Graduate School of Leadership and Change Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior, Aqeel Tirmizi, PhD, recently published the chapter “Perspectives on Self and Leadership Development from the Tradition of Sufism” included in the edited volume, Leadership at the Spiritual Edge: Emerging and Non-Western Concepts of Leadership and Spirituality (Routledge, 2024).
The philosophy and traditions of Sufism have a rich history going beyond the last millennium. The opening quote in the chapter by the Turkish Sufi Yunus Emre, “I am the drop that contains the ocean,” provides a glimpse into the veiled universe of this tradition and its mystic philosophy. The main aim of this chapter was to explore and identify insights from Sufism and highlight the potential guidance they may offer for contemporary thinking about self and leadership development. The chapter offers an introduction to the foundational ideas of Sufism and relates them to self and leadership development. The key themes focus on Sufism-informed self-transformation, mentorship, meditation, humility, and unity and love. The chapter concludes with some provisos and reflections.
