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Advice to a friend going off to university
Last but not least, be kind. Especially to those who have no power to benefit you. They are the most important because the one who has nobody, has Allah and his voice reaches the Throne of Allah even if he doesn’t worship Him. Fear the dua (prayer) of the oppressed for there is no barrier…
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Controlling our future
Our challenge, as educators, parents, leaders, and concerned citizens is to make this happen not for one person but on a scale that will show a difference in a short time. The longer we take to create a core group of independent people who can think, solve problems, take risk, own responsibility, and stand up…
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Give me happiness
Let us carry on the fight. Let us pledge to fight all hatred, all discrimination, all racism, all apartheid, no matter where it exists. All hatred is fire. All fire burns and the result is always ash. Say this loudly, clearly, and always. Say it especially if you are the only one saying it. Because…
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Stand by your word
There was an important lesson for me to take away; if you win, you will find that you have a lot of supporters. If I had been reprimanded by the Minister and ordered to withdraw the letter, then I do not know how many of my supporters would have stood on the same side of…
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No pain, no gain
In this whole incident the one thing that is not logically explainable, but an essential part of leadership is the willingness to trust your inner voice. When you do that, you enter a state of grace. It is a state where you do things that you did not know were possible. You will find yourself…
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7 – Leadership Lessons from herding sheep
The shepherd protects the flock, so must be courageous. There are many threats all of which the shepherd must be aware of and know what to do about them. A shepherd must be prepared to put himself in danger to save his flock because sheep can’t defend themselves, let alone defending the shepherd. Since not…
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Make a difference to someone
Never compromise your legacy. Never lose sight of your purpose. Ask, ‘Why am I here?’ Write it down and stick it on your wall. Look at it every morning and re-dedicate yourself to that. Stick to that. There will be times when all sorts of other things will seek priority. Different issues will demand importance.…
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As you sow, so you reap
In my entire career as a general manager, it is a matter of pride for me that I did not give a single paisa as a bribe to any union leader to get what I wanted. I always stood on principle and was able to win every single matter that went for arbitration simply based…
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Every choice has a price tag
There are critical incidents when as a leader you must take a call. At that moment you are alone. You believe in the depths of your heart that you can succeed. You know in your gut the real challenge that you must face. You are afraid, but you don’t show it. You take the first…
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For he was a man
I learnt, very practically, that the best way to make progress was to develop a relationship based on sincerity as that would be the only thing that you could count on, especially in hard times. I remember how Nick Adams used to put it. He’d say, “A relationship is like a bank account. You only…