14 Important Leadership Lessons

1) Even if you are a leader, you are just a servant of God

2) Know your audience

'Then, know, that I have sent you to an area where there have been governments before you, both just as well as oppressive. People will now watch your dealings as you used to watch the dealings of the rulers before you…'

3) We are all humans that make mistakes; be forgiving 

They are of two kinds, either your brother in religion or one like you in creation. They will commit slips and encounter mistakes. They may act wrongly, wilfully or by neglect. So, extend to them your forgiveness and pardon, in the same way as you would like Allah to extend His forgiveness and pardon to you…'

4) Remove negative people from your circle 

'The one among the people under you who is furthest from you and the worst of them in your view should be he who is the most inquisitive of the shortcomings of the people, because people do have shortcomings and the ruler is the most appropriate person to cover them.' 

5) Remove the hatred 

'Unfasten every knot of hatred in the people and cut away from yourself the cause of every enmity.' 

6) Equality and justice are not the same thing 

The virtuous and the vicious should not be in equal position before you because this means dissuasion of the virtuous from virtue and persuasion of the vicious to vice. Keep everyone in the position which is his.' 

7) If it isn’t broke, don’t try to fix it 

'Do not discontinue the good practices which the earlier people of this community had acted upon, by virtue of which there was general unity and through which the subjects prospered.'

8) Everyone is a small cog in a big machine 

'Know that the people consist of classes who prosper only with the help of one another, and they are not independent of one another.'

9) Always give people the credit they deserve 

'Appreciate the performance of every one of them, do not attribute the performance of one to the other, and do not minimize the reward below the level of the performance. The high position of a man should not lead you to regard his small deeds as big, nor should the low position of a man make you regard his big deeds as small.'

10) Never treat people favourably due to relationship with you 

'Give them appointment after tests and do not appoint them according to partiality or favouritism, because these two things constitute sources of injustice and unfairness.' 

11) Listen to constructive criticism 

'Fix a time for complainants wherein you make yourself free for them, and sit for them in common audience and feel humble therein for the sake of Allah who created you. (On that occasion) you should keep away your army and your assistants such as the guards and the police so that anyone who like to speak may speak to you without fear…'

12) Show your face

'Do not keep yourself secluded (quiet, private, and not near people, roads, or buildings) from the people for a long time, because the seclusion of those in authority from the subjects is a kind of narrow-sightedness and causes ignorance about their affairs.' 

13) Communicate clearly

'Do not enter into an agreement which may admit of different interpretations and do not change the interpretation of vague words after the conclusion and confirmation (of the agreement).'

14) Be organised

'Assign every matter its proper place and do every job at the appropriate time.' Imam Ali AS

14 important leadership lessons from Imam Ali’s letter to Malik al-Ashtar