In an English newspaper, there is a special column by the name of ‘Workplace Sanity’ in which people write about their workplace problems to an expert who gives very useful answers to these problems. Many people face a number of problems in their workplace but one of the most common problems is the frustration caused by one’s incompetent or inefficient boss. More or less, similar situation is faced by my friend who recently left his last job and joined a new place. When he was in the selection process, he seemed very excited as he was going to join a well-reputed organization where all the facilities were comparatively better than his previous job. After all the necessary procedures, he got his appointment letter and was very happy and pleased with this. Then we could not see each other for almost a month. In our meeting, I inquired him about his new job and he was not much happy about it. He said, ‘though my previous job was in a small company and my salary was also less but I enjoyed my work and had freedom to do it in my own style. But here, I work under a boss whose is a complete picture of stupidity and incompetence. He doesn’t understand the nature of the work we do and he considers himself to be too much intelligent and expert of the field. When there is a problem, he makes me sit and then starts his long lecture and this long session is both funny and irritating. When there is a work that is simple and straight-forward and can be easily done, he says, ‘No, I think this is one of the most important tasks we have. According to my experience, we need to think a lot before we take an action’ and he shows as if he is busy in thinking intelligently and after sometime, he comes up with a strange and stupid solution. On such occasions, when I give my opinion, he first rejects it and in the end, accepts it and says, ‘I was also thinking on the same lines. It looks as if you are growing intelligent working with me.’ Then he likes to have meetings a lot and does not let me to work properly. He calls me almost twice to his office for some kind of meeting in a day. I still remember our first meeting when he introduced the organization to me. After the meeting finished, he asked me to make something really strange. He said, ‘Please make a presentation about our today’s meeting’. I thought that I might have heard him wrong so I asked, ‘Sir, do you mean that I should prepare a report of this meeting?’ But he said, ‘Meeting report is an ordinary thing and I have found that a presentation is more effective and useful than a report.’ I had no words to say. I wanted to say that it was just an orientation meeting between two people, there were no new ideas or projects and details of this meeting had nothing to do with any other person so why to waste time in completing a presentation but I silently nodded my head and left his room. Later on, I discovered that it was his habit to exaggerate and the next day, he used to forget what he had said a day before. Anyhow, I am struggling and suffering a lot to work with this stupid person who himself doesn’t know anything and doesn’t let others to work either’.

Most of you might have experienced that in some families, when a son starts earning and old and retired parents become dependent on him, he automatically gains too much importance while elders of the family no more remain elders. They are treated like servants and all their authority and importance is snatched from them and these powers are transferred to the person who is important because of his money. In such circumstances, words of parents or elders gain no importance while everyone looks at the mouth of the son who is the bread-winner to take his permission and opinion in all their decisions. I have also experienced this painful situation when father gives his view about something with hesitation and his son shouts and says, ‘Oh father! You have grown old now and your senses are not working properly. It is better that you should stop interfering in issues that you can’t understand’ and the silent father becomes even more silent. Then he completely retires from all his authority and doesn’t dare to speak in any matter of family or its members.

Be it in a workplace or in a family, when the power and authority gets into wrong hands, it creates a lot of problems and frustration. An able and competent boss not only works nicely but also leads his subordinates in the most efficient manner. This results in a wonderful organizational culture that gives birth to an environment where employees like to work and show their best performance. Contrary to this, an incompetent boss not only shows less performance but also badly affects the performance of others in the organization.

According to Quran and Sunnah, when incompetent people will get the authority, there will be FASAAD which can be translated as anarchy, frustration, chaos, disorder and destruction. In one of the sayings of Holy Prophet (PBUH), this trend has been pointed as one of the signs of QAYAMAT or the day of resurrection. When incompetent people will get to power and high posts, there will be great anarchy and disorder in society which will slowly lead to the resurrection day. This statement carries more weight when we observe an organization where an incompetent boss soon brings an end to the overall productivity of the organization.

In centuries, when Muslims were on rise, society was based on education and knowledge and most pious, wise and educated people were chosen to the posts and their knowledge and wisdom kept each and everything in order in the society. They preferred wise and mature behaviors and practices and having a look at them, people also liked such mature practices. But in our present day society, where money and material success is given more importance, stupid, incompetent, ill-mannered but rich people are given preference over the educated and wise and thus, the society has also been colored in the same color. These rich people only care about earning and accumulating more and more wealth and thus, it has become the approach of every member of society. Their ambitions and targets never rise up from their personal and carnal desires and thus same ambitions and targets are also reared by majority of the public. Whatever stupid things they do, attract the attention of public and entice them to do the same.

It is also said that when day of resurrection will be close, an ignorant and illiterate will become your leader and he will lead astray the others and lead them to the destruction.

But it doesn’t mean that wisdom and knowledge has anything to do with the age. A young man may have more knowledge or may be wiser than an aged person. But until and unless the list of preference of society is not changed, society will keep suffering of the wrong and sinful acts and thoughts of the incompetent leaders and guides.