Successful Leaders are in search of Wisdom. وَمَنْ يُؤْ تَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوْتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيْرًا ألبقرة .ألآية:269 بسم اللّه والحمد للّه وصلاةُ اللّهِ وسلامُه على حبيبِه وخليلِه وخِيرتِه مِن خلقِه ومُصطفاه وعلى آلِه وأصحابِه وأتباعِه ومَن والاه. .وبعدُ رَبّ اشْرَحْ لِيْ وَيَسِّرْ لِيْ أَمْرِيْ وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِنْ لِّسَانِيْ يَفْقَهُوْا قَوْلِيْ آمين. قال اللّه تعالى: وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ.ألرّعد.ألآية 7.
And to every people there is a guide (a leader)

وقال تعالى: وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُوْنَ بِأَمْرِنَا وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِم فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَإِقَامَ الْصَّلاةِ وَإِيْتَاءَ الْزَّكاةِ وَكَانُوا لَنَا عَابِدِيْنَ' ألأنبياء.ألآية.73 .

And we made them leaders, guiding (mankind) by our command and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds and performing the prayer (Salaat) and the the giving of Alms (Zakaat) and For Us alone They were worshippers.

وقال تعالى: وَجَعَلْنَا مِنهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُوْنَ بِأَمْرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُوْا. ألسّجدة.ألآية.24.

And We made among them Leaders giving guidence under Our command after having been patient.

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وآله وَسَلَّمَ : إِذَا كَانَتْ أُمَرَاؤُكُمْ خِيَارَكُمْ , وَأَغْنِيَاؤُكُمْ سُمَحَاءَكُمْ , وَأَمْرُكُمْ شُورَى بَيْنَكُمْ , فَظَهْرُ الأَرْضِ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ مِنْ بَطْنِهَا

The prophet peace and mercy be upon him said: If those qualified and competent ones are your Leaders, Your Wealthy ones are unselfish and when Ye - Fair and Free - discuss and determine by choosing those qualified and competent, then living on the earth is much better for Ye than lying dead and buried under it.

Wisdom is also an ability to differentiate the real joy from temporary happiness, to strive for greater and more values through daily victories over temporary Enticements. Values which give a deeper inner joy and Satisfaction.

In order to get Wisdom we need to regularly seek Solitude and Silence to reflect on our experiences by listening to our inner voice to get some perspective on our lives. It guides us to find Balance in life between family, work, friends and personal interests.

A dull ax requires enormous strength. So be Wise and sharpen the Edge !
With regularity, we need - metaphorically spoken - to grind the Edge.

To sharpen the edge means that we renew, train, and develop ourselves within the four dimensions which our human nature contains.

The physical, social, mental and spiritual dimension.
The physical dimension includes such things as exercise, diet and how we handle pressure/ stress.
The social is more about how we develop our relationships with others.
The mental exercises include intellectual stimulation: reading books, visualize and plan.
The spiritual dimension is about our core, our values and how we comply with our faith and belief.

A wise man is always open to new ideas, yes he always has eyes and ears open.
Good Leaders are always open to new insights.

The know the importance of finding ideas for constant development in everything they do.
They consider the life a journey of discovery and every experience an opportunity to learn something new.
They observe curiously, examine and learn.

The Wise person is mighter than physically strong one as knowledge is superior to the physical strength.
To constantly learn, grow, become Wise and skilled is good leader's strength.
He or she realizes that the more we learn, the more there is to learn.

Life is a continuous learning process which eventually leads to sels-knowledge and maturity.
Deciding to become wise is the first step to becoming it.

We need Wisdom to be able to lead our selves and others.
It is easy to lose focus on what is essential because of the daily stress we are often exposed to.
We therefore need to constantly remind us about what is of value to us.
To decide to be leaders who are in searsh for Wisdom and take the first step to becoming it.

It is about practicing the insights we've gained and make them into daily habits.
Because it is through our words and actions we become the role model that inspires those around us.

When we seek wisdom and use common sense and good judgment in the situations we encounter every day we lay the foundation for trust and loyalty of our leadership.

Something that every leader is dependent in order to make sure long-term success in the leadership role.

This search for wisdom is the hallmark or characteristics of a good leader. In future articles we will among other things, describe how good leaders also are characterized by: guiding values–‹–‹, inspiring vision, determination, positive relationships, self-awareness, credibility and sustainability.

Good leader:

Leads with integrity and has a long-term perspective on his life and leadership.
Allocates regular time to "sharpen the edge of the ax" - physically, socially, mentally and spiritually.

Seeks serenity to reflect upon their experiences, gain perspective on their leadership and listening to their inner voice.

Find a balance in life between work, family, friends and personal interests.
Is always open to learn from everything they are going through and all they encounter.
Read the best literature, from novels, scientific journals and books on leadership and personal development.

Keeps him/herself informed of current events in the world and follows with his/her own activity.

Questions to consider:

During the week that lies ahead, I ask you to reflect on and answer these questions. Imagine that it is a good friend who asks the questions, and you write the answers.

1st What are your two or three important incentives? What motivates you?
2nd What are the two or three most important values –‹–‹that will give you inner joy and satisfaction?
3rd How do you equipoise or balance the external values –‹–‹with internal values –‹–‹so that you experience more joy and satisfaction in your life?

4th What are you most satisfied with the current state of the physical, social, mental and spiritual dimension?
5th What two or three specific and closely related issues, you can tackle and develop in the next few months to create renewal and life balance ?
Look into future.


To be continued............

By Sheikh Abdirahmaan Sheikh M'diin Eli
Gothenburg-Sweden.
Eliyow@hotmail.com