Business Balance & Beyond (BOOKLET).pmd

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AZIM JAMAL

BusinessBalance &Beyond

Business, Balance & BeyondISBN 978-81-8495-294-0

© Azim Jamal

First Jaico Impression: 2012Second Jaico Impression: 2012

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without permission in writing from the publishers.

Published in arrangement withAzim Jamal

Founder & CEO Corporate Sufi Worldwide

300 - 1055 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC V6E 2E9T

Canada

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BUSINESS, BALANCE &BEYOND

Azim Jamal

P R A I S E F O R BO O K S b y

Azim Jamal

BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYOND

“An authentic piece of work. Everyone will benefit from reading

this book.”

—Robin Sharma, #1 international best-selling author of

The Leader Who Had No Title

“This book shows you how to define your true purpose, increase

your effectiveness and live a richer life – in every area.”

—Brian Tracy, author of Earn What You’re Really Worth

“To become truly successful, one must discover the ideal balance

between personal and professional happiness. Azim taps into the core

fundamentals that will help you to travel the journey from success to

significance in this insightful and thought-provoking book.”

—Dr. Nido Qubein, President, High Point University;

Chairman, Great Harvest Bread Co.

“Azim’s Seven Steps to Lasting Happiness is a practical and inspiring

book. Everyone will benefit from reading it.”

—Deepak Chopra, #1 international best-seller

“Extremely impressive...very inspiring”

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

“We’ve needed a book like this for a long time. Now it’s your turn 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

“We can choose to balance our lives; and the practical information

in this book will help enormously.”

—Ken Blanchard, co-author The One-Minute Manager and The Secret

“What good would it be if you are a success in business but a failure

in life. This book will show you that if you have a choice between

success and balance, choose balance because there is no success

without balance. I agree with them. Great book!”

— Jack Canfield, author of the best-seller The Success Principles (TM)

and co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series

“Kudos to Nido and Azim. In a world where people often feel out

of balance, Nido and Azim bring a refreshing and powerful shot of

‘CAN DO!’ from their own remarkable experience and from the

timeless wisdom of both the East and the West. This book is both

insightful and practical—a great read for anyone who wants to live a

balanced life of contribution and meaning.”

—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

PRAISE FOR BOOKS BY AZIM JAMAL III

This is not a ‘need to read’ book—this, for all professionals around

the 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. If you

want pure wisdom do the same. I have known Nido Qubein and

Azim Jamal for many years and their lives are examples of wise

living. They are generous, successful, compassionate, and learned.

They have attained the success-dreams we all admire and yet have

sustained the rewarding and peaceful life others sacrifice. Take their

guidance to heart. Both you 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 need a

little more balance and enjoyment in your life, Nido and Azim have

written a book that will help you achieve both. Read their 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 and the power of Choice—two of the keys for the life we

all want. Nido and Azim are here to coach you. All you have to do is

begin this book—NOW.”

—W. Mitchell, author of It’s Not What Happens to You, It’s What

You Do About It

“Our lives are running faster and fuller than anytime in human

history. Can you really combine work, family, community, friends,

health, career, investments and play—without being completely

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!®

BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYONDIV

Contents

Introduction Business, Balance & Beyond XV

Chapter I Commitment to the Power of Giving 1

Chapter II Commitment to Opening Your Innate Gift 29

Chapter III Commitment to a Winning Attitude 57

Chapter IV Commitment to Enlightened Persistence 85

Chapter V Commitment to Rejuvenation 109

Conclusion The POWER Concept in My Life 137

Appendix I Who Is a Sufi? 159

Appendix II Quotes on Giving by Azim Jamal 161

Appendix III Corporate Sufi Audit Form 169

Appendix IV Corporate Sufi Workbook 173

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

Business, Balance &Beyond

AT THE OUTSET of your expedition in business, the

commercial aspects are of paramount importance. As you graduate

in business, you realize that without balance you cannot sustain your

success. Then when you seem to have it all, you ask, is that all there

is in life? This is where beyond business comes into play. As you read

through the book, you will realize that these three components

actually overlap throughout your journey. Even when you are

balanced and have tapped into the beyond, you cannot ignore the

basics of business.

The business component in this book will cover engagement,

empowerment, efficiency, effectiveness, leadership and capacity

building.

The balance component will cover the importance of internal

richness and external richness.

The beyond component will take you into significance—success for

BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYONDVI

self and helping others succeed—and happiness.

Throughout the book, you will come across the term Corporate

Sufi—an oxymoron at face value, yet profound when fully

understood.

Corporate Sufi is at the nexus of my belief and being. It is a

philosophy I have shared with millions around the world over the

last two decades. My hope is that people who live it and achieve

total enrichment will continue to share it with others long after I am

gone from this earth.

What is Corporate Sufi?

I use the term “Sufi” to describe a person who focuses on the

essence, is grounded in principles, believes in the power of giving

and seeks spiritual abundance. “Corporate” describes a person who

pursues business excellence, is focused on increasing revenue and

profit margins, and seeks material abundance. Together, they

describe a person who is business-centric, driven and productive but

also heart-centered, principle-based and balanced. The Corporate

Sufi takes a holistic view of life’s meaning, seeking both material and

spiritual abundance to become truly rich.

Why Corporate Sufi?

You might wonder why it is important to combine balance and

business, material and spiritual wealth. There are several reasons.

• Massive corporate success without true personal happiness

is a failure.

• Many of the most profound and lasting legacies in our

INTRODUCTION VII

history have been contributed by great leaders who valued

life balance and journeyed beyond monetary goals.

• We are a global village where anything that happens socially,

economically and environmentally around the world affects

us all. We cannot ignore our collective responsibility.

The Corporate Sufi injects old-world sanity into a 21st-century

corporate culture of instant gratification, technology-based

communications and hyper-competitive thinking. It is up to business

leaders to pause and exercise their corporate might to not only bring

about economic growth but individual growth, by enabling positive

change around them.

Lehman Brothers, Enron, Arthur Andersen and World Com were

examples of corporations without the Sufi component, and their

executives paid a heavy price. In the wake of their actions, they

caused immense harm to their employees, their partners, their

customers and the general public. We have seen similar examples in

India ranging from the 2G telecom licences and the alleged theft of

monies by Commonwealth Games officials in Delhi to scams based

on artificially subsidizing food and fuel for the poor in Uttar

Pradesh.

As Corporate Sufis, business leaders can have a far-reaching positive

impact on the world around them.

The Corporate Sufi believes that everyone is blessed with power. Some

use power wisely and some don’t; many never use their power at all.

Imagine that your Creator offered you the power to have anything

you wanted and to do whatever you wanted. What would you ask

for? What would you do? Stop thinking about it, because the truth is

you already have all the power you need to fulfill your wishes.

BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYONDVIII

��5

Every individual is born with innate power, one needs to channelize

it in the right direction. If you only want to achieve business

success, then all your actions will gravitate towards that single goal.

If you also want to achieve balance and to journey beyond, your

actions will reflect those goals. The path you choose is up to you.

Your POWER

The journey toward achieving true success and richness—or

business, balance and beyond—is broken down into five practical

commitments you must make to yourself. I have embodied these

commitments in the word P.O.W.E.R. to make it easy to remember.

Keep in mind as you read further that your power is not defined by

your job title or your income or your status. It is defined by your

beliefs, your attitude, your spirit and your actions.

The POWER commitments are:

• Commitment to the Power of Giving: the more you give, the

more you have.

• Commitment to Opening Your Innate Gift: open your

birthday gift and shine your light.

• Commitment to Winning Attitude: when you aim high, you

reach high.

• Commitment to Enlightened Persistence: know when to

persist and when to exit.

• Commitment to Rejuvenation: be balanced and be open to

the signs the universe gives you.

INTRODUCTION IX

Living Corporate Sufi in My Life

Living a Corporate Sufi life requires perseverance and conviction. It

means working through moments of despair and hopelessness.

Toward the end of this book, I share my personal journey to

unleash my power toward Business, Balance and Beyond. As you read

my story, you will come to realize the journey is long and slow.

Though the easy way out is to give up and quit this journey, those

who persist will go on to realize their power and make a positive

difference in the lives of others.

Living Corporate Sufi in Your Life

This book is written to benefit you, the reader, by involving you in

making your dream come alive. Ultimately, the message and story

come alive for you when you begin to explore and experiment with

concepts in your own life. As you put them into action, they move

from theory to experience, and you begin to live your own powerful

story. In each chapter I encourage you to reflect on questions and

challenges and give you tips on how to get started.

Be prepared to discover how to:

• tap into your power within

• create a burning desire

• open and apply your innate gift

• make a positive difference to self and others

• recognize the value in obstacles and hurdles

BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYONDX

• be present and balanced

• live and work with purpose and be open to universal signs.

Implementing the messages in this book will mark the beginning of

your own powerful and transformative life journey.

—Azim Jamal

Vancouver, British Columbia

Canada

August 2011

INTRODUCTION XI

C H A P T E R I

Commitment to thePower of Giving

THE FIRST COMMITMENT required to unleash your power

is a commitment to understand and practise the power of giving.

Ask yourself

W Are you an empowering or overpowering leader?

W Do you go the extra mile in service or settle for

expediency?

W Have you invested in building trust and healthy

relationships?

W Do you give to your community in creative ways?

W In your personal and corporate life, are you

environmentally friendly?

W Do you attract and invite abundance through giving?

W Have you thought of a giving pledge that will inspire you

to excel?

W Do you feel you are not rich enough to give?

W Do you give and receive in your dealings with others?

W Have you experienced the instantaneous power of giving?

W Do you realize that when you stop giving, you stop

creating?

W Do you realize that whatever you accumulate will one day

be taken from you?

Your potential challenges to implementing this

commitment may include:

• People in your team at work or family not subscribing to this

philosophy

• Treating this concept as more a spiritual and charity ritual

rather than recognizing its powerful impact on business,

relationships and success

• Giving time and energy to customers, colleagues and family,

BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYOND4

thus building trust and deep relationships that takes away

energy from other responsibilities

• Judging others based on your experience and not giving

people the benefit of doubt

• Worrying that giving of time and resources will erode the

bottom line

• Finding it easy to settle for expediency instead of going the

extra step

• Being driven by jealousy and envy instead of a higher

purpose.

In this chapter we explore the following ideas:

? Service is the differentiator in business

? Investing in relationship building

? Giving to your community

? Being environmentally friendly in business and personal life

? How giving multiplies in ways you cannot imagine

? Making a Giving Pledge

? Small gifts can have a huge impact

? As you give, so shall you receive

? How the benefits of giving are instantaneous, continuous

and eternal

COMMITMENT TO THE POWER OF GIVING 5

C H A P T E R I I

Commitment to OpeningYour Innate Gift

THE SECOND COMMITMENT required to unleash your

power is the commitment to open the innate gift you were born

with.

Ask yourself:

W Do you realize that you are nature’s greatest miracle?

W Have you discovered your innate gift and passion?

W Are you authentic?

W Do you know your personal and corporate brand?

W Do you have a clear view of your mission, vision and

values?

W Do you engage your teams and do you optimize employee,

team and corporate strengths?

W Do you strive for a shared vision by getting other

stakeholders involved?

W Is your vision grounded in ethics and principles?

W Do you underestimate your own and other people’s

capabilities?

W Do you shine your light and inspire others to shine their

light?



• Not knowing how to find your innate gift

• Conditioning from childhood that stifles your gift

• Lacking a goal larger than yourself

• Missing a purpose and focus that will engage your gift

• Fearing the thought of leaving the status quo

COMMITMENT TO OPENING YOUR INNATE GIFT 7

• Having an inferiority complex or a lack of self-belief

• Worrying about giving of yourself and being taken

advantage of

• Being self-centered


? You are nature’s greatest miracle

? Finding your innate gift and purpose

? Being natural and authentic

? Developing your corporate brand

? Tapping into your enormous potential

? Importance of clarity

? Engaging and empowering your teams

? Alignment between top, middle and floor teams

? Alignment between personal, family and corporate missions

? Alignment of ethics and principles

? Treating diversity as a strength

? Being the source and taking ownership of your life


C H A P T E R I I I

Commitment to aWinning Attitude

THE THIRD COMMITMENT required to unleash your power

is the commitment to develop a winning attitude.

Ask yourself:

W Do you attract your wealth and success?

W Do you aim high to reach high?

W Do you believe in yourself ?

W Are you committed to win?

W At what level do you play?

W Do you know what success looks like?

W Have you overcome ego and fear?

W Are you practising other ingredients of winning, like

transparency, simplification and taking responsibility?



• Not knowing how to attract success and wealth

• Not having the conviction to aim big

• Having a weak self-concept

• Not having clarity of what success looks like

• Being driven by ego or fear instead of goals larger than self

• Being intimidated by or afraid of others

• Not mastering the ingredients of winning


? How to attract wealth and success


? Aiming high to reach high

? Success begins with believing in yourself

? Being committed to win

? At what level do you want to play?

? Knowing what success looks like

? Ego and fear can undermine your winning

? Taking action to win

? Creating your own luck

COMMITMENT TO A WINNING ATTITUDE 11

C H A P T E R I V

Commitment toEnlightened Persistence

THE FOURTH COMMITMENT required to unleash your

power is the commitment to exercise enlightened persistence.

Ask yourself:

W Are you chasing futile goals which, even when achieved,

will not invite happiness?

W Do you prevail even when the odds are stacked against

you?

W Do you do a little extra to create breakthrough?

W Are you focused and consistent?

W Do you have the determination it takes to succeed?

W Are your actions aligned to your goals?

W Do you have an effective goal-setting methodology?

W Do you make sure that your daily actions are leading you to

success?

W Do you get bogged down in crises or do you look for the

opportunities that crises present?

W Do you see the blessings that some losses create?

W Do you attract success?

W Do you keep the faith and go the distance or stop short?

W Do you turn a problem into an opportunity?



• Differentiating between worthwhile goals and ego-driven

goals

• Being unsure if the goals you have chosen will make you

happy

COMMITMENT TO ENLIGHTENED PERSISTENCE 13

• Breaking a big goal into smaller doable tasks

• Having a road map to where you want to go

• Taking responsibility and avoiding the blame game

• Taking daily, consistent, focused action


? Aspiring for worthwhile goals

? Enormous challenges lie behind success

? How a little extra makes all the difference

? Determination and focus are prerequisites

? Aligning action with goals

? Effective goal-setting to achieve success

? Power of daily small acts

? How to turn crisis into opportunity

? What happens when the stars align

? Keeping the faith and never giving up

? Turning your minus into a plus


C H A P T E R V

Commitment toRejuvenation

THE FIFTH COMMITMENT required to unleash your power

is a commitment to rejuvenate yourself. Rejuvenation includes

balanced living, being present and recognizing signs that the

universe sends you.

Ask yourself:

W Do you know what balance means to you and why you

need balance?

W Are you stressed out and devoid of job satisfaction?

W Do you confuse urgent things with important things?

W Are you going fast and doing lots but not achieving much?

W Do you have rituals that help you focus on the essentials?

W Do you address the question WIIFM (What’s in it for me?)

before expecting support from your team?

W Do you budget your time and keep track of the actual time

spent, differentiating between valuable time and linear time?

W Are you caught up in firefighting mode most of the time?

W Have you realized how your inner life influences your outer

life?

W Have you found the beautiful meeting point between vision

and action in the moment?

W Have you mastered the art of being totally present so that

you are at your peak and able to draw from all your

experiences?

W Do you treat life as a blessing and a gift?

W Do you allocate one uninterrupted hour daily and do the

most important and optimum work then?

W Do you enjoy the ride to wherever you are going?

W Do you pay attention to the signs the universe provides

you? Maybe there is a sign for you, here and now!




• Having too many demands

• Having too many interruptions and distractions

• Struggling to prioritize

• Being too accustomed to firefighting

• Carrying baggage from the past

• Lacking focus

• Looking at relationships as time-consuming and a source of

frustration instead of foundations to success, balance and

happiness

• Not recognizing signs from the universe


? What is balance and why is it important?

? Rejuvenation for leadership in the business world

? How to do less and achieve more

? Daily rituals to create positive results

COMMITMENT TO REJUVENATION 17

? What’s in it for me

? Tight set of priorities to create substantive results

? Time management to get the most out of your life

? Focus is the key, not time

? Enhancing your productivity

? Importance of inner lives in work place

? Meeting point between vision and acting in the moment

? Getting in the zone

? Life is a gift to cherish

? Slow down to speed up

? From Hour of Power to the Power of the Hour

? Savour the journey to wherever you are going


C O R P O R AT E S U F I M E S S A G E b y

Azim Jamal

He’ll make you think. He’ll make you laugh. He’ll

make you cry.

Drawing on his knowledge of business, spirituality, and

personal experiences, Azim energizes audiences with his

thought-provoking and engaging style. The Corporate

Sufi message by Azim Jamal has been shared through

inspirational speaking, consulting, coaching, training,

workshops and products. Over 1 million people in 26

countries have heard his message live, and many more

million have heard his message through media worldwide.

TESTIMONIALS

Calcutta on ‘Power Your People’ was very motivating. His ‘integrity’

was what most attracted me to the entire presentation. He puts

profound things in a humble, unassuming manner — remarkably

poignant! I am going to work on taking a more holistic approach

going forward. Thank you.”

—Gaurav Jalan, Director, Rice Lake Weighing Systems (I) Ltd.

YPO member, India

“Azim’s ‘Corporate Sufi’ presentation on ‘Power Your People’ to the

YPO WPO group in Calcutta was fantastic! I found his concepts on

time management, empowering and engaging the people, and

priority execution simple, practical and inspiring! Thank you.”

—Harsh Bansal, MD, BMWIL and WPO member, India

“We at YPO Calcutta were very fortunate to have an interactive

session with Azim Jamal on ‘Power Your People.’ The event was

excellent and, most importantly, all members and spouses went

home with good ‘take home value.’ Azim is an absolutely amazing

person and the session with him was one of the best I’ve been to.”

—Yash Poddar, Managing Director, RKBK Ltd and

YPO Education Chair, 2011-12

“Azim’s ‘Corporate Sufi’ presentation on ‘Power Within’ was very

insightful (9.5 out of 10). I particularly enjoyed his discussion on

opening our birthday gift which was powerful! I am going to work

on finding my gift and focus on a tight set of priorities. Thank you.”

—Vagish Dixit, MD, Alpla India Chair, and

Hyderabad YPO, 2011–12


“Inspirational....boosted morale...captured the audience….looking

forward to working with you again.”

—Member of KPMG International

“Exudes enthusiasm, positivism and hope...having a lasting

impression.”

—Allergan, USA

“Majority found the session to be informative, relevant, inspiring,

warm, motivational, authentic and genuine, fun, and engaging.

Participants found the effective time management, and practical tips

on change most useful.”

—Varian Medical Services, USA

“Incredible power to inspire action!”

—Cecil Martin, National Football League player, USA

“Would give Dr. Phil a run for his money.”

—CTV reporter, Canada, on keynote at

Chamber of Commerce award night

“I absolutely pursued that dream of winning the Stanley Cup and

was able to overcome and to achieve that dream. I want to attribute

a lot of that to you and your great positive energy.”

—Brad May, professional hockey player for the Anaheim Ducks

team, 2007 winners of the Stanley Cup (World Cup of Ice

Hockey)

“Azim is, in my books, one of the top speakers in the world.”

—Brock Tully, Founder, Porridge for the Soul, Canada

CORPORATE SUFI MESSAGE BY AZIM JAMAL 21

“Life altering experience.....”

—Times of India

“Immaculate ..helped audience discover themselves”

—Gulf Today

“Your presentation was absolute perfection and mesmerizing to say

the least. I have no doubts in my mind that every individual who

attended your presentation on the day was motivated in every aspect

of their lives. ‘Seven Steps to Lasting Happiness’ comes alive in a

presentation, what more can one ask for? You believe in what you

speak. I was very fortunate to have attended three of your

presentations and never once felt there was any kind of repetition.

It is amazing how you reach out to people from all walks of life with

age being no barrier. Your motivation continues to live on through

your books. What I have written is straight from the heart.”

—Shamira Mitha, Public Relations Manager, Le Méridien, Dubai


Documents

Business Balance & Beyond (BOOKLET).pmd