the corporate sufi

JAICO PUBLISHING HOUSEAhmedabad Bangalore Bhopal Bhubaneswar Chennai

Delhi Hyderabad Kolkata Lucknow Mumbai

AZIM JAMAL

CorporateSufi

The

THE CORPORATE SUFIISBN 81-7992-520-X

Azim Jamal

First Jaico Impression: 2006Sixth Jaico Impression (Revised & Reformatted Edition): 2012

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PRAISE FOR BOOKS

by Azim Jamal

The Corporate Sufi is an enlightening, down-to-earth andvaluable work. Azim reflects the beauty and power of Sufiprinciples in a corporate setting.

Robin Sharma,Author of the # 1 international best-seller

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

The principles of leadership remain constant, no matter whatour culture. In The Corporate Sufi I love the clear concept ofThe Sufi as the constant Seeker, always part of his culture, butnever bound by rigid structures or rules that can stifleinitiative. Like any true leader he looks first within himself forthose qualities before trying to lead others.

Peter Urs Bender,Author of national best-seller Leadership from Within

Truly amazing. I am most impressed by the simple andpractical manner in which you have expressed some of the

vi T H E C O R P O R A T E S U F I

most profound philosophical issues. I am now moving into thereflective phase before I read this great and life changing bookfor the second time. Terrific stuff. Once again thank you foropening my eyes to more possibilities.

Francis OKello Chairman,Barclays Bank and Serena Hotels, Kenya

The Corporate Sufi shows readers the timeless leadershipprinciples which are at the core of successful living in allaspects of our lives. Azims simple and practical approachshows how to balance modern aspirations with ancientwisdom.

Jim Clemmer,Author of the best-seller Firing on all Cylinders

Business, Balance & Beyond

An authentic piece of work. Everyone will benefit fromreading this book.

Robin Sharma,#1 International best-selling author of

The Leader Who Had No Title

To become truly successful, one must discover the idealbalance between personal and professional happiness. Azimtaps into the core fundamentals that will help you to travel thejourney from success to significance in this insightful andthought-provoking book.

Dr. Nido Qubein,President, High Point University, Chairman,

Great Harvest Bread Co.

Congruent, practical and inspiring! Make it a gift for all.

Salim Khoja,CEO of Power Within and best-selling author of Passion for Life

P R A I S E F O R B O O K S B Y A Z I M J A M A L vii

Azim Jamal is one of the best people Ive ever met. This is aheartfelt book about how you can live a bigger life.

Harvey McKinnon,Co-author of the international best-seller The Power of Giving

This book shows you how to define your true purpose,increase your effectiveness and live a richer lifein every area.

Brian Tracy,Author of Earn What Youre Really Worth

Seven Steps to Lasting Happiness

Azims Seven Steps to Lasting Happiness is a practical andinspiring book. Everyone will benefit from reading it.

Deepak Chopra,# 1 International best-seller

Seven Steps is a beautifully written book that is bound tomake a difference and touch many lives.

John Kehoe,Author international best-seller Mind Power

Seven Steps is a refreshingly clear, compassionate, and user-friendly handbook by a consummate team player who walkshis talk. Every page provides a tool, a jewel, and a blessing forthe reader.

Jo Ann Janson,Author of Define Yourself and Discover Your Destiny

The Power of Giving

(co-authored with Harvey McKinnon)

Extremely impressive...very inspiring.

Dr. Wayne Dyer,Best-selling author of The Power of Intention

viii T H E C O R P O R A T E S U F I

The Power of Giving is a must-read. Profit from reading it.Give it to everyone you love.

Jack Canfield,Author of the best-seller The Success Principles(TM) and

Co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series

Weve needed a book like this for a long time. Now its yourturn to help. Buy it, share it, download, buy a copy for a friend.This book could change everything.

Seth Godin,Author of Unleashing the Ideavirus, Purple Cow

What a wonderful book! Most books I want to gobble up inone or a couple of sittings. But this one is so rich, each page soloaded with treasure, I want to dip into it and drink a sip at atime, over and over. A book to cherish.

John David Mann,Co-author of The Go-Giver

Those who refresh others are themselves refreshed, and withthis news we can all join a chorus and sing praises for thisinspiring book!

Stephen Post,Author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People

Life Balance the Sufi Way

(co-authored with Nido Qubein)

We can choose to balance our lives; and the practicalinformation in this book will help enormously.

Ken Blanchard,Co-author The One-Minute Manager and The Secret

P R A I S E F O R B O O K S B Y A Z I M J A M A L ix

Your ability to achieve balance among the competing aspectsof your life is the key to health, happiness and long life. Thisbook shows you how.

Brian Tracy,International best-seller

Kudos to Nido and Azim. In a world where people often feelout of balance, Nido and Azim bring a refreshing and powerfulshot of CAN DO! from their own remarkable experience andfrom the timeless wisdom of both the East and the West. Thisbook is both insightful and practicala great read for anyonewho wants to live a balanced life of contribution andmeaning.

Roger and Rebecca Merrill,Co-authors of Life Matters: Creating a Dynamic Balance of Work,

Family, Time, and Money and (with Stephen R. Covey)

First Things First

Combine the single most important topic confrontingprofessionals today with a powerful mix of both Eastern andWestern thought, then mix thoroughly with the insight andwisdom of two of the most successful and influential thinkerson the planet and the result is Life Balance the Sufi Way. This isnot a need to read bookthis, for all professionals aroundthe world, is a MUST read book!

Scott McKain,Vice Chairman of Obsidian Enterprises and author of

What Customers REALLY Want

If you want pure water be careful to determine its source. Ifyou want pure wisdom do the same. I have known NidoQubein and Azim Jamal for many years and their lives areexamples of wise living. They are generous, successful,compassionate, and learned. They have attained the success-

x T H E C O R P O R A T E S U F I

dreams we all admire and yet have sustained the rewarding andpeaceful life others sacrifice. Take their guidance to heart. Bothyou and your heart will be happier.

Jim Cathcart,Author of The Acorn Principle and Relationship Selling

Life balance is the perpetual challenge of our time. If you needa little more balance and enjoyment in your life, Nido andAzim have written a book that will help you achieve both. Readtheir book and enrich your journey.

Mark Sanborn,Speaker and author of The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work

and Life Can Make the Ordinary Extraordinary

Balance & the power of Choicetwo of the keys for the lifewe all want. Nido and Azim are here to coach you. All you haveto do is begin this bookNOW.

W Mitchell,Author of Its Not What Happens to You,

Its What You Do About It

Our lives are running faster and fuller than anytime in humanhistory. Can you really combine work, family, community,friends, health, career, investments and playwithout beingcompletely overwhelmed? The answer is a resounding YES!and the keys to make it happen are right now in your hands.Life Balance the Sufi Way is the master guide enjoying it all.

Ron Kaufman,Best-selling author of UP Your Service!

I dedicate this book to my parents,Abdul and Shirin, who have been my mentors.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank my wife, Farzana, who has been a pillar ofsupport while I have pursued my new career. She has been verymuch part of my project, giving invaluable feedback andinsightful suggestions. I also want to thank my daughter, Sahar,for all her witty input and help with typing adjustments; myson, Tawfiq, for his love and energizing hugs when I felt tired;and my parents and brothers, Mehboob and Shaffin, for theirunconditional support throughout the process of writing andcompleting this book.

I also want to thank so many of my friends, colleagues andseveral editors at different stages of the book for theirinvaluable guidance. Without your help, this book would nothave been possible.

xiv T H E C O R P O R A T E S U F I

Most of all, I thank God whose mercy and grace stood as abeacon every step of the journey. I am most grateful for beingan instrument to carry a tiny bit of His message.

Thank you all.

CONTENTS

My Journey to the Corporate Sufi 1

Introduction 11

1 Finding Our Purpose 19

2 Embracing a Principle-Centered Approach 33

3 Making a Difference 47

4 Embracing Life-Long Learning 59

5 Having Faith in the Unknown 69

6 Persevering 81

7 Being Effective Leaders 91

8 Keeping a Positive Attitude 103

9 Balancing Our Lives 119

10 Savoring the Path 131

11 Taming Our Ego 143

12 Igniting Our Spirituality 151

13 Life Is Short 167

14 Experiencing the Divine in Corporate Life 181

Revisiting the Corporate Sufi Principles 193

Bibliography 199

My Journey to the Corporate Sufi

I was a certified accountant and a senior partner in aprofessional accounting firm where I had spent twenty years ofmy life. I made a comfortable living, after having spent a goodnumber of years working hard to acquire three professionaldegrees.

During those twenty years I did voluntary work, primarily inthe area of motivational and inspirational speaking. Every timeI spoke in this capacity, I discovered I had boundless energyand lost track of time, even though I was not paid to speak.These engagements changed me. I learned so much aboutmyself, about life, about purpose, and about others, that Iwould have paid to get a chance to speak!

In the early 1990s, a recurring thought gave me no respite:What if I was to speak for a living? This would mean doingsomething I really loved doing, something in which I wastalented and could make a difference. Why not? What was tostop me?

2 T H E C O R P O R A T E S U F I

Initially, a thousand and one reasons came rushing inbothfrom myself and from othersas to why this was such animpractical idea. What? Give up my profession and the threeprofessional degrees that I had worked so hard to attain? Formany aspiring individuals this would be their lifes quest! Whywas I considering giving up something so valuable? Dealingwith these thoughts was overwhelming.

So here I was, at the threshold of a dream; I had to make achoice. Either I live a life that I really want to live, or I live a lifethat others want me to livea life wherein I would notperform with joy and reach my full potential. I persisted inthinking that the circumstances were not right, that I could notabandon my responsibilities, and that I could not go into aventure many people described as risky, even irresponsible.Nevertheless, my inner voice responded. Yes, committingmyself to writing and speaking professionally could be risky,but there are those who do very well.

In the times of Shakespeare or Rumi (the 12th century Sufipoet), writers usually did well and became successful after theydied! Today, excellent writers and professional speakers can dowell during their earthly passage. I pondered the shiningexamples of Deepak Chopra (who has written over twentyinternational best-sellers), the Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho(who has also sold millions of copies of his books), andStephen Covey (who has sold several million copies of hisbooks and is a sought-after professional speaker). Anothervoice intruded: Yes, but these are the very few among thethousands in the writing and speaking field. My inner voiceresponded: Why cant I be one of the few who make it? What isto stop me from going all the way?

I began to feel empowered and realized two things. First, Iunderstood that it was up to me, not anyone else, to succeed. It

M Y J O U R N E Y T O T H E C O R P O R A T E S U F I 3

was not the fact that I had two young children, nor was it theunpredictable writers market that would determine my fate. Itwas entirely up to me to make the choice. If I believed I coulddo it, then I would do it.

Second, I was conscious of the Sufi way of looking at things.Rumi, wrote, To a frog thats never left his pond, the oceanseems like a gamble. Look what hes giving up: security,mastery of his world, recognition! The ocean frog just shakeshis head. I cant explain where I live, but someday Ill take youthere. A frog will never know the beauty of the ocean if heremains in the pond. If I wanted to live to my full potential, if Iwas committed to exploring my innate gifts, I would not beable to do so in the accounting field because I was notpassionately in love with it. Though risky, speaking and writingwere fields to which I could commit myself and give my heartand soul, enjoying every moment of it. The picture was gettingclearer.

But how was I going to convince my spouse whose support Iwould most definitely need? How was I to convince my parentswhose blessings I would need? How could I help my parentsunderstand that, after all those years of education and theirloving investment in me, I would not end up in a volatile andrisky business that would drain me of money and time? Howcould I get my children on my side, cheering for me and beingproud of their father? These thoughts were daunting.

It seemed that each time I overcame one hurdle or negativethought, another took its place. The easy thing to do would beto forget about my dream and pretend I had never thought ofjumping in the ocean. Just stick to accounting, Azim. I justifiedthis conclusion by assuring myself that I could always spendsome time speaking in a voluntary capacity and remain in myaccounting profession full time.


My inner voice asked: Is that the best I wish for myself? If I wasto die today, would I be happy with how I spent my life? CouldI face My Creator and say that I did what I promised Him Iwould do? I remembered Rumi who said, You have a duty toperform. Do anything else, do a number of things, occupy yourtime fully, and yet, if you do not do this task, all your time willhave been wasted.

I knew deep down and without a doubt what my answer had tobe. The rest was just the details. I knew then that I had to dowhat I had come here to do and all those years of preparation,including being a senior partner and president of anaccounting corporation, were what I had needed to preparemyself for this new path. I decided that I would make theswitch with the blessing and support of my spouse, parents,and children. My familys support was important for mysuccess, as well as being a principle that I speak about. I alsodecided that I would do well financially in my new career. Mymotivation was to provide for my family and to make adifference to less fortunate people in many parts of the world.

In my many years of travel all over the world, I had seenpoverty and sadness. I had seen fourteen Afghan refugees inKarachi living in a room as small as my childrens bedroomand surviving on a dollar a day. I had seen people workingfourteen hours a day in the blazing sun, making about a dollara day. I had met children who had lost their fathers in war andseen parents shot in front of their eyes. There were many suchpeople too many. There are approximately 7 billion people inthe world today of whom 1.5 billion do not have enough to eat,1.5 billion do not have enough clean water to drink, and 1.2billion are living on less than a dollar a day. These people donot need just philosophies; they need the basic necessities offood, clothing, and shelter. I realized that I had a responsibility


to live to my full potential and to make a difference to theworld.

These thoughts fueled my efforts at working hard, overcominghurdles, and meeting challenges. I got the support of myprofessional associates and gradually began withdrawing frommy work in the accounting profession. I did this slowly to makesure the transition for my partner and staff was smooth and toallow me, financially, to begin to invest in my new profession.

I began writing my first book, The Corporate Sufi. Yes, the verybook that you are readingexcept that I didnt complete ituntil May 2002, almost ten years after I began writing it! I washalf way to completing the book when I found I could not tietogether the concepts of the book. I was trained as anaccountanta numbers mannot as a writer. I was beginningto feel hopelessness and despair. I stopped writing for a while,pondering my decision. Eventually, I began to write againthis time for a new book, The Exalted Destiny. This secondbook is still not complete, but I hope to complete it one day. Ihave since had many opportunities to grow as a speaker andwriter, and have been able to partner with many individuals onthe same path.

It was in April 1998, on a long flight back to Vancouver fromSydney, Australia that my best-selling book, Seven Steps toLasting Happiness, was conceived. I finished this book and self-published it in July 1999.

Once the book was published, I felt great relief and joy. As aman, I can never experience giving birth to a child, butpublishing my first book was for me like giving birth. I got tosee the end of something I had put so much care and love into.It was a promise fulfilled!

Unexpectedly, the completion of the first book made me realize


that writing a book was only the beginning. An entirely newkind of workpromotion and marketing was to begin;activities that made writing the book seem easy!

Having self-published my book, I was unaware that bookstoreswould not speak directly to authors. I did not have a publisheror a distributor to ensure that my book reached the bookstores.I had to find a distribution company. I was fortunate to be ableto find one in 1999 that was interested in my work.

I was doing well with book sales at my seminars and had anexcellent sales rate where I spoke, but the books were stillunavailable in the bookstores. I was scheduled to do a fewkeynote addresses on Lifelong Learninga Key to Success inthe United Kingdom in February 2000, when, just before mytrip, I went to Chapters, a large bookstore chain in Canada, tosee if my book had arrived. Quietly entering the store, I went tothe computer, typed Seven Steps, and saw seventy titles withsevenbut no sign of my book. Then I pressed Happinessand again saw seventy titles without any sign of my book.Anxiously, I typed A-z-i-m J-a-m-a-l still no sign of any booksby this author.

I realized that my books had still not hit the stores. I had notunderstood the lead-time that distributors need to get books tostores. This was a really low point on my journey. In 1999 I hadspoken approximately 170 times all over the world (UnitedKingdom, France, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, and manycities in Canada and the United States) to over 100,000 people;I had spent 10,000 hours on this project but still could not getmy book into the bookstores. I was very discouraged andwondered if my friends had been right about the risksassociated with this kind of venture. As these thoughts swirledin my mind, I noticed a book in the bookstore. I tried to ignoreit, but my eyes were drawn to its coverto the point that I


could no longer ignore it.

I picked up the book and read the introduction, the gist ofwhich was that the author had fought in the Second WorldWar, returned home, and started working on his childhooddream of writing a great American novel. After collectingrejection slip after rejection slip from scores of publishers, hefound himself going broke. He never sold so much as a singlesentence of his work to anyone. His wife and child left him, andhe resorted to drinking.

One cold day in November he was walking around Cleveland,Ohio and passed a pawnshop. He saw a revolver for sale for $29and a bullet for $1. He had $30 left in his pocket. He writes thathe was so pathetic that he did not have the courage to go intothe pawnshop to buy the gun with which to end his life. Hecontinued walking and ended up in a library instead. Hedecided to stay there because it was free and warm inside. Heended up in the self-help section, reading one motivationalbook after another.

The next day he went back to the library and read some more.He kept returning, spending countless hours reading thesebooks in order to find out who he was. He came across a bookentitled Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by theinsurance genius and philanthropist W. Clement Stone (co-authored with Napoleon Hill) that he adored. He read it a fewtimes and vowed to meet the author one day. He found out thatW. Clement Stone was the president of a national companywhich had a branch in the city where he lived.

Presenting himself at the branch one day, he applied for a jobas a salesperson and got the job. He began to do well in hissales jobthanks to the motivational reading he had done inthe library. This opportunity led to a promotion, requiring him


to move to Chicago where he was to write sales promotionmaterial for the companys staff in the field. A year later he sawa notice at the office with an application for a position asexecutive editor of W. Clement Stones magazine, SuccessUnlimited. Being imbued with a very positive attitude, heboldly applied for the job, although he knew next to nothingabout editing a magazine. After several interviews and spellingout in detail what he would do to improve the quality of themagazine and its circulation, he landed the job.

It was at this time that the author wrote his first book,dedicating it to W. Clement Stone. How many copies could thisman, who so recently was about to shoot himself, sell? Onecopy to himself, a few to his friends and some complimentarycopies to the library? Guess again. He has sold more than 30million books, having written 18 books that were translatedinto 22 different languages! He also became the most widely-read inspirational, self- help author in the world. The authorsname was Og Mandino and his first book was The GreatestSalesman in the World.

The success of The Greatest Salesman in the World was notimmediate. As an unknown writer, he struggled to promote hiswork. His break came when W. Clement Stone read his book.Stone had gone to London where his wife, Jessie, gave him OgMandinos book to read. W. Clement Stone sent him acablegram stating, Your book is the most inspiring I have readsince Magnificent Obsession. See me upon my return.

At that time W. Clement Stone called Og Mandinos publisher,Fredrick Fell, and ordered 10,000 copies of his book, one forevery salesperson, employee, and shareholder of his company.Subsequently, Rich Devos, the dynamic president of AmwayCorporations, recommended the book to all his staff andmembers. Og Mandino never looked back. He fulfilled his


mothers dream of becoming a great writer and his own wishto meet W. Clement Stoneand winning his admiration andsupport.

Why am I sharing this story with you? Just to tell you themessage that the Universe was giving me: Why was Icomplaining about not having my book in Chapters? While Ihave never reached the desperation level of being down to mylast 30 bucks and wanting to shoot myself, clearly, if Og can doit, I could too! I picked myself up and, shortly thereafter, had agreat speaking tour in the United Kingdom with great booksales.

In 2000 and 2001, I spoke approximately 300 times all over theworld to over 200,000 people, as well as spending a monthdoing full-time volunteer work in Central Asia. I got a bigbreak when, on July 13, 2001, Deepak Chopra endorsed mybook, Seven Steps to Lasting Happiness.

That gave my bookand mea great boost. Since the initialroadblocks at the beginning of my career, I have now authoredseveral successful books. In addition, I have had the privilege ofpartnering with Nido Quebin on Life Balance the Sufi Way andwith Harvey McKinnon on The Power of Giving. The latter ofthe two has seen brilliant success, reaching #1 on Amazon andBarnes and Noble (beating Harry Potter) and winning theNautilus Gold Award. I consider myself lucky to have been ableto have books translated into 10 different languages.

The big question that remains is: Have I realized my dream?

From one perspective the answer is absolutely not! We neverquite arrive. Every time we reach our destination, we find thatour destination has actually changed. Throughout our lives weaspire to reach new goals. From that perspective, we only reallyarrive when we die.


From another perspective, the answer is a resounding yes! I amdoing what I love doing; I am really passionate about my work,losing track of time when I am engrossed in it. I am travelingaround the world speaking frequently. I have the full support ofmy spouse, the blessings of my parents, and the applause of mychildren. Moreover, I am making a difference every day tomyself and to others. I am doing what I had promised to dowhen I was born. If I were to die today, I would have no regrets.In this sense, I have definitely arrived.

Corporate Sufi Principles

Applied On My Journey

Marry my work with my life mission.

Know that I am an instrument taking with one hand andgiving with another.

Life is uncharted territoryI am comfortable with theunknown.

I persevere and am patientI can do it!

I am willing to take risks in order to find the truth.

I dont worry about conventional wisdom.

I have my near and dear ones on my team.

My destiny is the journey.

INTRODUCTION

The Historical and TraditionalConnections of Sufism

The word Sufi, according to some research, is derived from theArabic word soof, literally meaning wool, and referring to thematerial from which the simple robes of the early Muslimmystics were made. It symbolizes humility, simplicity, andpurity, which are important virtues on the Sufi path.

Sufism has influenced many thinkers and philosophers. IdriesShah, in his book The Sufis, outlined past Sufi influence on St.Francis of Assisi, the Troubadours, St. Augustine, theRosicrucians, Maimonides, the Jewish Kabbalah, and a host ofother medieval and modern religious and spiritual movements.

Martin Lings, in his book What Is Sufism?, explains that allmysticism is equally universal in the greater sense that it leadsto the One Truth, just like the radii of a circle all reach thecenter, no matter where they begin from outside the circle.Sufism has wide appeal because of its universal messages, and


its mystical dimension resonates with other faiths. Sufism isthus a bridge between east and west.

Jalaludin Rumi, the 12th-century Sufi master, describes a Sufiin his poem:

What is the solution, O Moslems: for I do not know

myself. Neither Christian, Jew, Zoroastrian or Moslem

am I;

I am not an easterner or a westerner, or of land or sea;

My place is placelessness; my sign is of no sign.

I have no body or life; for I am of the life of life.

I have put away duality; I have seen the two worlds as one.

I desire one, I know one, I see one, I call one.

Rumi is describing a stage where he has transcended all formsof spiritual realizationwhich is very different from a merelytheoretical understanding of spirituality. The final stage a Sufireaches is oneness with His Creator, which comes when the egohas disappeared. Rumi says, The mother of all idols is yourown ego.

Who Is a Sufi?

A Sufi is interested in the essence, not the form. He looks atwhat is inside, not outside. Human beings have an outwardappearancehow we look, the clothes we wear, the cars wedrive, the houses we live in, and the money we have. To the Sufithey matter little. It is what is inside a person, his character andspirit, which interest the Sufi. To the Sufi, the exoteric oroutward forms of an individual are an illusion; the reality liesin that which is esoteric, the inner part. The Sufi can be a manor a woman, young or old, black or white, a professional or a

I N T R O D U C T I O N 13

homemaker. Labels do not matter to a Sufi.1

The Sufi is grounded in ethical principles. He knows that theseprinciples connect him to his core. He knows that no matterwhat changes around him, the ethical principles never change.Principles provide an anchor for the Sufi. The quest of the Sufiis to listen to his conscience and to follow it in both good andtrying times. The Sufi knows that he can never get lost if hefollows the true or straight path.

The Sufi is a person of timelessness and placelessness, living inthe world but not of the world. While he is a mystic, he is not ahermit living on a mountain. Rather, he lives a balanced life,avoiding excessive materialism and striving for spirituality athis core. A Sufi views his role in this life as that of aninstrument or vessel through which he takes with one handand gives with the other. He goes with the flow, living in themoment but does not lose sight of his vision.

A Sufi lives in the moment and adapts to the changing worldaround him without compromising the essence of his beliefs.He is a child of the moment. There are different forms ofexpression in Sufism, but the essence remains intact. Theengaging verses of Sufi giants Ibn Arabi and Rumi, the loveecstasies of the early Sufi mystic Rabia, the towering voice ofNusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and the prayer dances of the whirlingdervishes are all expressions of Sufism.

Sufism is built on submission and faith to the divine. A Sufi isone who sets himself or herself on the path of self-purificationleading to enlightenment and union with the Divine. He is aseeker in search of his true identity. He seeks the truth withlove. Love is the Sufi way. As Rabia, the early Sufi saint says,

1 To facilitate ease of reading, I have used the pronoun he to includeboth genders.


Love is a sea with unseen shoreswith no shores at all. Forher, love was the foundation and was boundless.

My Interpretation of and Approach to Sufism

Sufism is a varied tradition with a long and inspiring history.Its practices and doctrines are richly layered, andunderstanding them thoroughly is a lifetimes work. I cannotexplore this tradition in its fullness here, nor is it my purpose. Iam neither a scholar nor a historian. For me, the Sufi is asymbol for a stance toward life and a perspective about valuesthat we can all learn from and use in our daily lives. Sufismrepresents an ideal of how we can all maintain a spiritual andethical center while still pursuing our worldly goals. It is thisideal that I want to explore in this book.

The Sufi quotations in this book are mostly translated worksfrom different languages. These quotes have been taken fromsome of the books listed in the bibliography at the end of thisbook. The focus is on the message rather than its origin. So if amessage conveyed reflects Sufi thinking, I have included it as aSufi message, irrespective of its origin.

Definition of Corporate

The word corporate is normally associated with a businesssetting, but in my book I have used this term to convey abroader idea. Here corporate is associated with someone whohas worldly ambitionto be successful and to do well in thisworld, in the workplace and in society at large. This definitionincludes CEOs, executives, senior managers, team leaders,middle management, group facilitators, partners, professionals,and employees. It also includes leaders such as school


principals, teachers, board members, and parents. It alsoincludes corporations. Consequently, in this book, corporateencompasses a broad constituency or group of people workinghard at becoming successful.

People in the corporate world often struggle with some of thefollowing issues:

Dealing with stress from a variety of demands

Balancing their professional, family, health, and spiritualcommitments

Thriving and excelling amid an environment of constantchange

Managing themselves and their time

Satisfying shareholder needs and demands

Finding and retaining top talent by creating a conducivework environment, encouraging creativity, and providing alearning and growing environment

Developing and nurturing interpersonal skills

Dealing with information overload and how to be selective

Remaining focused on the top priorities

Career and personal satisfaction

Managing cash flow and staying profitable

Facing the competition

Using Sufi messages and parables the above issues areaddressed in the book.


Who Is a Corporate Sufi?

A Corporate Sufi is a person who marries his work with his lifemission and balances his work, family, social, and spirituallives. He is a person who is ambitious and wants to do well inthe worldly sense of climbing the corporate ladder, raising afamily, being materially successful, and helping good causeswithout compromising spiritual principles. This book guides acorporate person to marry his worldly aspirations with the Sufiway of living.

Why would one want to be a Corporate Sufi? Ultimately, wewant fulfillment and lasting happiness. We do not climb thecorporate ladder just for the mere sake of it but because webelieve that corporate success will give us inner happiness,contentment, and satisfaction.

If we earn 50 billion dollars but in the process of acquiring thatwealth, lose our family, our health, and the connection to ourspirit, we will not find fulfillment and lasting happiness. Themoney we have made cannot buy back these things.

We spend a third of our lives at work. It is important to workin order to pay for necessities and luxuries. After a point,however, the excess money is only useful if we are able to makea difference with our wealth to our loved ones and to thosewho are less fortunate than we are. The best way to achievehappiness is to give happiness.

If we are not happy at work, if our work is neither fulfilling nornourishing to the soul, a third of our lives is consumed to somedegree by unhappiness. By being Corporate Sufis we are able tofuse our lifes mission with our corporate mission. Our workbecomes a prayer, a way of connecting to our spirit. We are ableto remain effective, work with integrity and focus, and be asource of inspiration to those around us.


Envision yourself working in a field that not only nourishesyour soul but also allows you to make a positive difference toyourself and to others. You lose track of time while doing yourwork. It is work at which you are talented and gifted. You workhard at it because you want to work hard, not because you haveto. It is like Wayne Gretzky working hard at playing hockey orWhitney Houston working hard at singing or Lee Iacoccaworking hard at running his company. You love the challengesand hurdles that come your way. You are not scared to takerisks and to venture into uncharted territory because youbelieve in your work.

As a Corporate Sufi, one of your strongest motivations is tomake a positive difference to the world you live in. You do thatby making a positive difference to the people who work withyou, your customers and all other stakeholders. In addition,you play an active part in contributing to good causes. Youbelieve that there is room for improvement in how we spendon our charities, that we are all responsible for making theworld an equitable and peaceful place and that every humanbeing has a right to food and shelter, education and healthfacilities.

Using This Book

By citing Sufi poems and anecdotes, I illustrate how using Sufiprinciples in a corporate setting can bring fulfillment,meaning, and spiritual enrichment. Also covered are practicaltips and Action Items on how to:

balance work, family, and spiritual needs,

use the Sufi faith in the unknown when navigatinguncharted corporate territory,


link the Sufi search for the essence to the search for thecorporate soul,

apply the Sufi approach to eliminating the ego in order tobecome a selfless corporate leader, and

reach the top of your corporate ladder without giving upyour ethics, principles, and inner happiness.

A key message of The Corporate Sufi is that it is not how muchwe read that matters, but rather what action we take from whatwe have learned. Change takes place through reflection andaction. Consequently, this book is designed in such a way thatyou read a section, reflect deeply on the message, and apply itas soon as you can in your corporate life. Action helpsinternalize your learning. Knowing that you are going to putinto action what you have discovered keeps you alert andfocused.

Continue to implement what you learn in the coming days.Practice creates habit and momentum. If you do this regularly,you will notice a marked improvement in your corporate life,and gradually you will notice your work life becoming moreand more connected to your spirit.

To get the best use of the book, first read the entire book to getthe sense of its contents. Then read a section each day, reflectthoroughly on it, and implement it in your corporate life.Gradually, you will get a feel of what it means to be a corporateSufi. Be ready for a pleasant surprise!

Azim JamalVancouver, British Columbia

1Finding Our Purpose

Knowing the One Thing We Must Do

Working with Purpose is Like

Spending a Night with A Lover

Keeping Our Eye on The Goal of Life

is a Great and Noble Calling

F I N D I N G O U R P U R P O S E 21

Ask the following questions:

Do I know my purpose in life? Do I know the purpose ofmy corporation? Am I finding meaning and fulfillment inmy corporate work?

Is my life purpose married to my corporate purpose?

Do I have a simply written, energizing corporate vision andmission statement that I clearly and consistently articulateto my team at work? Have I involved my team in preparingthe company vision and mission statement?

Knowing the One ThingWe Must Do

You have a duty to perform. Do anything else, do a number ofthings, occupy your time fully, and yet, if you do not do this

task, all your time will have been wasted.

Rumi

Rumi implies that we were born to fulfill a particular purposein our lives. In turn, we were blessed with a unique gifttheability to accomplish that purpose. Just as a honeybee is bornto make honey and is blessed with the necessary traits to do so,so too are we.

This purpose is entrenched in us before we are born physically.However, when we entered the world, we are attracted to thetoys in life. They dazzle and tempt us, and we graduallybecome lost in their illusion. We become comfortable withworldly temptations and forget our mission and purpose.

We spend our days and nights working hard to accomplish amillion and one things, but we have to remember that, if we donot perform the purpose we were born to carry out, our


mission is incomplete. If we perform this one task, we havedone all.

We realize our potential when we work on our purpose. Oneway to identify this purpose is to find an area of work thattotally absorbs our attention when we are engaged in it. This isthe area in which we can make a significant contribution.Reflect on the big questions of life: Why am I here? andWhat will I leave behind when Im gone? These questions willprompt you to look deep within yourself to find the purposefor which you were born.

Our corporate purpose is an extension of our personalpurpose. Dr. Stephen Covey uses the term co-missioning,meaning the aligning of personal and company missions. It isintegrating our work life with our soul to create a unifiedpicture that brings together our inner and outer worlds. Forinstance, my personal mission is to shine my light and inspireothers to shine theirs. My business mission is to helpindividuals find their birthday gifts, to use the power of givingand inspire life balance.

If our lifes purpose is not aligned with our corporate purpose,we experience tension and unhappiness. When the two arealigned, we find that we are performing optimally in our worklife and are using our innate gifts.

If we do not work to fulfill that purpose, we play the part anIndian poet thus describes, The song I came to sing is leftunsung. I spent my life stringing and unstringing myinstrument. When we are singing our song, we become aliveand are motivated and energized. Our work brings meaningand fulfillment.

Working with Purpose Is LikeSpending a Night with a Lover

There is a difference between spending a night with a lover anda night with a toothache.

A Sufi Saying

When we spend time with purpose, it is much like spendingtime with a loverwe are passionate and excited. We aredriven and energized, up-beat and positive. We do not worryabout petty things. On the other hand, when we work withoutpurpose, it is like having a toothache. We experience pain andfrustration. Lack of purpose can be a big impediment causingus to drift aimlessly through life.

If we are sprinting to work, we are probably working withpurpose. Our excitement and enthusiasm make our light shinefrom within, and we make a difference. Picasso said that it isour work in life that is the ultimate seduction. On the otherhand, if we are crawling to work, it is time to step away fromthe rituals and get into reflection.


If our work is not fulfilling our purpose in life, we must beprepared to make some changes in our work life. Perhaps wecan create a different environment at our current place ofwork. Or, we may need to switch careers or jobs.

Darren Entwistle, CEO of Telus Canada, said that, if you havethe following three things at work, work becomes utopia. First,you are learning and growing. Second, you are having fun andmaking a valuable contribution. And third, you are recognizedand rewarded. If you have two of these three things, stick it out;if you have only one, it may be time to make some changes.

Remember: We have a choice to work with purpose.

Keeping Our Eyeon the Goal

Obstacles are what you see when you take youreye off your goals.

A Sufi Saying

The Sufis believe that we should put all our efforts andconcentration on the goal and not be distracted by obstacles.By so doing we will produce the energy needed to achieve ourpersonal and corporate goals.

When a mother bird leaves her nest in the morning, her goal isto return with food for her baby birds. All day she stays focusedon collecting food and does not give up until she finds enoughfood. She is driven by the goal of providing for her offspring.

Some corporations are not clear about their goals. Bill Gatesvision of information at your fingertips, with a computer onevery desk and in every home made him the richest man inthe world. He then turned his attention to philanthropy.

Googles statement of philosophy lists ten things the company


must be true to. It is clear and has brought Google success andalso an opportunity to do charity.

Focus on the user and all else will follow

Its best to do one thing really, really, well

Fast is better than slow

Democracy on the web works

You dont need to be at your desk to need an answer

You can make money without doing evil

Theres always more information out there

The need for information crosses all boundaries

You can be serious without a suit

Great just isnt good enough.

By staying focused on our vision and purpose, we are able toachieve success despite facing obstacles. Remember: Obstaclesare part of the journey of life. When we keep our eye on thegoal, obstacles are not threats. In fact, they become opportu-nities to create breakthroughs. The energy will come fromfocusing on the vision, not on the obstacles. Every time onedoor closes, many other doors are opening. In life everysetback presents opportunities. So, where are we going to keepour eyes? We need to keep them on the opportunities and ondoors that are opening.

In professional soccer, scoring a goal and winning the game isthe objective. This requires getting past the opponentsdefenders (obstacles). If we focus on the goal, we will find away to get past the defenders. Such is the case with corporatelife.

If we find that things are getting unmanageable, we can breakour tasks into smaller pieces. Our goals can be semi-annual,quarterly, monthly, or weekly. We can even further break downour weekly goals into daily goals.

Life Is a Great andNoble Calling

Work is love made visible.

Kahlil Gibran, author of The Prophet

Sufis believe that our life is a precious gift. A good portion ofthis life is spent at work. Therefore, it is important to make ourtime at work noble and meaningful. As John D. Rockefellersaid, The man who starts out simply with the idea of gettingrich wont succeed; we must have a larger ambition.

The ambition has to be larger than self and includes making avaluable contribution to the world we live in. This bringsmeaning to our work. The Aga Khan III affirms, Life is a greatand noble calling, not a mean and groveling thing to beshuffled through as best as we can but a lofty and exalteddestiny. When we are able to bring meaning to the work place,we create energy that taps into the universe.

The vision expresses the corporations aspirations. The vision


needs to be energizingsomething that gets everyone excitedand motivated. Jack Welch, the CEO of General Electric, usesthe term s-t-r-e-t-c-h. He says if we do not have stretch goals,we will never know our capacity to perform. In the process ofreaching for the stars and realizing our vision, we ensure thatthe mission is not compromised.

A mission is the purpose of your business, and the vision iswhere you see your business in the future (for instance, fiveyears from now). To form a mission, ask why you are in yourbusiness (other than financial motivations). A vision on theother hand, is what you want to accomplish, and can includefinancial success. Your mission is grounded in purpose. Forinstance, my vision of shining my light to inspire others drivesmy vision of selling 5.7 million copies of my books.

It is important not to compromise your mission for yourvision. For instance, I would never compromise being a lovinghuman being that inspires in order to sell my books. The key tosuccess is to ground your vision firmly within your mission.

Your teams involvement is crucial to building a vision and amission statement. Without their understanding andcommitment, these statements can become frames on the wallswith no apparent function.

The concepts we need to integrate into our work life are clarity,simplicity, consistency, involvement, integrity, stretching,alignment, and communication.

F I N D I N G O U R P U R P O S E 31

Action Items

Develop your personal mission statement. If you were topick one thing you must do in your personal life, whatwould you choose? If you do not already have one, developa corporate mission statement. If you were to pick onething you must do in your corporate life, what would youdo?

Align your corporate mission with your personal mission.

Create excitement and meaning in your current work.Discuss with your employer how to create a win-winscenario. If necessary, make a change that connects yourwork with your purpose.

Keep stretching your goals. They will keep you energizedand expand your potential. If you are working as part of ateam or corporation, involve people in goal-settingexercises to engender understanding of the corporate goals.

the corporate sufi

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