iPoet (Islamic Poet) is a project by the young and talented Br. Aaqib from the UK and is dedicated to poetry, leadership and social media growth for young Muslims. Sr. Sayyidah belongs to Working Muslim which is a team of successful working professionals from multinational companies with a wide range of work experiences. They strive to support Muslim women with various issues they face in their working life. Sr. Sayyidah is also the author of a popular e-book.
I attended the webinar and benefited from the realistic and innovative leadership strategies outlined by Sr. Sayyidah and the good humored examples and ideologies of Br. Aaqib. Their conversation added to my pool of knowledge and I also raised some questions about leadership dilemmas I face such as "jealousy from people in the social circle" and "how should a leader handle defeat?". I received beautiful answers from both Br. Aaqib and Sr. Sayyidah, mashAllah.
I was asked to share the iGems of the iWebinar by Br. Aaqib. Since the audio quality was fading on and off, some of the attendees were unable to catch some points. So here's my compilation of iGems for everybody sorted according to topics.
INTRODUCTION TO LEADERSHIP
Sr. Sayyidah: "Leadership is about influence, there is no rocket science involved. We need good leadership in order to advocate good examples as representatives of the Muslim Ummah."
Br. Aaqib: "Good character inspires leadership e.g. the life of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his family).
PARENTAL LEADERSHIP
Sr. Sayyidah: "We don't realize often that parenthood is about leadership. As parents they are responsible to instill proper Muslim qualities in their children. 10 years of a child's life i.e. from the age of 2 years to the age of 10 years are the formative years. Parents should observe the leadership qualities the child is adopting; the kinds of roles he is playing in his games. In a family as well there should be leadership roles even if it is about driving our family somewhere or walking out the house. We should revive the forgotten Sunnah which instructs that if there are 3 of you then someone should take up a leadership role."
Br. Aaqib: (about his own parents and their leadership roles) "My Dad is a confident, assertive leader. And my mother is a leader by example."
DAWAAH IS LEADERSHIP
Br. Aaqib narrated how he came across a person; a magazine seller, on the street and befriended him. Later, they spoke about Islam and alhamdulillah the person shared his beliefs and values which were very close to what Muslims believe. Br. Aaqib explained how he used his leadership qualities; inborn of course, to show the person a clear perspective and lead him into making a beautiful decision. While seated at a Starbucks cafe the person took his Shahadaah, alhamdulillah.
LEADERSHIP THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
Sr. Sayyidah: "The social media such as Facebook and the Internet as a whole are great platforms for mass communication because everybody is using them. If there is good content that you can write, film, narrate or express then you should publish it online."
There was a mention about Sr. Sayyidah's ebook that has gotten a 1000 downloads alhamdulillah. She chose online publishing as a medium for leadership.
Br. Aaqib also narrated the development of iPoet. He told us that while he was on a trip to Pakistan and at a relative's place he was indulged in self-reflection. This is when he conceived the idea. He had questioned himself and the purpose for his existence and realized he wished to contribute. He chose to create a character called iPoet who was a poet, a speaker and an expressionist catering to the youth and their issues. Facebook became his medium for mass communication and he also debuted into the world of blogging.
VISION AND STRUGGLE OF A LEADER
Sr. Sayyidah added that a leader begins by discussing his or her vision with the people around them because at times these people play a part in the decision making process of one's life. And so one should discuss the vision with their family; their parents, or in case of women, with their husbands. Sr. Sayyidah began by discussing with her family and then went in for an experience in a secular workplace.
ISLAMIC LIVING DOES NOT RESTRICT LEADERSHIP
Sr. Sayyidah exemplified by referring to the Mother of the Faithful (Umm ul Momineen) and the beloved wife of Prophet Mohammad (saww) - Khadija tul Kubra (may Allah be please with her - r.a.) that she led the life of a leader whilst being pious and modest. Islamic living is never an obstacle. It always motivates towards success. The world has changed and workplaces are growing more tolerant now so a Hijabi woman is not really a taboo in a western workplace.
Br. Aaqib contributed some really, really beneficial tips and suggestions from his personal experiences and strategies of how to customize your workplace according to your lifestyle. He explained how he used to pray at the side of the staircase at a call center he worked at and finally his superior acknowledged his need and arranged for him a separate room. Br. Aaqib explained that if one has the ability to lead and speak up for oneself then they could always negotiate the lunch hours to be flexed a bit so as to offer the prayers. He spoke about how he offered to bring in lunch for everybody if his lunch hours could be flexed a bit to suit his prayer timings. He mentioned how he brought in Samosa snacks and chutney to the workplace once to share with his colleagues.
PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP
Br. Aaqib mentioned that a person should be confident to speak about their religion and spread awareness about their rituals and practices amongst people because this enables understanding and also is a form of Dawaah.
Sr. Sayyidah mentioned how at times communities encourage the participation of non-Muslims in Muslim events and rituals such as inviting them to fast alongside in Ramadan. Such activities help lead people by participation.
SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP
Sr. Sayyidah also spoke about how a leader can lead by supportive help of others i.e fellow brothers and sisters as well as non-Muslims. There was a mention of the Mercy mission and the Salvation Army and how benefiting human beings enables one to lead by actions.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Br. Aaqib asked Sr. Sayyidah to highlight the importance of Time Management. She introduced the importance of the post-Fajr time which is a very blessed time according to the Sunnah. She suggested that one should try not to fall back to sleep after Fajr because then he or she ends up wasting a couple of hours which could be used as a head start to the day. A leader always plans ahead.
COUNTERACTING JEALOUSY IN LEADERSHIP
I raised a question in the Q&A session as to how should I, when asked to perform a leadership role, counter the jealousy that I sense from people around me because at times they threaten to blow up at me. I asked how could I possibly cool them down?
Sr. Sayyidah suggested that if the situation is going absolutely out of hand then I should totally withdraw from the role altogether before some harm comes to me. I should try and surround myself with productive people who readily give constructive criticism but not shoot daggers at me. She exemplified by speaking about the collaboration between iPoet and Working Muslim that resulted in a beautiful iWebinar. She mentioned how she and Br. Aaqib share the same vision and passion but have different talents and leadership skills. Since they choose to be productive rather than jealous of one another's capabilities they come up with creative innovations rather than disaster.
Also, she recommended that I should adopt a non-confrontational approach i.e. informal approach and step into the shoes of others - feel from their perspective. Maybe they are uncomfortable with me because I am not living up to their expectations. There was a mention of "the coffee bit" as I named it :) where Sr. Sayyidah mentioned that I could always try bonding with people whom I fear are becoming edgy over a "strategic cup of tea or coffee" i.e. become informal with them. We shared a little laugh when I recommended we should try samosa snacks and chutney like Br. Aaqib did at his workplace!
EMPOWERING OTHERS - CREATING LEADERS
Another topic that budded from this was that proper delegation of authority and responsibility to others might help gain their confidence because they would feel that their abilities are being recognized by you. Sr. Sayyidah spoke that if we empower people we shall be creating leaders. A leader creates leaders.
Br. Aaqib added that we should recognize the strengths of people, promote them, and enable them to build on their weaknesses. Delegation of work eradicates the feelings of jealousy.
SOLE LEADERSHIP - ENTREPRENEURSHIP
A question was raised by an attendee about what steps should one take if he or she wishes to be their own leader i.e. if they have a creative idea and to execute it they wish to be a one man army.
Sr. Sayyidah suggested that to promote an idea and execute it you should seek advice prior to starting off publicly. Specialists and experts should be considered; they help check for the idea's viability. She exemplified that the Companions (r.a.) of the Prophet Mohammad (saww) were all Halal business people. You should think about where your passion is and then set a direction.
SELECTING A LEADERSHIP ROLE
A question was raised, how should a person determine as to which leadership role is the best for him or her? Sr. Sayyidah recommended that one should evaluate their personality and their abilities and then choose a leadership style which helps you grow internally together with guiding the others. A person's leadership style helps show how the person communicates with others. An extrovert would have a more involved and personally interactive style.
STRIKING A BALANCE B/W LEADERSHIP AND DAWAAH
In an answer to a concern raised by an attendee, Sr. Sayyidah directed that Dawaah can best be propagated when you have income i.e. financial stability. A realistic approach would be to have a proper job and earn well enough. It would be sheer luck to have a job at a Muslim workplace which would enable easy Dawaah opportunity!
TACKLING FELLOW LEADERS WHO HINDER PROGRESS
Sr. Sayyidah mentioned a strategy in response to a question about how to tackle supervisors and other leaders who hinder progress in a workplace. The foremost would be to show good character and to make an impression by proving your skills and abilities. However, if there are personal issues within the senior management that are not at all letting you progress, then you should definitely consider a switch.
OVERCOMING FAILURE IN LEADERSHIP
I raised the question about how should a leader tackle the emotional strain that comes in when a leader fails. Sr. Sayyidah responded with a personal example. She highlighted that before Working Muslim, a couple of projects she initiated did not work out as planned. But alhamdulillah Working Muslim worked out brilliantly. She said that nothing is a failure. If you do not win then you definitely gain an experience and it keeps collecting.
I really enjoyed the answer by Br. Aaqib when he added that life is like a Bouncy Ball and when you make a mistake or when you fail it is the Bouncy Ball falling hard on the ground. And the harder it falls the harder and better it shall bounce back up. So if you fail you are bound to learn from experience and make a stunning recovery inshAllah. He added that all things victory or defeat come from Allah so defeat also has some wisdom in it.
MOTIVATOR STATEMENTS
Leaders motivate themselves by motivational personal statements.
Sr. Sayyidah's Motivator Statement: "Why am I even here? I should be in Jannah"
Br. Aaqib's Motivator Statement: "Tick tick tick tick ... time is ticking!"
Summarizing the iWebinar, Sr. Sayyidah advised that leaders should adopt a leadership style; whether in their professional life, or creative projects or Dawaah, which is suited to their skills and abilities and suited to the audience they are catering to.
SUGGESTED READING/WEBSITES
21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
Make It Happen Mentoring
Leadership Muslim
Working Muslim
Islamic Poet
FACEBOOK PAGES
iPOET
Working Muslim
Walekumassalam Imtiaz,
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