailed action plan with baby steps to achieve the greater goals
Identify additional resources and supportive agents to help sustain the heart’s decisions
Along the way, our virtue strength can help make the journey easier. Also, don’t forget to revise your goals now and then. Let us take the step forward to purify and lead with our hearts!
