Book Review: Boy and Going Solo, by Roald Dahl

I finished this book yesterday on my way home up from London to Cambridge. I really enjoyed it and there's nothing quite like a story to explain a time, place and situation. In the case of this book it's the early-to-mid 1900s during the second world war. The backdrop and the stories are wonderfully told in a light-hearted manner. Reading this alongside The Road To Mecca (a slightly more serious book) really has me bubbling to get out and hit the road.

My first scooter

Ok so I lost the girl I very nearly almost got married to but as with any 'difficulty' (if it can be called that) along comes a double 'comfort' and here it is... I got myself my first scooter - a Honda Dylon 125. Cycling 13+ miles every day (from my room east of Cambridge to my workplace south of Cambridge) and not being to able to make it to the Masjid (in the centre of town) was starting to get quite tiring... but not any more... Now doing a daily round trip from my room, to my workplace, to the Masjid and back to my room no problem alhamdulillah. Scooting is definitely the way to go, and questioning now what I've been doing with my life all these years!

Sources of happiness at work

Employees should feel that...
Goals are being achieved.
They themselves are having a positive impact.
They are being recognised for making a contribution.

Managers should be...
Creating a sense of shared purpose.
Paying attention to the team's development.
Generating enthusiasm and energy.

How?...
Setting (tangible) goals that are inspiring; which employees can relate to.
Connecting each person's output to the goal's achievement.
Praising employees; thanking them for their contributions.

The five tasks of a manager

Delegation.
Communication.
Motivation.
Handling tricky relationships.
Connecting people.

(Pulled out from an article in the May 2011 issue of Management Today entitled 'Rebuilding management's good name')

Lecture Summary: The Leadership of Muhammad, by John Adair

I wrote this blog post whilst listening to a talk by John Adair about the leadership of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) which took place at Imperial College London a month ago. I couldn't decide whether to stick this post on this Blog or my Faith Blog. I put it here in the end. Anyway, here are some qualities of a leader which the speaker identified…

Enthusiasm.

Integrity

(Loyalty; Truthfulness; Trustworthiness).

A certain amount of Toughness, matched with Fairness.

(The good chief has no relatives.)

Warmth. Humanity.

(Sharing in the hardships of your people.)

Humility. The lack of arrogance. 

(They won't hear what you say if who you are is thundering at them.) 

Vision. Tangible vision:

about a world different from today; about people. 

(The grace to be the catalyst,

organising the vision to continue on without you.) 

Intelligence. Experience. Goodness.

… There are other qualities of a leader without doubt (consulting, inspiring, and so on) but these are the ones which the speaker mentioned. I liked how the speaker kept his talk short, to the point, memorable, and allowed more time to interact with the audience; a good example of good leadership!