LDR 6100 LEADERSHIP ANALYSIS

IMRAN KHAN
By Faisal Taquie

1 December 2012

When you see setbacks, never scale back your dreams.

When you do (that), you begin to think less of yourself. The
key is how you handle the setback and come back stronger.
Imran Khan

Imran Khan: An example of grit, determination, and self-

belief! How a single person can transform a country! Jinnah would
be proud! Faisal Taquie

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Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 3
2. BIOGRAPHIC SUMMARY........................................................................................ 3
3. RESULTS AND RESPONSE TO CHALLENGES..........................................................6
3.1 INTELLECT...................................................................................................... 6
3.2 SPORTSMAN................................................................................................... 6
3.2.1 Cornered Tigers and 1992 Cricket World Cup..........................................7
3.3 PHILANTHORPIST........................................................................................... 8
3.4 POLITICS.......................................................................................................... 10
3.5 RECOGNITION................................................................................................. 11
4.0 LEADERSHIP ANALYSIS.................................................................................... 11
4.1 LEADERSHIP PERCEPTION............................................................................ 11
4.2 MISSION....................................................................................................... 12
4.3 DISTINGUISHING ATTRIBUTES......................................................................12
4.4 PRINCIPLES, VALUES, AND SKILLS...................................................................14
4.4.1 PERSONALITY......................................................................................... 14
4.4.2.1 INTELLIGENCE:....................................................................................... 14
4.4.2.2 SELF-CONFIDENCE:................................................................................14
4.4.2.3 DETERMINATION:................................................................................... 15
4.4.2.4 INTEGRITY:............................................................................................. 15
4.4.2.5 SOCIABILITY:.......................................................................................... 16
4.4.3.1 TECHNICAL SKILLS:................................................................................ 16
4.4.3.2 HUMAN SKILLS:...................................................................................... 17
4.4.3.3 CONCEPTUAL SKILLS:............................................................................18
4.5 LEADERSHIP STYLE:.................................................................................. 18
5.0 PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE.................................................................................19
6.0 FOLLOW UP..................................................................................................... 21
REFERENCES............................................................................................................ 22

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1. INTRODUCTION

Imran Khan is currently the leader of political party, Pakistan Justice Party, in Pakistan,

which is aiming to challenge the status quo, corruption, and lack of action in all fronts. My

interest in Imran Khan was increased by multiple roles he has played over the years. In addition,

he has proven his leadership by being a successful social worker, leading the creation of first

cancer hospital in South Asia, as well as being a professional sportsman by leading a fairy tale

story to win Cricket World Cup 20 years ago. With his ability to produce success results in

multiple different fields, he has won support globally. He has been a childhood hero for many in

the country, purely because of his ability to make progress despite obstacles.

2. BIOGRAPHIC SUMMARY

According to Mirza (2010), Imran Khan was born in 1952 to a civil engineer in

Pakistans cultural center, Lahore, to a family which produced many great personalities for the

country including engineers and sportsmen. According to Mirza (2010), his parents paid great

emphasis on education and Imran Khan had to constantly balance education and cricket.

According to Imran Khans own admission at TedxKarachi (2011), he was not seriously

interested in cricket until he watched his cousins Javed Burki and Majid Khan represent

Pakistan.

During his teen years, he started playing for local teams in Lahore until 1970. In 1971,

after completing his education at Aitchison College, Lahore, he went abroad to England to study

economics and political science at Oxford University, while taking active part in cricket. His

skills in cricket at Oxford University resulted in him becoming captain of the University team.

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 Soon he was noticed by Pakistan selectors and he was given a chance to make his debut

for the visiting Pakistan team in England, in 1971, while he was still attending Oxford. While

studying in England, he also played country cricket, equivalent to franchise sports, from 1971 to

1975, representing Worcester. He returned to Pakistan after completing his education and

represented the national team as well as various domestic teams in Pakistan and England.

Imran Khan soon secured a permanent place in Pakistans national cricket team in 1975

and continued a successful 20 year career which included representing Pakistan in World Cups

from 1975 to 1992, becoming one of the fastest bowlers (baseball equivalent pitcher) in the

world, one of the most successful captains of all time, and a devastating batter. According to

Cricinfo (2012), Imran Khan played roughly 250 cricket matches representing Pakistan and

around 400 matches representing various domestic teams in Pakistan, England, and Australia. As

a player, he broke many records and is one of only five players, according to Cricinfo (2012), to

take around 500 wickets in all formats (baseball equivalent out) and score around 7,500 runs, an

extra-ordinary cricket achievement.

After retiring from Cricket in 1992, Imran Khan began writing articles and columns to

express his views on cricket and social issues in newspapers while appearing as a cricket expert

for Pakistani matches as well major international tournaments. In addition, in 1990, he began a

journey of developing countrys first cancer hospital, Shaukat Khanam Memorial Hospital,

named after his mother who died of cancer in 1985. To date, according to Royal College (2012)

news, up to 75% of patients from under privileged backgrounds have been provided free

treatment.

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 In 1995, he married British Jemima Goldsmith in England. As he achieved the milestone

of completing the hospital in 1995, he set his foot on a new field by forming a political party in

1996, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, (English: Pakistan Justice Party). Over the subsequent years,

Imran Khan put in effort in revolutionizing Pakistans political system with his wife on his side.

Imran Khans political party contested elections in 1997 but did not win a single seat and

in 2002, his party won only a single seat and that too of Imran Khan, which led him to become a

member of the National Assembly, Pakistans equivalent of Congress. In 2007, he resigned from

his post, along with 85 other members to protest against President Musharraf who was contesting

the election without resigning his post as the army chief and to protest nepotism. As a result of

this protest, Imran Khan was put under house arrest by President Musharraf and his family

tortured. His party boycotted elections in 2008 as a protest of massive corruption and planned

rigging which brought a felon, Asif Ali Zardari, as a President, as mentioned by Soofi (2010).

Largely ignored in the political field by his opposition from 1996 until late 2000s, Imran

Khan had a steady support from Pakistanis who wanted an end to corruption and admired Imran

Khans uncompromising stance on his principles. In 2011, he announced his partys firm

determination for 2013 elections by addressing over 100,000 people in Lahore and Karachi, and

increasing numbers in every rally he conducts across Pakistan, as mentioned by Imtiaz (2011).

Over the years, Imran Khan has also continued to write books and expanded his social

work by building colleges, schools, and agricultural support from his own as well as donation

funds.

Amid many struggles, his marriage ended amicably in 2004 as his political ambitions

coincided with his wifes family life aspirations. Though they are divorced, his wife of 10 years

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still supports and advocates his cause in England, writes columns in his support and Pakistans

struggles.

3. RESULTS AND RESPONSE TO CHALLENGES

Imran Khans leadership impact can be assessed from his accomplishments and his

actions when faced with challenges. Following is a brief account of Imran Khans achievements.

3.1 INTELLECT

According to Sandford (2009) and Wikipedia, Imran Khan has been an author of six

books including a personal biography, cricket skills, Pakistans beautiful Northwest frontier,

social issues, motivation, and a book capturing historic events of Pakistan and the lessons from

those. In addition, he has written hundreds of articles and columns for various prestigious

newspapers including Britains Guardian, Telegraph, Independent, and Pakistans The News and

Dawn.

In addition, he has been interviewed by many noted authors, domestic and international,

who have written books about him. Recently, in 2012, a Pakistani movie, Kaptaan (Captain), was

released depicting his life and events, as mentioned by Naseer (2012).

3.2 SPORTSMAN

Although cricket is a relatively unknown sport in the United States, Imran Khan is

regarded for his hard work, talent, and leadership across the cricket playing countries. When he

retired from cricket after a 19 year career, he had broken many records and won many trophies

including the prestigious World Cup and Australasia Cup. As mentioned by Samiuddin (2006),

under his leadership, Pakistan was one of the few countries from 1982 to 1992 to have beaten all

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cricket playing countries on their home turfs, which in cricket terms is an extraordinary

achievement. At the peak of his career, he was considered as one of the fastest bowlers, baseball

equivalent of a pitcher, and under his captaincy, Pakistan exceled from a team with potential

talent to being one of the most successful teams of that era.

In addition to being a successful captain that united a rather talented but fractional team,

he was famous for discovering raw talent, nurturing them, and thrusting them with opportunities

and confidence to play to their potential. Some of these included world record breakers like

Wasim Akram, Inzimam-Ul-Haq, and Waqar Younus, who to this date credit their captain,

Imran Khan, for developing supreme confidence in them that generated a playing career of

around 15 years for each of them.

3.2.1 Cornered Tigers and 1992 Cricket World Cup

In 1992, at the twilight of his career, Imran Khan led the Pakistan cricket team to his final

tournament, the 1992 World Cup. His team included only four players with substantial

experience while the rest were either rookies or less experienced players. With Imran injured and

at post-retirement age of 39, his star tactician Javed Miandad fighting sickness, and with the

team made up of largely young, inexperienced, or unknown players, no one, not even the local

media had given his team any chance of even a respectable show at the Cricket World Cup.

As predicted in the media, Imran Khans team won only one out of the first five matches.

On the brink of elimination, the team had to win every game going forward against formidable

opponents. Imran, with firm belief and conviction, set the self-confidence and belief in the team

to win against the odds and famously motivated the team by playing like Cornered Tigers, a

term he used for his team to play their best when their backs were against the wall. He played

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most of the matches in the tournament with an injured shoulder with painkilling injections while

his most experienced star team member, Javed Miandad, played in matches despite high fever.

Imran led from the front in bowling (baseball equivalent pitching), and batting and entrusted

younger team members, like Inzamam and Wasim, with responsibility and confidence to deliver.

This motivation was a turning point in Pakistans cricket history as in a matter of days,

his largely unheard of rookies became household Cornered Tiger names in Pakistan, India,

England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and many other cricket playing nations by

producing stunning performances that lead Pakistan to a World Cup victory.

Cricket World Cup 1992 was not Pakistans first or last global victory. Prior to that and

after that, Pakistan has won many sporting glories in cricket, field hockey, squash, and snooker

among others. It was not the most dominated performance that Pakistan had produced on a

cricket pitch. It was the teams unity, motivation, getting strength from failures, and will to win

against the odds and the matter in which they performed, that has become folklore in Pakistan

even after 20 years. Pakistan won another cricket T20 World Cup in 2009 but not many in the

country would rate the transformation that Imran did in 1992 to other achievements by Pakistan

in cricket or any other sport.

3.3 PHILANTHORPIST

Some people excel in one industry, few make their mark in two arenas, yet even fewer set

out to accomplish the firsts across many new arenas and succeed in multiple arenas. When his

mother was diagnosed with cancer, Imran Khan realized that there was not a single cancer

hospital in Pakistan. He leveraged his popularity from cricket and set out to build the first cancer

hospital in Pakistan where patients were treated for free.

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 In a developing country where regular hospital treatment could be challenging, building a

cancer hospital by generating funds from donations globally is another monumental

achievement. When he sat out with the idea of building a cancer hospital, no one in the history of

South Asia and the World in general, had seen a single man determined to build a free hospital

for one of the most expensive treatments in the world. No wonder, he was laughed at, mocked,

but nothing deterred his will and soon he started to gain supporters to the extent that celebrities

across the world including Pakistan, India, England, and Australia, supported his cause and

conducted fund raising on his behalf.

Imran Khan did not stop at the building of Shaukat Memorial Cancer Hospital. He

continues to be involved in generating funds and donation to run the hospital every year. As

mentioned by Imran Khan Foundation (IKF), Imran Khan has spread his social work to other

needed areas of the society, including building a technical college, Namal College, in rural

Pakistan, where most of the youth were unemployed due to lack of qualifications. As mentioned

by Imran Khan at TEDxKarachi (2011), his vision is to build a technical city to transform

Namal from a place with no colleges to a beacon of education. The Namal College is affiliated

with University of Bradford (UK) and provides high quality of education from reduced tuition

and financial aid to needy students.

Imran Khans non-profit organization, (The Imran Khan Foundation -IKF at

http://www.imrankhanfoundation.org/), was highly instrumental in rehabilitating thousands of

people after 2009 and 2010 floods in Pakistan. His organization, IKF, set up 25 relief camps,

provided relief in 25 trucks with 241,200 bags of food and seeds to 131,530 farmers, and

provided repair and reconstruction to 3,500 houses in 70 villages in rural Pakistan.

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3.4 POLITICS

After completing the hospital, Imran Khan set out to new challenges. At that

time, he could have easily carved out a successful career by becoming a TV commentator like

former cricket players, made millions by giving speeches around the world, or settled in England

and led a comfortable life with his wife. Instead of all the easy options, he chose a formidable

challenge to transform Pakistan politically by joining politics.

He started his political career as a sole member of the party and was laughed around by

the government, the opposition, and local and international media alike. Over time, he got air

time in media to express his views on current domestic situation, economy, and corruption.

His political party only won a single National Assembly seat in elections and he is in the

process of transforming the nation in political arena. Just like his sports and philanthropic career,

people were not giving him chance or taking seriously. With the national elections around the

corner in 2013, his political party has the support around the country, as mentioned by in the

previous section about massive attendance by public in various Pakistani cities. In addition, Bano

(2012) mentioned that registration to his party has increased dramatically with over a million

registered supporters and Bano (2012) claims that he is considered as the most popular politician

in the country at present.

3.5 RECOGNITION

Based on his contributions to society, Imran Khan has been recognized globally. These

honors include induction to Oxford Universitys Hall of Fame, Pride of Performance by

President of Pakistan, Crescent of Excellence which is the highest civilian award by the

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government of Pakistan, Honorary Chancellor of the University of Bradford, UK, Jinnah Award,

and Honorary doctorate by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

4.0 LEADERSHIP ANALYSIS

Although Imran Khan is relatively unknown in the US, he has been the center of media

attention in Pakistan, India, and Britain. The following is my analysis of Imran Khan as a leader

in various roles he has played in his life.

4.1 LEADERSHIP PERCEPTION

Imran Khans leadership perception is of someone who is honest, hardworking,

persistent, trustworthy, and outspoken about injustice. His perception among the young Pakistani

population is that of a folklore hero, his opposition in politics perceives him as a threat as

someone who challenges nepotism, and the Taliban have threaten to assassinate him as he is

outspoken about their twisted views. According to Qazi (2010), Wikileaks have confirmed that

the US and Europe consider him as the only political leader in Pakistan worthy of negotiations

on equal terms and genuinely interested in the well-being of Pakistanis.

His leadership on the cricket field has been much celebrated and he proved his leadership

in social work by accomplishing what none had done before him in the region, which is to build

a cancer hospital from scratch. On the political front, he was not taken seriously for about 16

years from 1995 to 2011. He started a political party as a lone member and founder, and in 2012

he had masses of over 100,000 in major cities of Pakistan to listen to his speeches.

Overall, the perception among his followers, opposition, distractors, and critics is the

same, which is when he sets out to do something, he is resilient, uncompromising on his vision,

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blatantly honest, challenges the status quo, and willing to make sacrifices for the greater benefit

of the group, whether it is his cricket team members, cancer patients, or the public of Pakistan.

4.2 MISSION

Imran Khan has had a transformative leadership style in every field he has been involved.

In cricket, his mission was to transform Pakistan from raw talent to a highly competitive team. In

philanthropy, his mission was to transform the society with the culture of giving by celebrities

while doing several firsts. In politics, his mission is even higher, which is to rid Pakistan of

corruption and nepotism and transform the country from a struggling geopolitical country to a

dynamic, vibrant, and economically self-sufficient country.

In all the fields, it is clear that he has set very high standards and goals for himself and for

his followers. In addition, his missions are not short term, they are long term which needs a lot of

perseverance and they bear long term fruits.

4.3 DISTINGUISHING ATTRIBUTES

As mentioned by Doyle and Smith (2001), there are many different attributes about

leadership. Utilizing the behavioral model described by Doyle and Smith (2001), Imran Khan

has high concern for people with a high concern for tasks. That is, his followers, whether in

sports, social work, or in politics, look up to him to set the path and he focuses on achieving the

goals while providing the path.

As mentioned by Doyle and Smith (2001), charisma is an inherent attribute of the leader

that attracts followers to the leader. Imran Khan possesses this attribute which has resulted in him

not only generating support from Pakistan, Britain, or Australia, but even celebrities and

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sportsmen from India, historically arch rival, gathered to support his cause for building the

cancer hospital.

Imran Khan also possesses the five exemplary leadership practices as mentioned by

Kousez and Posner (2002). He has set out clear vision in all fields that he was involved and

recently in politics, he has casted a vision of corruption free country that has created hope for the

younger generation. Throughout his life, he has challenged the process and searched for

opportunities that can move the county forward.

In a country, where dictatorship is prime even in democratic political parties, Imran Khan

has enabled his followers to perform, whether it was entrusting rookies to perform in the biggest

stage of a World Cup match, delegating responsibility of the administration of the cancer

hospital, enabling local workers to set up a university in rural Pakistan, or mobilizing his

political supporters to make their optimal impact.

Imran Khan has modeled the way by leading all these efforts whether spearheading the

effort on a cricket pitch, hands on involvement in setting up the cancer hospital, or taking brutal

punishment for his uncompromising and uncorrupted political stance. During all his successes,

he has always paid credit to his followers. In his speeches, he always mentions that he was

neither the best cricketer in the country nor the most compassionate philanthropist nor the best

politician but he always set his standards high and models the way by striving hardest to achieve

those standards.

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4.4 PRINCIPLES, VALUES, AND SKILLS

4.4.1 PERSONALITY

There has been no information on Imran Khans official personality characterization

based on Jungs 16 personality types from Northouse (2012). However, my assessment is that he

is an Introvert, Intuitive, Thinker, and Judger (INTJ) personality type as he reflects internally, as

mentioned by him in TedxKarachi (2011), prefers to focus on the big picture by creating a vision,

and his decisions are generally based on rational thinking rather than emotional attachment to a

situation. In addition, his life is an example of judgment and predictability by creating

structure whether it is his cricket, book writing, social work, or politics.

4.4.2 TRAITS

Over the years, there have been several studies to determine the traits and characteristics

that describe great leaders. From the research conducted, Northouse (2012) categorized

leadership into five major traits: intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and

sociability.

4.4.2.1 INTELLIGENCE:

Imran Khan possesses all five major traits, as described by Northouse (2012). His

intelligence can be portrayed in him graduating from a premier domestic college, graduating

from Oxford University, writing six books, and writing numerous articles for local and

international papers. In addition, he has been a keynote speaker at several occasions.

4.4.2.2 SELF-CONFIDENCE:

Imran Khans self-confidence has been apparent on several instances, whether it was his

confidence in giving young players chance on the biggest occasion in cricket, believing in his

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ability to build a cancer hospital, and promising a vision of change in politics when he was the

only member of his political party.

4.4.2.3 DETERMINATION:

In my opinion, Imran Khans determination is endless. As an engineer, I know it is

extremely tough to start a challenging field, prepare for failures, and be reasonably good with

success. Imran Khan has shown immense determination to be a pioneer in multiple fields and

transform people around him in every field he was involved in.

4.4.2.4 INTEGRITY:

Imran Khans political opposition has started to target him in every possible direction and

recently, his association with the cancer hospital was targeted. The people of the country came to

his side and vouched for his integrity. As mentioned by Um-er (2012) on tumblr, one of the

protestor said I may not trust Imran Khan with my vote, but I will, with my money! With my

eyes closed. These remarks are contrary to the ones normally reserved for politicians

everywhere, especially in Pakistan.

As a cricketer, he was known for no tolerance for nepotism and he was very rigid against

those that tried to affect team harmony. In fact, as mentioned by Tirmizi (2012), he famously

dropped his first cousin, Majid Khan a great player, with whom he was very close with, on the

basis of performance. For him, it was a simple choice between nepotism and winning for

Pakistan and he chose the latter.

Imran Khans life is filled with instances such as these where he made no compromise to

his principles. A recent survey, as indicated by Bano (2012), revealed that Imran Khan is the

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most popular Pakistani leader, not only in politics but across the country in various fields largely

due to his firm and uncompromising stance on his principles.

4.4.2.5 SOCIABILITY:

Imran Khan has been in the public eye in Pakistan for over 35 years, yet he is a private

person, as mentioned by Mishra (2012). Despite that, he has made an effort to reach out to the

people in every walk of life. As an example of his inclusion philosophy, Zakariya (2011)

mentioned his die-hard attitude, determination, and inviting women to politics won her over to

the extent that she is determined to vote for the first time in elections in 33 years.

4.4.3 LEADERSHIP SKILLS

In addition to the personality traits, a great leader should have balanced skills to lead his

followers. As mentioned by Northouse (2012), a leader should have optimal balance of technical,

human, and conceptual skills, depending upon their organizational position. I think over the

years, Imran Khan has created a great balance in each role he has played.

4.4.3.1 TECHNICAL SKILLS:

In cricket, Imran Khans talent was never in doubt since he started representing Pakistan

at the international level. In fact, Crickets main media body, Cricinfo (2012), included him as

one of the greatest of all time cricket players in Legends of Cricket. In any sport, one has to have

tremendous skills and talent to last over 20 years. Imran Khan not only did that but also led the

country as a captain for many years.

In philanthropy, he has been successful in relying on experts for building the hospital,

colleges, and schools. In addition, as an author of six books and numerous columns, I think

Imran Khan possesses critical analytical and research skills to write on various subjects from

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cricket to social issues to existing political and defense issues in Pakistan. He is well respected

as an author and his articles and views have been published in numerous newspapers.

In politics, I believe his education at Oxford University as well as years of living in

various countries, while playing cricket, provided him with exposure and experience to justice

systems, lack of corruption, and law and order.

Overall, as mentioned in the tribute to him by other legends in Cricinfo (2011), Imran

Khan was immensely talented himself but when he lacked technical skills, he either learned them

or found the best people in that area who knew those skills.

4.4.3.2 HUMAN SKILLS:

Northouse (2012) defined human skill as knowledge about the ability to work with

people. Simply put, it means getting the best out the peers, colleagues, subordinates, and even

superiors. Imran Khan had a niche in finding talent and getting the best out of them in cricket. In

fact, more than half of his World Cup winning team was named in renowned cricket journalist

Christopher Jenkins (2010) top 100 cricketers of all time.

Similarly, while building the cancel hospital from 1990, Imran Khan did not act alone. He

formed an effective team with clear responsibilities and focus on various aspects. For example,

as mentioned on the Shaukat Memorial Hospitals website (2012), the master plan for the

hospital was created by a doctor and the executive management comprises of doctors, with Imran

Khan focusing on generating funds and providing overall vision and direction. This is very

contrary in a country where leaders become the CEOs, President, or the center figure in any

accomplishment they might achieve. Imran Khan achieved the balance of putting together the

best team for building and maintaining the hospital.

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 In politics, he started as a lone member but has been instrumental to revolutionize his

political party to 1.5 million registered members, as reported by Alvi (2012), in a society where

concept of registering to a political party is very foreign. In politics, he has relied on forming a

credible team largely consisting of well-educated individuals as mentioned on his political

partys (PTI) webpage http://www.insaf.pk/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx (2012).

4.4.3.3 CONCEPTUAL SKILLS:

I think Imran Khans key asset is his vision and conceptual skills, regardless of the field

that he was involved in. As mentioned in Cricinfo Legends (2012), despite losing many games,

he casted a vision on his team to win. Similarly, as Imran Khan himself mentioned in

TedxKarachi (2011), he has used his vision to create infrastructure in multiple fronts including

cricket, hospital, colleges, and politics. Arguably, no other leader in Pakistans history has been

instrumental in transforming the minds of people in multiple arenas as Imran Khan.

4.5 LEADERSHIP STYLE:

Using the Path-Goal Theory described by Northouse (2012), Imran Khan consistently

utilizes the achievement oriented leadership style. Achievement oriented leadership focuses on

the leader and the followers to perform to their highest potential.

As mentioned by one of his prodigies, Wasim Akram on ESPN Legends (2012), Imran

Khan set the belief in the team and the highest standards for himself and the team. As Akram

mentioned, He (Imran Khan) was a hard worker to the core. He would be the first to come to

the ground and the last one to leave. Even in social work and politics, there have been

numerous incidents of him leading a simple yet assertive agenda to provide the best to his nation.

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 Another great aspect about his leadership is the lack of out-groups as mentioned by

Northouse (2012) in the Leader-Member Exchange Theory. A key characteristic of Imran Khan,

as a leader, has been to discover the inherent talent of his key team members, whether it is his

cricket team, his cancer hospital board, his political party leadership, or his social foundation.

Imran Khan also represents an example of not only transformational leadership but also

authentic leadership in the sense that he genuinely cares about the goals and well-being of his

followers. His cricket team members still refer to him as Captain even 20 years after his

retirement while people associate with his cause so much to pour in donations every year for the

cancer hospital to run. According to Royal College (2012), Shaukat Memorial hospital has

conducted operations worth of $130M received in donations, which makes it not only unique in

Pakistan but also anywhere in the world.

5.0 PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

As mentioned by Mishra (2012), despite tricks from opposition to affect Imran Khans

image as a leader, he is getting immense support from youth, women, minorities, well-educated,

and people who want an end to corruption in Pakistan. In addition, the Taliban have threatened to

assassinate him, as mentioned by the Indian Express (2012). The army does not see eye to eye

with Mr. Khan as he opposes their lack of effort in eradicating the country of Taliban. This

concluded Mishra (2012) to suggest that he must be doing something right that all those who

want a better Pakistan are supporting him to the fullest while the corrupted politicians, Taliban,

and some in the army who only want their own benefit are trying their fullest to reprieve him of

his support.

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 My personal perspective is that he has been a real asset for Pakistan and has shown the

country that nothing is impossible to achieve. In my opinion, he realized very early that if he can

be the best at cricket and if his countrymen can be great engineers, lawyers, and doctors outside

of Pakistan, they certainly have the potential to make progress within the country.

The greatest charismatic effect of Imran Khan is that every person, not just in Pakistan,

who has experienced failures, dreams of success, and works hard towards his goals, can relate to

him. In Pakistan, people normally enter politics as way to become rich. Imran Khan, on the other

end has invested and sacrificed most of his own life, funds, and efforts in the betterment of the

country and its people. I personally have not come across another person to struggle as much as

Imran Khan has, not only in one but multiple different arenas. For a person to become successful

in one field is amazing but to strive and overcome obstacles in multiple different fields is simply

extraordinary.

We may not see Imran Khan become a Prime Minister of Pakistan in his lifetime or even

gain even seats in the elections in 2013 but he has transformed the youth of Pakistan to start

believing themselves that they too could become a prosperous country. He has prompted many

expatriates like me to ponder ourselves to make a difference, whether in Pakistan or in the

societies we live in. In short, over the decades, he has challenged the status quo, set new

standards, and created a dream, and strived to achieve those dreams, whether those dreams were

on a cricket pitch, writing a book, building a hospital, developing a college, building a political

party, becoming a Prime Minister, or inspiring a nation of 170 million.

In my opinion, he has accomplished not only his dream, but inspired many to be like him,

that is, to live to make a difference!

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6.0 FOLLOW UP

From Imran Khans leadership analysis, I have learned that a person should explore new

opportunities, not be afraid of new challenges, and be prepared to handle failures. The larger the

goals, the larger the possibility of failures but these failures should not cause our goals to reduce.

In addition, his leadership analysis has indicated that a person can learn and make an impact in

many different areas of society whether it is sports, education, social reforms, or academics.

However, the most important lesson that I have learned is to be honest, ethical, and authentic in

leadership and take the stance for what is right rather than what is convenient.

One thing that I will change about my leadership, after this analysis, is to be prepared for

failures. Although I have achieved most of my goals in life thus far, I have given up at times in

life when persistence could have made larger impacts. The other thing that I will change is to

avoid forming out-groups if I get a leadership opportunity in the future.

Although I was aware of Imran Khan as a leader before this analysis, I did not know his

failures, hardships, personality, and views in as detail as I do now. Although I may never achieve

his level of success, but I feel really proud that my mental attitude, leadership style, and

personality is aligned with qualities that I have admired in him.

22
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