Wednesday, June 17, 2009

What’s On Your Conscience?

Without the internal desire for change, people cannot be changed by external stimulus. A change independent of our internal desire is only a cursory change on an emotional level. Hollow emotions might help us push a ship onto the water but mere “feelings” cannot chart a course to a specific destination. What good is a ship that just sits on water at the mercy of the waves that might take it wherever they want to? As Muslim professionals we ride on the waves of corporate culture like empty vessels; vessels in an ocean subjugated to philosophies of profitability, ambition and growth. Knowing very well that as Muslims we do not bow down to anyone or anything else but our Creator, yet incapable of infusing that mindset in our professional decision making processes. In the absence of a way of implementing God-centric management frameworks, we drift like fallen leaves from one professional setting to the other. Corporate winds blow us around, our careers disperse us like bits and pieces, a supervisor here, a manager there, if lucky a VP, a SVP or maybe even a CEO. But yet at the end of the day, it is the same corporate philosophies we accept and perpetuate. When a business’s hallmark is the mere size of its market share and stock value, and virtues like civic and environmental responsibilities are side lined or marginalized, do we really expect equity and justice? Our inability to create balance makes us an endangered species that is rapidly racing towards extinction in the corporate world; a world where organizations solely cater to shareholder value and profit and loss (P&L) statements.

I believe it is time for evolved and balanced business leaders to emerge and take charge. Interns and seasoned Muslim professional around the globe can take on this responsibility better than anyone else. I believe we have the acumen and capability to rise to the occasion.

This is a call for all Muslim professionals who are in the position to influence change; a positive change that is balanced in all aspects; for profit, but also for restrain on wasteful use of our resources; for ambition, but also for introspect and inner reflection; for growth, but also for respect of laws of nature.

I believe together we can all make a difference. If not in the lives of others, then in our own lives and our future generations, by dedicating our selves to the “Cause”!

What’s on your conscience?

Join the MBI movement! Make a difference! Learn to implement the ultimate operational framework of all; the framework of Islam!

5 comments:

  1. Management principles that are practiced today have been established through centuries of development and decades of refinements through scientific studies.

    These principles are coming closer and closer to what Islam had established over 1400 years ago!

    For example, recent studies have shown that optimism yields great benefits, and organizations are beginning to hire people who are optimistic. Islam has made optimism a standard from day one for everyone. Take another example; it is now proven that giving clear and unambiguous instructions leads to greater productivity. Islam has already made this as best practice.

    So, there is a great deal that Islam offers in the areas of leadership/management.

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  2. You are absolutely right, Islam is a way of life and hence impacts every aspect of it!

    But us as followers of Islam (Muslims) are far far away from implementing such principles in our daily lives.

    So the challenge is how do we as Muslim professionals start to become examples for others to follow?

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  3. hello.. i am a Management student. i am looking for an interesting topic for a 100 mark project. I came accross your blog. I would love to create a project on MBI. MBI is a new turn to management. I am genuinely interested in your research work for that purpose. Can you guide me through?

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  4. Dear Student,
    I would love to guide you! What's on your mind? How much time do you have before you have to submit this project in? Please email me at abrar.ansari@abstract-space.com and we can talk about this.

    All the best!

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  5. Dear Sir,
    I tried to contact you but was unable to do so.. Can you give me your Gmail ID... mine is maarzzb@gmail.com (Marium Bhala)... I have a whole year in hand to submit my project!!! Thank You!

    ReplyDelete