Selling your Subordinates' Ideas

A very inspiring leadership trait is that, when your subordinate proposes an initiative or an idea, you challenge them to ensure the proposal is solid enough, and when you finally become convinced, you take ownership of the idea and really try to sell it to others too, because you believe in it.

Some bosses, when you finally convince them, they agree, yet when they get a bit challenge, remarks , or criticism from higher management, or other stakeholders, etc, they become defensive politicians; they look at you and say “you tell them”, and shift the blame to you and just remark “I don’t know – it was his idea”, or “yeah, you’re right - I always thought it was a stupid idea”.

Some bosses don’t care about initiatives or new ideas - they don't want to challenge the status quo or make their lives difficult: they just want to have things easy.

But some bosses, have this remarkable trait that, after you convince them, they will have so much faith & belief in your idea that they will drive your proposal for you, and sometimes even do a better job than you to sell your ideas to make it fly. They display utmost conviction in their decision to sell your idea, and they inspire you to become more progressive, productive, and motivated.

And this is the leadership trait that Caliph Abu Bakr (radhiAllahu anhu) had when Umar tried to convince him to scribe the Qur’an, and then he sold the idea to his scribe, Zaid ibn Thabit - (radhiAllahu anhum). 

(Take note: He never said, “Umar, I told you it wasn’t a good idea – YOU explain to this guy”)

Narrated Zaid bin Thabit:

Abu Bakr (the Khalifah) sent for me after the large number of casualties in the battle of Al-Yamama, while 'Umar was sitting with him.

Abu Bakr said (to me), 'Umar has come to me and said, “A great number of memorizers of the Holy Quran were killed on the day of the battle of Al-Yamama, and I am afraid that the casualties among the Qaris of the Quran may increase on other battle-fields whereby a large part of the Quran may be lost.

Therefore I consider it advisable that you (Abu Bakr) should have the Qur'an collected.'

I (Abu Bakr) said, 'How dare I do something which Allah's Messenger did not do?'

'Umar said, By Allah, it is something beneficial.' '

Umar kept on pressing me for that till Allah opened my heart for that for which He had opened the heart of 'Umar, and I had in that matter, the same opinion as 'Umar had."

Abu Bakr then said to me (Zaid), "You are a wise young man and we do not have any suspicion about you, and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's Apostle.

So you should search for the fragmentary scripts of the Quran and collect it (in one Book)."

Zaid further said: By Allah, if Abu Bakr had ordered me to shift a mountain among the mountains from one place to another it would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me to collect the Qur'an.

Then I said (to 'Umar and Abu Bakr), "How can you do something which Allah's Apostle did not do?"

Abu Bakr said, "By Allah, it is something beneficial."

Zaid added: So he (Abu Bakr) kept on pressing me for that until Allah opened my heart for that for which He had opened the hearts of Abu Bakr and 'Umar, and I had in that matter, the same opinion as theirs.

So I started compiling the Quran by collecting it from the leafless stalks of the date-palm tree and from the pieces of leather and hides and from the stones, and from the chests of men (who had memorized the Quran).

(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book #60, Hadith #201)