Reflections on the Silent Leaders

I participated in ceremonies this past week commemorating 50 years since the first Canadian settlement of Ismaili Muslims, a community to which I belong. The events led me to reflect on the importance of leaders’ having solid and trusting relationships with a right hand support person and other silent leaders. Please be patient as I share with you how I arrived at these reflections.

50 years ago, when I was 3 and my brother was 6, my parents brought us to Canada from East Africa in pursuit of a better future for our family. We were four of thousands that migrated that year. Many of them, not us, were displaced abruptly and harshly by an authoritarian regime in Uganda. Most of us came to Canada with little more than the clothes on our backs and the faith that His Highness the Aga Khan, our leader as Imam of the Ismaili Muslim Community, would guide us and advise on how to create a better life for ourselves and our communities. Those that weren’t ready for entrepreneurship, found jobs. We helped each other, built community and met for prayers. Those amongst us with financial resources were generous in sharing. Those with leadership skills stepped up and organized our community to deliver socio-economic support.

A few years later, in 1978, His Highness, came to visit Canada and his community. I took 2 days off from school. Pleased with the progress we were making, His Highness advised us to make Canada our home, build our lives while giving back to the country that accepted us. On that same visit 44 years ago, he announced that he would build us a Jamatkhana, a community centre and prayer space now called The Ismaili Centre Vancouver, that would be a physical manifestation of his commitment to this country as a home for his followers. The construction of many Jamatkhana's followed as we transitioned from meeting in community members homes and school gyms to dedicated spaces we could call ours. In these spaces, the community gathered, supported each other and planned ways to give back to the country that welcomed us, just as His Highness had asked us to.

This past week, I had the honour, with other leaders in my community to witness some tremendous and historic milestones in Ontario. As volunteer leaders of the Ismaili community in Ontario, two colleagues and I lead our teams to organize these events. And this experience has impacted me in ways that I did not expect. I will try to share just a small part of my reflection with you.

At the first event, the Mayor of Toronto, John Tory granted His Highness the key to the city in recognition of his and his followers significant contributions to this country and to some of the most marginalized people in the world. Mayor Tory also ceremoniously renamed the street which holds the Ismaili Centre, the Aga Khan Park and the Aga Khan Museum as Aga Khan Boulevard. Prince Amyn Aga Khan, His Highness’ younger brother accepted these honours on his behalf. Two days later, the Premier of Ontario and the Mayor joined Prince Amyn to break ground on an exciting multi-generational affordable housing project. A project funded by generous donors from the Ismaili Community, the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto with an aim to addressing one of the biggest challenges facing cities and families. Access to affordable housing and the care and quality of life of the elders in our community.

As I was listening to Prince Amyn make remarks of gratitude on behalf of his older brother here is what I was thinking. Prince Amyn told us the story how he and an aid, came to Canada in 1972 to lay the groundwork for settlement of the community. Prince Amyn Aga Khan had arranged with Government of Canada and three of the country's leading banks to provide the loans for entrepreneurs within the community to re-start their lives and a package of information and resources for helping us get started in careers in the new country. He reported that he did that work in a mere week.

On a side note, my Dad was one of these entrepreneurs who with a small investment took over a shuttered gas station while my Mom registered for a short administrative course so she could get a job as a secretary. With those two sparks we began to build our life.

Here is the reflection: Prince Amyn was 34 years old when he came to Canada for a week to help establish a softer landing for his older brother’s followers. He was dedicated to being in service to his brothers’ mandate for most of his adult life. Now at the age of 85, here he was in front of us, on behalf of the Aga Khan, receiving the key to the city and the renaming of a street in the largest city in the country. How proud he must have felt in this moment, yes of course proud of his brother. But I realized he must have been proud from a different perspective as well.

As we settled in Canada, built community and acted on the guidance of His Highness, I did not often think about Prince Amyn. Sure I recognized him as an important supporter of our leader but I did not think about how he felt as he watched the progress of the community.

After that week in 1972, he was invested in us, in this specific Canadian Ismaili community. He must have watched us with great interest as we settled, got educated, built careers and businesses. He must have watched with pride as future waves of newcomers arrived from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Syria, Bangladesh and Iran to be settled by the community who just a few years prior were newcomers themselves.

How proud he must have felt over the years as he watched the community contribute to this country. As he watched one of us become the first Muslim mayor of a major city, as he witnessed several get elected to various levels of government….as he watched one of us get appointed as Lt. Governor of a Province. He watched us take senior executive roles at the banks that he first negotiated with to grant us credit. He watched as we become judges and professors at universities, leaders of non-profits, news anchors, performing artists, authors, world class health care providers, hoteliers, venture capitalists, architects…the list goes on.

He never asked for credit and he never gave us direction (he left that to his older brother)…but he must have quietly rooted for us, advised from behind and paid close attention. How proud he must have been. While of course it would have been wonderful to witness His Highness participating in receiving these honours directly, I am so so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience this reflection. How proud Prince Amyn must have been of us, and how grateful he must have been that his brother sent him to Canada for a week to set us up for success. He must have felt part of our story. Just incredible that he did this silently from behind the scenes for the past 50 years.

I had a chance to briefly say hello to the Prince. There was not enough time to convey this reflection. Had I had just 5 more seconds, I would have held my hand on my heart and said “Thank you for what you did for us in that one week in 1972 and for quietly supporting us ever since.” This article is my way of expressing that sentiment. The Prince likely won't read it but I consider the message transmitted.

If you are a leader, never doubt the impact of reliable, loyal, intelligent and hard working silent leaders around you. The people who can be candid with you and are not afraid to challenge while also being able to execute your decisions when necessary….absolutely priceless. If you haven’t done so lately, share a few words or a gesture of appreciation with the silent leaders around you. This note is my gesture to those that surround me. They know who they are.