Rediscovering the Spirit of Service

 

☕ KopiTalk with MHO | MIB Management 101

A new series of reflections on leadership, sincerity, and service through the lens of Melayu Islam Beraja.

Inspired by Brunei’s national motto:
Ad-dāʾimūna al-muḥsinūna bi-l-hudā — “Always render service with God’s guidance.”

Just lessons from life, faith, and experience — shared over a cup of coffee.
Not theories. Not textbooks.

Episode 1 — Rediscovering the Spirit of Service

Ad-dāʾimūna al-muḥsinūna bi-l-hudā - 

Always render service with God’s guidance.

Have you ever reached the top of your to-do list and still felt … empty?  

That was me - early in my career, running fast but not sure where my steps were leading.

I read everything that promised success:  

Edward de Bono’s Lateral Thinking, Peter Drucker’s Managing for Results, Zig Ziglar’s What I Learned on the Way to the Top, and Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.  

Each one sharpened my thinking, but none spoke to the heart.

Then I found a local treasure - Professor Dato Dr Haji Mahmud Saedon Awang Othman’s Ciri-Ciri Pentadbiran Islam.

That book didn’t talk about profit or power. 

It talked about amanah - trust, and ihsan - excellence through faith. 

It reminded me that leadership begins with the soul.

Years later, at PPP Ilmu Alim Consultancy, I was assigned to research Islamic management. 

What began as a project soon became a journey. 

The more I studied, the more I saw that management is not merely a corporate science - it’s a moral calling.

In Islam, and especially within MIB, management means serving others under divine guidance.  

The Malay values of berbudi bahasa, bertimbang rasa, hormat menghormati, tolong menolong and gotong-royong give it humanity.  

Islam gives it sincerity and discipline. 

The Monarchy gives its example - leadership through wisdom and service.

Together, they form a living philosophy:  

To lead is to serve; to serve is to worship.

That realisation changed how I saw performance and success.  

Key Performance Indicators no longer measured only numbers - they measured barakah, harmony, and trust.  

I began to see my colleagues not as subordinates but as amanah entrusted to my care.  

Every meeting became a small act of ibadah - an offering of effort with niat or nawaitu (intention) and ihsan (excellence).

The motto on our national crest finally made sense:  

Ad-dāʾimūna al-muḥsinūna bi-l-hudā. 
Always render service with God’s guidance.

Why do we work?  

For salary? Recognition? Position?  

Or because we see work as part of our khidmat - service to Allah, to people, and to the nation?

True management isn’t about controlling others.  

It’s about managing ourselves - our ego, our time, our sincerity.  

That’s the heart of MIB Management 101.

I’m not a management guru, only a lifelong learner sharing what I’ve discovered - sometimes right, sometimes mistaken, always learning.  

If you’ve ever wondered how faith and leadership can meet at the same desk, this series is for you.

So before your next task or meeting, pause and whisper your 'nawaitu':  
“I’m doing this for barakah, not ego.”

You’ll be surprised how much lighter your work feels.

(Next Episode: Leadership as Amanah — The MIB Way)

☕ KopiTalk with MHO — Reflections on Leadership, Faith, and Service.