Evolving Leadership Qualities

The business component in Corporate Sufi covers engagement, empowerment, efficiency, effectiveness, leadership and capacity building. The writer has used the term ‘sufi’ in the title to describe a person who focuses on the essence, is grounded in principles, believes in the power of giving and seeks spiritual abundance. Underscoring the illuminating link between living as a sufi and as a corporate person, this book illustrates the importance of a happy marriage between these two supposedly different worlds. According to the writer, a corporate sufi is a person who has the ambition to do well in a worldly sense by becoming (or remaining) a CEO or president, acquiring wealth, being ambitious, and raising a family. In this book, he guides the reader on how all this can be achieved without compromising values. He suggests certain sufi principles to achieve success in the corporate world.

The 190-page book, which is divided into six chapters, takes a holistic view of life’s meaning, seeking both material and spiritual abundance to become truly rich. The book injects old-world sanity into a 21st-century corporate culture of instant gratification, technology-based communications and hyper-competitive thinking. It is up to business leaders to pause and exercise their corporate might to not only bring about economic growth but individual growth, by enabling positive change around them.

People who really connect with others and make a significant difference are the ones who are authentic–natural, poised, spontaneous. The book underlines that they are comfortable in their own skin and not worried about their limitations. However, one should not mistake this for not working on improvements. Far from it, these people come from a position of abundance and strength, not weakness. They are able to leave their past conditioning behind and move forward with grace and confidence.

The book further underlines that once you decide to commit to something, everything falls in line, whether in business or in life. The important thing is to decide. If you are wishy-washy with your decision, your energy will be diluted. The book explains that you are an instrument or vessel through which you take from one hand and give with another. Living as a corporate sufi ultimately leads to what all human beings want: lasting happiness. We climb the corporate ladder not just for the sake of it, but because we believe that corporate success will bring us what often seems so elusive: inner happiness, contentment, and satisfaction.

Laying emphasis on overcoming ego and fear, the book says that ego takes you away from your innate gift. It focuses more on the outward and external power instead of the power within. When one is consumed by ego, one becomes defensive and self-centred. One ceases to be a team player; one is close-minded and no longer objective. The book guides the reader to live a life in an integrated manner where everything they do is grounded in principles and spiritual merit. It will make you approach life in such a manner that you live your spiritual life as if you will die tomorrow and you live your worldly life as if you will live forever. So you are happy and prepared whether you die tomorrow or live forever.

Highlighting the importance of persistency, the book explains that if you persist, you succeed. So persistence is the dogged determination that you have to complete what you strive for—the never say die attitude. This is a powerful quality for success because most worthwhile endeavours are difficult to achieve. Through sufi messages and parables, the book illustrates how using sufi principles in a corporate setting can bring fulfillment, meaning, and spiritual enrichment.

By Ashok Kumar