Tembeling 2.0

Tag: leadership

  • Understanding Change and Leading It Effectively

    What is Change

    Change is the process through which individuals or organisations move from a current state to a desired future state. It is not merely the introduction of a new policy, structure, or system, but a transition that affects how people think, feel, and behave. While organisations often view change as a technical or strategic exercise, change is fundamentally human in nature.

    People rarely resist change because it is irrational or unnecessary. They resist change because it threatens familiarity, identity, competence, and control. Change disrupts routines, challenges assumptions, and creates uncertainty. As a result, people often confront change emotionally before they attempt to understand it rationally. This explains why well-designed reforms frequently fail when the human dimension is ignored.

    Effective change, therefore, is not about forcing compliance. It is about helping people make sense of why change is needed, how it affects them, and how they can successfully adapt to it.

    ADKAR as a Framework for Change

    One of the most practical models for understanding and managing change at the individual level is the ADKAR framework, developed by Prosci. ADKAR recognises that organisational change succeeds only when individuals successfully transition through five sequential elements.

    Awareness refers to understanding why change is necessary. Without awareness, people question the purpose of change and remain disengaged. Leaders must communicate the rationale for change clearly, honestly, and repeatedly.

    Desire reflects the individual’s willingness to support the change. Awareness alone is insufficient. People may understand the need for change but still resist it due to fear, perceived loss, or lack of trust. Desire is influenced by leadership credibility, perceived fairness, and alignment with personal and professional values.

    Knowledge refers to knowing how to change. This includes skills, information, and guidance. Even motivated individuals cannot change if they do not know what to do differently. Training, mentoring, and clear instructions are essential at this stage.

    Ability is the capacity to implement change in practice. Knowledge does not automatically translate into performance. Ability requires time, resources, supportive systems, and opportunities to practice without fear of punishment.

    Reinforcement ensures that change is sustained. Without reinforcement, people revert to old habits, especially under pressure. Reinforcement comes from feedback, recognition, accountability mechanisms, and alignment of policies and incentives with the new way of working.

    The strength of ADKAR lies in its simplicity and diagnostic value. Resistance to change often indicates that one or more ADKAR elements have not been adequately addressed.

    What Leaders Need to Apply Change Effectively

    Leading change requires more than authority or technical expertise. It requires moral clarity, emotional intelligence, and consistency between words and actions.

    First, leaders must provide meaning. People follow change when they understand its purpose and see its relevance to a larger mission. Leaders must articulate why change matters, not only to the organisation but also to the people within it.

    Second, leaders must build trust. Trust determines whether people listen, believe, and engage. This requires transparency, honesty about challenges, and willingness to listen to concerns without labelling them as resistance.

    Third, leaders must role model the change. Behaviour speaks louder than strategy documents. When leaders practise the behaviours they expect from others, change becomes credible.

    Fourth, leaders must involve people. Participation creates ownership. When individuals are engaged early in shaping change, they are more likely to support and sustain it.

    Fifth, leaders must align systems with intentions. Change fails when evaluation, workload, incentives, and structures remain unchanged. Systems must support, not undermine, the desired behaviours.

    Finally, leaders must exercise patience and persistence. Change is a process, not an event. It unfolds over time and requires continuous reinforcement, reflection, and adjustment.

    Closing Reflection

    Change is not something that happens to people. It is something people must live through. Frameworks like ADKAR remind leaders that successful change is not achieved by issuing directives, but by guiding individuals through understanding, acceptance, capability, and commitment. When leaders respect the human experience of change, transformation becomes not only possible, but sustainable.

  • Leading as a Doctor With the Head, Heart, and Soul

    By Jamalludin Ab Rahman

    Leadership in medicine does not begin with a title, an appointment, or a position of authority. It begins the moment a person chooses to serve others through the profession of medicine. From that point onwards, every doctor carries leadership responsibilities, whether visible or not, formal or informal, recognised or unnoticed. Leadership is not something added to a medical career, it is woven into it and practised daily across a lifetime.

    Competence is the head of leadership. A doctor who leads must first be able to do, not merely instruct. Competence allows a leader to think clearly, decide wisely, and act safely. Leadership without competence erodes trust and places others at risk. In the life of a doctor, competence is practised continuously. As a medical student, it is shown through preparation for ward rounds, knowing one’s patient thoroughly, taking responsibility for learning, and helping peers understand without being asked. As a house officer or junior doctor, competence is demonstrated by performing the procedures one expects others to do, personally checking investigations, recognising limitations early, and seeking senior input before harm occurs. As a specialist or senior doctor, competence means remaining clinically relevant, staying updated with evidence, guiding complex cases by example, and making sound decisions during uncertainty. Competence is not optional, it is part of the amanah entrusted to every doctor.

    Compassion is the heart of leadership. Leadership is not about being served, it is about serving. Compassion allows a leader to understand the people they serve before making decisions that affect them. In the daily life of a doctor, compassion begins with patients. It is expressed by listening before deciding, explaining diagnoses and plans even when time is limited, and recognising fear, pain, and uncertainty alongside clinical findings. Compassion extends to colleagues and healthcare workers. It is shown by understanding workload and fatigue, correcting mistakes privately rather than humiliating publicly, supporting nurses and allied health professionals, and fostering a safe working environment. In leadership roles, compassion means understanding the impact of policies on people before implementing change, doing the best sincerely without seeking recognition, and remembering that recognition, if it comes, is only a bonus. Without compassion, leadership becomes mechanical and disconnected from those it is meant to serve.

    Conscience is the soul of leadership. It is the inner compass that keeps a doctor accountable to Allah above all else. Leadership guided by conscience requires moral courage and clarity. In a doctor’s life, conscience is tested in moments of pressure and power. It is practised when patient safety is prioritised despite inconvenience, when one speaks up against unsafe practices, and when ethical principles are upheld even at personal cost. As authority increases, conscience is reflected in resisting misuse of power, acting with integrity when no one is watching, and remaining sincere when recognition or reward is absent. Towards the later stages of leadership roles, conscience is shown by preparing successors, mentoring juniors, and being ready to let go of position willingly. Leadership is temporary, accountability is not.

    Leadership as a doctor is not measured by how long one holds power or how many titles one accumulates. It is measured by how faithfully the trust was carried across a lifetime of service. When competence guides the head, compassion shapes the heart, and conscience anchors the soul, leadership becomes not only effective, but meaningful and sincere. This is leadership that honours the profession, serves humanity, and seeks only the acceptance of Allah.

  • Responsible Leadership in the Age of Popular Vote

    Introduction

    Modern democracies increasingly face a paradox. Leaders are elected through popular vote, yet popularity does not reliably translate into improved communities, functional cities, or stronger nations. Charismatic figures may win elections, dominate public discourse, and command loyal followings, but their tenure often leaves institutions weakened and public trust diminished. This tension forces a difficult question. Is the failure one of leadership, or of society itself?

    This paper argues that leadership outcomes in democratic systems reflect not only the quality of leaders but also the moral, cognitive, and institutional maturity of society. Improving leadership therefore requires more than producing better individuals. It requires reshaping the conditions under which leadership is chosen, sustained, and constrained.

    Popularity is not leadership

    Leadership theory has long distinguished influence from responsibility. Popular leaders are often highly influential, but influence alone does not ensure meaningful outcomes. Transformational leadership theory explains how leaders inspire and mobilise followers through vision and emotional connection. Yet inspiration without ethical grounding, systems awareness, and delivery capability risks becoming performance rather than progress.

    The repeated failure of popular leaders to improve cities and nations suggests that charisma, while electorally powerful, is insufficient for governing complex societies. Leadership in complex systems demands moral restraint, competence, and institutional stewardship, qualities that are rarely captured by popularity alone.

    Values as the foundation of responsible leadership

    Before discussing voter behaviour or institutional constraints, it is necessary to address a more fundamental issue, values. Leadership does not emerge in a moral vacuum. Leaders act based on what they believe is right, acceptable, or negotiable. Likewise, societies choose leaders based on what they admire, tolerate, or excuse.

    Values therefore sit at the core of leadership quality. A leader with technical brilliance but weak values may deliver short-term gains while corroding trust, justice, and institutional integrity. Conversely, leaders grounded in strong values are more likely to exercise restraint, accept accountability, and prioritise long-term societal wellbeing over personal or political survival.

    From this perspective, nation-building is inseparable from values formation. Development is not merely economic or infrastructural. It is moral and civilisational.

    Values shape both leaders and voters

    People who believe in and act upon values tend to recognise those same values in leadership. Where honesty, justice, responsibility, and humility are socially respected, leaders who lack these traits struggle to sustain legitimacy. Where values are weak or selectively applied, leaders without integrity can still thrive, provided they remain entertaining, divisive, or symbolically reassuring.

    This explains why leadership reform cannot rely solely on replacing individuals. Societies that wish to be led by leaders with values must themselves value integrity, truthfulness, competence, and service. In this sense, leadership choice becomes a mirror of collective moral priorities.

    This is not a moral judgement on citizens. It is a sociological reality. People respond to norms that are consistently rewarded in their environment.

    A tawhidic perspective on values and leadership

    In Islam, values are not socially negotiated preferences. They are rooted in tawhid, the affirmation of the oneness of Allah, which unifies belief, ethics, and action. A tawhidic mind does not separate power from accountability, success from responsibility, or leadership from moral consequence.

    From this worldview, leadership is an amanah, a trust, not a personal entitlement. Authority is exercised with the consciousness that all actions are accountable beyond worldly institutions. Justice is not optional, truth is not strategic, and service to people is inseparable from obedience to Allah.

    When values flow from tawhid, leadership is restrained by moral consciousness even when institutional oversight is weak. Equally important, a society shaped by tawhidic values is less easily deceived by rhetoric, because it evaluates leaders not only by what they promise, but by how they act, decide, and govern.

    Thus, values in Islam are not abstract virtues. They are operational principles that shape governance, accountability, and public trust.

    Leadership outcomes depend on decision conditions, not voter character

    It is tempting to conclude that societies simply choose poorly. This framing is misleading. Behavioural science shows that individuals operate under bounded rationality. Faced with complex policy choices, people rely on emotional cues, identity alignment, familiarity, and trusted narratives. These are not moral shortcomings but cognitive adaptations to uncertainty and information overload.

    However, values influence which cues people trust. Where values are strong, emotional manipulation loses effectiveness. Where values are weak or fragmented, deception becomes easier. The quality of leadership choice is therefore shaped by both cognitive constraints and moral orientation.

    Institutions determine whether values are protected or eroded

    Strong institutions reinforce values by making ethical behaviour normal and misconduct costly. Weak institutions allow values to be overridden by expediency and personality. Over time, this erodes public expectations, creating a cycle where both leaders and citizens lower their standards.

    Institutions alone cannot create values, but they can protect them. Likewise, values alone cannot guarantee good leadership, but they provide the moral compass without which institutions become hollow.

    Civic maturity is cultivated, not innate

    The ability to evaluate leadership is learned. Civic maturity develops when societies normalise ethical reasoning, discuss trade-offs honestly, and expose manipulation without cynicism. Education, public discourse, and moral leadership all contribute to this maturation.

    In societies where values are continuously reinforced, leadership quality improves not through coercion, but through expectation.

    Conclusion

    It is accurate to say that people matter in a democratic system. It is incomplete to say that people simply need to change.

    Leadership quality emerges from the interaction between values, institutions, and public choice. In the absence of values, popularity becomes dangerous. In the absence of institutions, values become fragile. In the absence of informed citizens, both are easily undermined.

    From an Islamic perspective, strengthening leadership therefore begins with strengthening values grounded in tawhid. A society that believes and acts upon values will choose leaders with values, not perfectly, but consistently enough to change its trajectory.

    Ultimately, societies do not merely elect leaders. They cultivate them.

  • The Amanah of Leadership

    “I have been appointed over you, though I am not the best.”
    These words echo in my head.
    This is not my right.
    This is not my reward.
    This is amanah.
    A trust.

    Leadership is not glory.
    It is responsibility.
    It is duty.
    It is sacrifice.
    It is service.

    I am here, try to inspire.
    To build.
    To nurture.
    To lift others higher.
    To create leaders who will lead better.

    I have no strength of my own.
    No power in these hands.
    No wisdom except what Allah gives.
    No success except by His will.

    Do not rely on me.
    Rely on Allah.
    He is the source of all strength.
    He is the giver of victory.

    I will stumble.
    I will err.
    So correct me.
    Remind me.
    Stand with me.

    Let us walk this path together.
    Let us lead each other towards Him.
    Let us serve with sincerity.
    Let us lead with humility.

    May Allah guide us all.
    May He bless this journey.
    May He accept our deeds.

  • To the One Who Walks After Me – A Reminder from a Lonely Shepherd

    Dear successor, take this post with honour in your stride,
    But know this seat holds not just title, it bears the weight inside.
    You will walk between the mountain peaks and valleys deep and wide,
    A shepherd of a scattered flock, with few to walk beside.

    They will speak of vision, grand and vast, of goals that must be met,
    But many will not see the path, nor share the burdens set.
    Above you, voices press for more, results without delay,
    Below, the voices ask for more, and rarely look your way.

    You will serve as bridge between the two, pulled firm from either end,
    Yet find, at times, you stand alone, with no resource, post, or friend.
    Some staff will shine and give their all, their spirits worn but true,
    While others find the shadows safe, and leave the work to you.

    Stay true to the course, hold firm your ground, let not your heart grow cold,
    This journey calls for selfless steps and courage to be bold.
    Power will tempt and praise may blind, but keep your honour high,
    For only with sincerity can you lead beneath Allah’s sky.

    So when the silence deafens you, and hopes begin to fray,
    Lift your heart beyond the noise and let Allah guide your way.
    He hears the cries you never voice, provides the help that none is able to see,
    And grants the strength no hand can give, to serve with dignity.

    You are not here for praise, nor comfort, ease, or gain,
    But to plant seeds you may not reap and lead through joy and pain.
    And when your time is at its end, as mine has come to be,
    May you find peace in your heart, knowing you served for Him, not anyone else.