Introduction Why do we need another management book? Some time ago, I came across a trivial fact: The volume of all the books published over the last 5 five year period has been more than twice the volume of all publications since the invention of the Gutenberg press until now. This expressively reflects the amount of business and management books we see being published every year. Anyone standing in the business sections of a high street book store or at the airport book shop can, no doubt, nod in recognition of this fact. In light of this, it is a valid question to ask, “Why then do we need another book on management?” Throughout human history, there have been notable people who have had a tremendous impact on society - both during and after their lifetimes. Most of these figures are well known to us, but usually in a specific light and perspective only. It is near at hand to take someone as Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great, and draw lessons about Leadership, Strategy and Management as business disciplines and in fact much effort has already been put in doing so with numerous books attesting to this. Other works on (martial) strategy like the Chinese “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu and the Japanese “Book of Five Rings” by Miyamoto Musashi have also found their way to the bookshelves of many an executive, presenting a distinct Eastern perspective on the resolution of conflicts whether on the battlefield or in the boardroom. Equally valid, is the concept of examining the behaviour of beings such as Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and Buddha not only in the conventional light but also as role models for leadership. 1
Inspired Leadership
Within conventional and established management thinking, there is a tendency to dismiss this notion as being too farfetched and less serious, but if this is the case then why are the leadership traits and characteristics of such individuals of such timeless nature, that they continue to inspire us even today? We still consider traits such as honesty, courage, and fair-mindedness to be highly desirable qualities in not only our leaders, but we strive towards these ourselves. Amongst such extraordinary persons, the Prophet of Islam i.e. Muhammad (saw)1 stands out - namely because his life encompassed many other roles than the prophetic-messenger role which has been the focal point of most studies. He was a trader during his earlier years, a visionary leader of a community (or “organisation”) which grew from a handful of people to a headcount of several thousand, as well as being a commander on the battlefield in more than 70 military engagements. It could be argued that other remarkable persons throughout history have encompassed several of these roles. While this is true, the life of Muhammad (saw) is the most recent and most accessible because of a considerable number of sources that have recorded his conduct. Few have had as transformative an effect on both an individual as well as collective level while fulfilling so many different roles. His impact echoes through time. The writer John Adair2 puts it thus: “If you had to rate the top people in the world as leaders, the name ‘Muhammad’ would be in the top three”. While the position of the Prophet is unique and therefore 1: (saw) is the abbreviation for the blessings and benediction that Muslims recite, when the Prophet is mentioned by name. From the Arabic “Salalahu Alayhi wa sallim” it translates: “May God bless him and grant him peace.” 2: John Adair, a capacity on Leadership and author of “The Leadership of Mohammed”, in a BBC documentary on the life of the Prophet, broadcast during July 2011 2
Introduction
certain aspects may be difficult for us to grasp, the examples of the Prophetic conduct are available and accessible to us. It is the aspiration of this book to present some of these examples of conduct from the life of Muhammad (saw) in a somewhat contemporary light as principles and lessons for leadership - and with reference to a higher zone of consciousness. At the time of writing, there has been a general mistrust towards leadership. We have been seeing CEOs within certain industries getting huge bonus payouts while thousands of people were fired in the very same organisations, and society as a whole has had to bail out various institutions. Indeed some countries have been brought to the brink of collapse because of trying to contain the consequences thereof. Political leaders have been scandalised for forging and claiming fake expenses, as was the case in UK. It may be the appropriate time to examine how leadership, and leaders, can be successful in their roles while at the same time aspiring to a higher set of principles rather than pure self-interest and short term-ism. A perspective based on “how can I serve” rather than “what’s in it for me”. This process starts first and foremost with introspection and ourselves. The Prophetic model of leadership is based on living within this world and engaging in it fully - but with having a constant reference point through our access to the virtues or higher consciousness within us. Within this are principles and virtues of leadership that present us with a code of conduct that is valid throughout time and place. It is far too easy, and a clever trick of the mind, to place the prophetic conduct out-of-bounds for us by dismissing it as inapproachable, and therefore irrelevant to us. But in fact there are teachings which refer to the Prophetic conduct as the highest example available for us to emulate. 3
Inspired Leadership
So for this purpose, this book contains a number of exercises at the end, with the intention of bringing examples of the Prophetic virtues closer to ourselves so that we can grasp and comprehend these, and ultimately act upon them and incorporate them in our lives, in what we refer to as “Inspired Leadership”. The structure of this book is focused around the key events in the life of Muhammad (saw). These events are presented as case studies and form the anchor points within the text from which key lessons and learning points can be derived. These case studies are the main focus of this book, focusing on issues such as: • How did he organise and structure? • How did he delegate and motivate? • How did he communicate? • How did he deal with confrontations, internally and externally? • How did he manage stakeholders? • How did he allocate resources and rewards? • What were his considerations about Succession Planning? Less significance has been attached to determining the exact dates of some of these events, particularly where various sources have been in disagreement. The intention behind this book is that it should be a pragmatic and useful “tool” for the reader, rather than an academic textbook, and that you as the reader can find aspects beneficial to you.
4
Setting the Scene
Setting The Scene In order to understand the actions of Muhammad (saw) in any beneficial way, it is essential to understand the time and historical context into which he was born and had to operate within. Otherwise it becomes very tempting to judge and assess history from a contemporary stand point or perspective, but this is a dangerous pitfall to end up in - as any historian or biographer can testify to. The unfolding of events and the Prophet’s actions can only fully be appreciated once there is more than just a superficial understanding of the backdrop against which they took place. This is necessary in order to draw any meaningful leadership or management lessons from the Prophetic example of behaviour and conduct. In order to facilitate this aim, the book initially presents an overview of the life of Muhammad (saw) in broad brush strokes to give the reader a birds-eye perspective of the chronological unfolding of events, and then subsequently delves into the key events in greater detail and further elaboration. You can of course skip directly to the chapters relating to key events and their significance, but this will not give you as complete a picture. Who Was Muhammad (saw)? It is not the purpose of this section to be a comprehensive biography of the life of Muhammad (saw). For this there are many other excellent resources readily available. But nonetheless a certain level of familiarity and understanding of his life is necessary. Mainly with those events that are of key significance or turning points in the progression of his life and mission. Muhammad bin Abdullah bin3 Abdul Muttalib, who was later 3: “bin” refers to the patronymic and is equivalent to “son of ”. 5
Inspired Leadership
to be the Prophet of the Islamic faith, was born in the year 570 CE in the city of Mecca in what is present day Saudi Arabia. This particular year is also known as The Year of The Elephant. His father had passed away before his birth and his mother passed away at an early age. He was looked after by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib and later his uncle, Abu Talib. During his formative years, he was engaged in the normal trading activities and travelled with his uncle on one major caravan journey to Sham (present day Syria) and various smaller trading excursions. In his teens, he participated in his first armed engagement, known as the Fujar War, standing by his uncles’ side, which lasted 4 years. Interestingly, the actual armed conflict lasted only some months each year while normal trading activities carried on during the remainder of the year(s). At the age of 25, he was employed by a successful and wealthy businesswoman named Khadija Al Kubra, with the purpose of leading a caravan for her to trade in Syria. The man who was to become the Prophet of Islam had a female employer and Director! Shortly after his return from Syria, Khadija proposed to Muhammad (saw) and they were married. She was 15 years older than him. This alone reflects an exceptional character on the side of the Prophet. Even in contemporary society, this is quite a rare occurrence without various prejudices being attached to such an action. At the age of 40, Muhammad (saw) received the sacred revelation of prophet-hood. After this he only slowly started communicating his message of a different belief. He remained in Mecca for another 12 years, during which period the fledgling community grew only minimally (to a slightly larger organisation). During this phase in Mecca, a small group of Muslims also fled to Abyssinia to avoid the harsh punishments they were being subjected to in their hometownby the rest of the Meccan community, who still adhered to the Pagan beliefs. They soon returned back to Arabia, 6
Setting the Scene
once the climate became less hostile Eventually, Muhammad (saw) had to leave Mecca as well in order to escape attempts on his life. This event, which occurred in 622 CE, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar and is known as the “Hijra”. Medina was to be the base for the Muslim community over the next 8 years, which was also to be the most expansionary phase. During this “Medina Phase”, they were involved in several military engagements, of which 5 were major battles with a significant impact on the course of events - externally as well as internally and the development of the community. With the successful expansion of the new message, Muhammad (saw) returned to Mecca, but now in the role of as a victor with a following of 10000 people, rather than as a fugitive. In 632 CE, he passed away from this world. Historic Background In order to understand the course of action and to some degree, the Prophet’s rationale, we need to understand the surrounding environment. This requires some familiarisation with the Arabian Peninsula. Today, the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia is known as the focal point of the annual pilgrimage - also known as the “Hajj” - made by millions of Muslims from every corner of the globe. Mecca was in the 6th Century similar to what we might understand as a city state, but based on a feudal tribal-clan structure, rather than highly structured and organised City-states such as Rome or Athens. Its claim to fame is that within the heart of the city is the Ka’ba. Considered to be the House of God and erected by Abraham, both Judaism and Christianity acknowledged its importance. This had several implications, commercial and otherwise, as we shall see. From the descendants of Abraham came the tribe that ruled Mecca until 470 CE. After this, the “Executive Office” of the 7
Inspired Leadership
570: Year of the elephant - Birth of Muhammad (saw) 595: Marriage to Khadija Al Kubra 610: Revelation of Prophethood begins 622: Hijra - Emigration to Medina 624: Battle of Badr 626: Battle of Uhud 627/628: Battle of the Trench (Khandaq) 628: Treaty of Hudaybiyyah 629: First Lesser Pilgrimage (Umrah) to Mecca 630: Return to Mecca as the victor 632: Departure from this world
Figure 1: Timeline Ka’ba if you will, was held by the 5th great grandfather of Muhammad (saw). This was approximately at the same time when Rome and its Western empire was falling and being taken over by the Germanics. As the power of Rome diminished, so the status of Byzantine as the seat of Christianity grew. The Arabian Peninsula was almost “pinched” between themonotheistic Byzantine to the North, and the huge ZoroastrianPersian Empire to the East.The Persians supported the Lakhmid tribe towards the North East as their allies, while the Byzantinians supportedthe Ghassanids. Paradoxically, both these tribes were Christian. Loyalty was maintained on the base of subsidies paid by the respective backing emperors. To some extent, the Arabian Peninsula also functioned as a buffer-zone between the two contrasting empires of Christianity and Zoroastrianism. (In a more contemporary context, this was similar to the role of post - WWII Berlin). The diverging nature of the Christian and Persian faiths had been the cause of animosity and strife, although neither got the upper hand on a 8
Setting the Scene
permanent basis. This tete-a-tete continued up to about 603 AD when the Persian emperor Chosroes II invaded Byzantine, eventually ending with the siege of Jerusalem in some 10 years later. (Chosroes was the emperor to whom Muhammad (saw) would send an invite to Islam many years later). To the south, across the Red Sea, lay the Christian Kingdom of Abyssinia, which was to play a very significant role of sanctuary. The southern part of the Arabian Peninsula became an extension of Christian Abyssinia, after a brief association with Judaism. A local Yemenite king - Dhul Nawas - had converted to Judaism, and with tyrannical zeal had almost 20,000 Christians executed in a huge trench filled with fire. Those who escaped the flames were put to the sword. One of the most notable events in the history of the city occurred when the Abyssinian Viceroy, Abraha, marched on the city with his troops and elephants ready to invade it. The city’s spokesperson, Abd al Muttalib (who was later to become the Roman (Byzantine) Empire Persian Empire
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La
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(Sassanid Dynasty)
Medina Mecca
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Yemen (Hijaz) Africa Figure 2: Arabia in the 6th Century 9
Inspired Leadership
Prophet’s grandfather tried to negotiate a settlement with Abraha, which the latter declined. The Meccans were ready to pay up to a third of their annual crop yield collected from the entire territory as a tax for being allowed to remain. When Abd al Muttalib returned from his failed negotiations, he advised his fellow townspeople to literally make for the hills, and take up defensive positions. Ironically, the entire standing army of Abraha fell victimto disease, thereby forcing him to abandon his plans and return back home. Even though it is not the first analogy that comes to mind, a contemporary management comparison can be made with this event. Within this context, the Levin model of “Unfreeze-ChangeFreeze”4 is often used for change-management - i.e. bringing about significant changes to the way an organisation is structured and/ or operates. One could interpret this as though the first phase of such a shift - even if it was being enforced upon the Meccans. Certainly being ready to abandon the city to a prospective invader brings about a change of mindset - the Unfreeze stage - even if the Meccans were not forced to act on it since the threat did not materialise. So from one perspective, the whole incident could be considered a pre-amble to immense changes which the city was going to through during the subsequent years. Namely the change that Muhammad’s (saw) new message was going to bring about with it. The City of Mecca as an Organisation The Arabian deserts were inhabited by nomadic Bedouin tribes. But there were settlements strewn across the wide expanses of the peninsula, and one of these was Mecca. 4: Kurt Levin presented a 3 stage model for understanding the basic dynamics of change and how to manage these within an organisation. The model is considered a significant within the discipline of Management 10
Setting the Scene
Geographically the positioning of Mecca in itself was a fortuitous one. Being at the cross-roads of major caravan routes because of a water spring, gave it key importance as a connecting point for commerce. As anyone who has travelled in the desert climes knows, life exists around water - and where there is human life, there is civilisation - and commerce. For caravans travelling the length of Arabia, Mecca became a given pit-stop. The Meccans understood very well how to use their status to their full economic advantage. Politically, the events that transpired between the surrounding neighbours, i.e. Byzantine, Persia and Abyssinia, meant that Arabia was pretty much left alone from outside interest and interference, much like the eye of the storm. During the time leading up to the birth of Muhammad (saw), the monotheistic Abrahamic beliefs had been replaced by pagan beliefs centred on polytheism within the Arabian Peninsula - and in fact had been so for numerous generations.The Ka’ba had come to house the more than 300 idols representing these deities. The many tribes and clans who were living around Mecca and dispersed over the Arabian Peninsula all conducted an annual pilgrimage to the city. This pilgrimage, and all the auxiliary activities that followed to support it, generated considerable commercial activity.The Meccan leadership role had three duties pertaining to pilgrims, from which the importance of the pilgrims as a revenue generating stream and a cultural symbol is significant. So socially, the uniqueness of Mecca was (and is) that the Ka’ba was located within it. The pre-Islamic tribal customs required all to perform their annual pilgrimage visit, giving it a very strong social-religious positioning - to use a business term - with major economic benefits. We have to bear in mind that this was a very pragmatic culture! 11
Inspired Leadership
So the close relationship between worship and commerce was nothing out of the usual, even though it may strike us as such in contemporary perspective. In fact, one motive behind Abraha’s ill fated invasion was an attempt to duplicate this Unique Value Proposition. Seeing the many (economic) benefits that could be derived fromhaving such a culturally potent symbol as the Ka’ba, Abraha had constructed his own version. But as long as the original existed, it would be difficult to attract “customers” to his version of the Ka’ba, and so the competition from the original had to be eliminated. Some sources state the reason behind the attempted “Coup D’ Ka’ba” as being religious. But as history so often has shown, religious and commercial motives are most certainly not mutually exclusive, and when in fact combined, they can become very potent drivers. Almost certainly Meccan leadership would have given consid erable thought to managing these religious and commercial activities, and so analysing 6th century Mecca from a current corporate perspective as “Mecca Ltd” makes for an interesting study. Leadership: If we start by examining the leadership role of Mecca, the “Executive Office” entailed the following duties and responsibilities.
Figure 3: Executive Duties in Mecca 12
Setting the Scene
It seems a selected leader could chose between the responsibilities he wished to preside over. Some aspects of this list leap to attention more or less straight away: • There is a clear distinction between peacetime and wartime responsibilities. • The peacetime responsibilities seem more in accord with the role of a Chair of the Board, whereas in wartime they become distinctly Executive in nature, and more akin to those of a military leader or CEO. • Most notable is the fact that there was no perceived need for distinctive strategic-visionary role (in a contemporary sense). This could indicate that Meccans did not feel the need for a grander vision as to where “Mecca Ltd” was headed because of their steady revenue streams, ensured by the location of the Ka’ba. • The fact that 3 out of the 6 duties focused on the smooth running of their revenues generating activities and an additional 2 duties focused on defending this cash cow further strengthens this point. Structure: The social structure of both town dwellers and nomadic Bedouins centred around the family (and by proxy the clan) in which one was born, and through extension, the tribe. A number of extended families would form the clan. Subsequently, a number of clans would form the tribe. The internal structure of Mecca5 can so best be described as what is commonly known as “a matrix structure” and as shown in Figure 4. Upon this was then superimposed a web of relations, affiliations, loyalties, commitments, not to mention obligations. 5: Montgomery Watt, 1953 13
Inspired Leadership
Tribe of Quraysh - Hashim Clan [Muhammads saw Clan]
- Al Muttalib Clan - Zuhrah Clan - Harith Clan
- Asad Clan
[Khadija’s Clan]
- Makhzum Clan
- Amir Clan
- Sahm Clan
- Abd Shams Clan
- Jumah Clan
- Nawfal Clan
Weaker Clans
- Abd Dar Clan
Stronger Clans
Figure 4: Meccan Clans Decision-making The Clan provided the network, necessary credentials and framework for all social relations. In such a collective society, decision making naturally also had to be consensus based. This could be in the form of: - A council of elders within the clan, - or a gathering of clan leaders for a larger forum. This is important because it shows how the Prophet’s decisions initially were a break from the norm. They were in stark contrast 15 to the compliance-based behaviour that was expected from clan members. As with any organisation, the decision-making had to fit into their mindsets and was consensus based. But all this collectiveness had its limits, mostly for emotional reasons. As a consequence, delicate situations could quickly arise and escalate to hostile situations. At one stage the foundations of the Ka’ba had been in need of repairs. General desert conditions had weakened these. But once 14
Setting the Scene
these repairs had been completed, who was going put the Black Stone back into its designated place? With each clan convinced that it should be them, the council fell out amongst itself. To arbitrate, Muhammad (saw) was called upon. After due consideration, he decided that the solution was to place the Black Stone on a mat and let each of the Clan chiefs hold a corner. Thus every clan was honoured and no one diminished. This incident is notable because: - At that time Muhammad (saw) was still relatively young, and it was unusual for such a young man to be consulted for such a serious matter by people older than himself. - It also shows the ability to create a scenario where nobody feels diminished, by thinking along unconventional ways “out-of-the-box thinking” as we call it today. Core Competencies For us to understand why the Prophetic message was seen as being so disruptive in the eyes of the Meccans, we have to appreciate that in effect, Muhammad (saw) was unsettling the very foundation of the core competence - in business terms - of “Mecca Ltd”. For generations this core competence was to maintain and smoothly operate the Ka’ba, and if need be, even defend it by force. If people started believing in another message, the Meccan monopoly would be broken, since what reason would worshippers than have for making their annual pilgrimage to Mecca? And if this stopped, their entire existence would be threatened. There was no agriculture possible around Mecca (even though they had offered crop yields as homage to Abraha,who had besieged them), nor were they craftsmen who could trade their goods. It has been estimated that the annual value of the Meccan trade 15
Inspired Leadership
amounted to many tonnes of gold in present day value, and if this cash flow was disrupted, the Meccans did not have “Plan B” to fall back on. Mecca As A Protected Space If we were to examine6 Mecca as a potential space in which to introduce a new “belief ”, we would find some of the following factors to be influencing this space: • Total monopoly with “state” protection. • There were very high barriers to entering this market for an outsider. • The “Clients” - i.e. the pilgrims - had very little negotiation power. • On the other hand, the “Suppliers” - i.e. the Meccans - had very high bargaining or negotiating power in dictating terms and conditions. • There were no other “substitutes” for Mecca that could serve as alternative destination for the pilgrims. So the position of the Meccans was secure. The Meccan leadership was committed to protecting the Ka’ba as their cash-cow from both internal as well as any external intrusion. Because so many idols were housed in the Ka’ba, it was possible to cater to very broad range of pilgrims with their “customer preferences”, while the pilgrims on the other hand did not have anywhere to else to go for their religious rites.
6: Readers familiar with the “Porters 5 Forces Model” will recognise this categorisation 16