Leadership: An Islamic Perspective

Wisdom For Leadership tells the story of a development programme for senior educational leaders in Iraq, without doubt one of the most challenging environments in the world. Tony Nelson draws upon his own accomplishments in tailoring a training programme for the deans and heads of colleges and schools across Iraq.

This is a story of leadership in extraordinary circumstances, exercised with humility, faith and a search for wisdom. This work shares accumulated leadership wisdom from a variety of western, eastern and tribal sources. This body of knowledge is sensitively grounded in both a spiritual and Islamic context to enable the leader to reflect upon their leadership impact on teams and organisations.

Wisdom for Leadership is full of practical diagnostics and tools to help the busy leader quickly apply their own learning to create amazing workplaces.

In their pursuit for organizational improvement, modern managers have been searching for effective management theories and practices in both the East and the West. The interest of managers has expanded beyond contemporary management schools to include even ancient ones. Nevertheless, little attention is currently paid to the Islamic management approach, one that has far outperformed its contemporaries and left indelible marks on the minds of innumerable researchers, leaders, and managers that have followed. Islam and Management will shed light on the Islamic approach to management and delineate important lessons from the teachings of Islam and the experiences of Muslims. People who should read this book include all managers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of their organizations. This book is particularly important for Muslim managers who will find its approach to be coherent with their cultural values. Topics covered in this book include organizational culture, planning, organizing, leading, motivating, controlling, competition, conflict management, and human resource management. This book also includes a chapter on the enriching leadership of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattâb, the second caliph of Islam. The hardcover version of this book that we have for sale is the revised 3rd edition, published in 2011.a

Enthusiastic readers, notably those who have special interest in thinking and cognition, are expected to know a great deal on creativity both as a skill and as a discipline. However, rare are those who have thoughts on what a religion like Islam has to say about it. Many vital fields of studies seem to have been alienated from religious principles and values, as if religion distrupts the smoth and triumphant march of human knowledge. This book presents a humble argument for the worth of Islamic principles and values in the domain of thinking and creativity. Though this work is an introductory textbook devised for teaching purposes, it hopes to meet the expectations of those who seek detailed and informative account of the subject.