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JAICO PUBLISHING HOUSE
Ahmedabad Bangalore Bhopal Bhubaneswar Chennai Delhi Hyderabad Kolkata Lucknow Mumbai
AZIM JAMAL
BusinessBalance &Beyond
Business, Balance & BeyondISBN 978-81-8495-294-0
© Azim Jamal
First Jaico Impression: 2012Second Jaico Impression: 2012
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system,
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
Printed byRepro India Limited
Plot No. 50/2, T.T.C. MIDC Industrial AreaMahape, Navi Mumbai - 400 710
Published by Jaico Publishing HouseA-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road
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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?
Your potential challenges to implementing this
commitment may include:
• 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
In this chapter we explore the following ideas:
? 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
BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYOND8
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?
Your potential challenges to implementing this
commitment may include:
• 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
In this chapter we explore the following ideas:
? How to attract wealth and success
BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYOND10
? 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?
Your potential challenges to implementing this
commitment may include:
• 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
In this chapter we explore the following ideas:
? 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
BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYOND14
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!
BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYOND16
Your potential challenges to implementing this
commitment may include:
• 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
In this chapter we explore the following ideas:
? 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
BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYOND18
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
BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYOND20
“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
BUSINESS, BALANCE & BEYOND22