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The leader's eight roles and training in general leadership

أدوار القائد الثمانية والتدريب على القيادة العامة

Tareq al-Suwaidan's model of training in general leadership: eight roles, direction, example, change, motivation, training, relations, intervention and empowerment, each with two elements, two competencies and a training skill for each; everything else is management, to be delegated.

Depth

At a glance

Region
Global / Diaspora
Review

Politics, governance and authorityEthics and character

Summary

"The model of training in general leadership" is the model in which Tareq al-Suwaidan names eight roles that he holds are leadership itself, everything else being management to be delegated: direction, example, change, motivation, training, relations, intervention and empowerment. 1 2 3 4 5 He set it out in episodes 19 to 27 of his programme "Secrets of Prophetic Leadership", giving each role two elements. 6 7 8 His method of training is to define the roles, then the competencies each role needs, then measure the gap between the role and the competence a person has; that gap is what training fills. 9 10 11 12 In his earlier management course he had given the leader six roles; see leadership.

The roles and their elements

  • Direction: vision and plan. Vision for him is prediction without fantasy, and ambition without the end justifying the means. 6 13 14 For the plan he cites the Prophet ﷺ's offering himself to Banu Shayban ibn Tha'laba, who offered to protect him against everyone except the Persians, which he refused. 15 16
  • Example: credibility and presence. Credibility for him means "trustworthy and truthful", and he says studies make it the most important trait in a leader. 17 18 19 Presence includes the Prophet's share in building the mosque at Quba and in digging the Trench. 20 21
  • Change: creativity and challenge. The theory of the "superman leader" is over, he says; the modern leader makes up for his weakness through consultation. 22 23 An instance of creativity, for him, is that when the words of Abdullah ibn Ubayy on the campaign against Banu al-Mustaliq reached the Prophet, he marched the army for a whole day until it was too busy to talk of them. 24 25
  • Motivation: encouragement, and appreciation both material and moral; moral appreciation includes titles such as al-Siddiq, the Sword of God and the Trustee of the Community, and the return of the key of the Ka'ba to Banu Shayba. 26 27 28
  • Training: training oneself and training others, including sending Ali to Yemen as a judge with the advice to hear both parties. 29 30
  • Relations: external and internal. He says 64% of family firms collapse in the second generation, one reason being, in his view, that the founder hands down money and work but not relationships. 31 32 Citing scholars of Sharia-based statecraft, he lists five kinds of external relation, all of which the Prophet used: truce, as at Hudaybiyya; alliance, as with Khuza'a; war; giving help without conditions; and seeking help without return. 33 34 One of his examples is the story of Thumama ibn Uthal, who was captured and tied up in the mosque for three days, treated well, then set free, whereupon he became a Muslim, and later cut off grain to Mecca until the Prophet interceded for it. 35 36 37 38
  • Intervention: the leader steps in only in two cases, when those with him cannot cope and when a problem has become chronic; his rule is that "delegation does not cancel responsibility". 39 40 41 42 His example of the second is that Quraysh were a chronic problem through Badr, Uhud and the Trench, and the Treaty of Hudaybiyya was the decisive intervention. 43 44
  • Empowerment: participation and granting authority, without which there is centralisation; an example is Abu Bakr's charging Zayd ibn Thabit with collecting the Qur'an. 45 46 47

Competencies and skills

He then names two competencies for each role, with a skill that trains each:

  • Direction: analysing organisations, trained through institutionalism by a formula of his own he calls "1-4-5-2": one element of planning, strategic planning; four pillars of work, namely leadership, members, method and system; five pillars of competition, namely training, technology, service and quality together, marketing, and creativity; and two elements of infrastructure, headquarters and money. 48 49 50 51 52 The second competency is forecasting, trained through strategic planning; see strategic planning. 53
  • Example: values, trained through ethical leadership; then self-management, trained through what he calls "Arrange Your Life". 54 55 56 He cites Kouzes and Posner's study in The Leadership Challenge of a million and a half people on five continents, in which, he says, credibility headed the traits wanted in a leader, at 83% in 1987 and 89% in 2010, followed by vision, motivation, competence and intelligence. 57 58 59 60 61 He defines ethical leadership as moving followers towards the goal according to sound values, "sound" being set by the Sharia, then reason, then custom, then conscience; his model of it has five parts: thinking, emotions, convictions, talents and purposes. 62 63 64
  • Change: managing change, trained through changing organisations; and creative thinking. 65 66 Change for him is defining the present and moving to the desired future, and every change meets resistance that needs "resistance to the resistance". 67 68
  • Motivation: analysing situations, trained through situational leadership; and influencing people. 69 70 See situational leadership.
  • Training: analysing people, trained through personality types; and persuasion, trained through creative teaching. 71 72 73 See DISC analysis.
  • Relations: "people's keys", the idea that each person has something that moves him; and building synergy in teams. 74 75 See teamwork.
  • Intervention: follow-up and oversight, trained through decision-making and problem-solving; then power and influence. 42 76 77 Authority and responsibility belong to the post, he says, while influence belongs to the person, and he defines it as "the ability to bring about a change that is barred". 78 79
  • Empowerment: the art of listening, his example being the Prophet's listening to Utba ibn Rabi'a until he had finished; then delegation, which he says should go only to the keen and the competent. 80 81 82

At the end of episode 27 he declares the training in general leadership complete. 83

Connections

Explore the connections

Subject of
Asrar al-Qiyada al-Nabawiyya, Secrets of Prophetic Leadership (television programme)

People and things also explored

The environment that fosters leadership· Bad leadership and its seven types· Specialised leadership and training in it· The model of leadership upbringing· Followership and the eight kinds of follower· The model for discovering leaders· Leadership and the leader's six roles· Situational leadership

Sources

  1. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:08:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  2. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  3. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:09:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  4. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:09:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  5. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:10:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  6. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:10:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  7. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  8. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:04:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  9. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:03:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  10. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:04:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  11. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 22, at 00:02:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  12. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 22, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  13. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:11:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  14. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:13:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  15. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:31:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  16. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:36:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  17. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:39:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  18. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:40:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  19. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:40:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  20. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:52:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  21. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 19, at 00:52:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  22. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 20, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  23. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 20, at 00:04:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  24. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 20, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  25. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 20, at 00:10:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  26. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 20, at 00:21:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  27. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 20, at 00:22:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  28. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 20, at 00:31:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  29. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 20, at 00:36:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  30. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 20, at 00:43:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  31. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:05:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  32. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:06:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  33. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:09:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  34. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:10:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  35. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:10:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  36. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:13:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  37. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:15:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  38. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:19:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  39. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:24:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  40. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:26:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  41. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:38:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  42. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 27, at 00:14:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  43. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:39:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  44. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:40:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  45. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:40:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  46. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:43:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  47. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 21, at 00:44:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  48. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 22, at 00:05:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  49. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 22, at 00:07:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  50. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 22, at 00:08:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  51. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 22, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  52. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 22, at 00:26:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  53. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 23, at 00:02:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  54. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:03:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  55. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:39:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  56. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:41:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  57. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:04:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  58. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:04:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  59. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:05:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  60. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:05:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  61. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:06:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  62. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  63. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:09:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  64. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 24, at 00:11:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  65. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 25, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  66. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 25, at 00:11:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  67. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 25, at 00:04:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  68. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 25, at 00:05:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  69. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 25, at 00:19:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  70. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 25, at 00:38:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  71. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 26, at 00:04:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  72. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 26, at 00:26:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  73. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 26, at 00:29:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  74. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 26, at 00:34:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  75. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 27, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  76. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 27, at 00:18:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  77. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 27, at 00:22:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  78. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 27, at 00:27:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  79. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 27, at 00:28:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  80. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 27, at 00:34:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  81. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 27, at 00:44:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  82. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 27, at 00:50:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  83. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Asrar Al Qyada Al Nbawya, episode 27, at 00:52:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The leader's eight roles and training in general leadership”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/adwar-al-qaid-al-thamaniya/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-02.

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The environment that fosters leadership

Tareq al-Suwaidan's model of the environment that makes leaders: six parts, flexibility, curiosity, freedom, values, balance and sponsorship, with evidence from the Sira; with it he closed the programme 'Secrets of Prophetic Leadership'.