Resilience - From Killing Fields to Boardroom. Casey Reason
Acknowledgements
This exploration of professional knowledge stems directly from my work, family, friends, colleagues and students. The encouragement, love and support I receive from my wife, Cjala Surratt, is what drives my passion for education and research. My success would not be possible without her compassion, companionship, friendship and empathy.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude and warmest appreciation to the following people for their support:
To my mother, the strongest woman I have ever known. Thank you for raising me, supporting me and never giving up on your son. You overcame so much adversity and sacrificed so much to give your children a better life in America. I hope my work, actions, behaviors and words make you proud.
My siblings Sophary Abdul-Qadir, Hannette Un and Susan Un, I love you all. We have been through a lot together. I truly apologize for any pain I might have caused you throughout my early childhood years. I hope my maturity and perseverance have made me a better brother to you. I am proud of all of you and am honored to be a part of your life.
To my mentor, Mr. Willie Dowdell, thank you for believing in my potential and helping me stay out of trouble. When everyone else in high school gave up on me, you saw the promise of what I could become. You are the closest thing I have to a father figure in my life. Words cannot truly express how impactful you have been in my journey from adolescence to adulthood.
To my best friends and academic partners for life; Dr. Khuram Hussain, Dr. Darrell Burrell, and Dr. Maurice Dawson. We experienced a lot together in our pursuits to make a meaningful impact in the academy, and to better serve our students and community. I truly appreciate and value your friendships throughout the years. Thank you for pushing me through my doctorate program, supporting me in my research, encouraging me to pursue a career in higher education and for always being there when I needed you.
I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge Dr. Casey Reason and E. Patrice Perkins for their assistance, guidance and support in helping to design and edit this book. Dr. Reason helped make this guided biographical idea become a reality. You took interest in my personal story very early, and inspired me to continue my quest to lead and help others. To Patrice, I appreciate all of your patience, dedication and commitment to seeing my work come to fruition. Your review and editing services were extremely valuable in the development of my story.
The entire Ping Chong & Company family, and the staff at Syracuse Stage that helped to ignite my passion to share my story with others. Being casted in the theater production of “Tales from the Salt City” was an experience that I will forever cherish. Thank you for your mentorship, coaching and support in helping to bring my story to life on the stage: Sara Zatz, Ping Chong, Kyle Bass and Tim Bond, and my cast members Lino T. Ariloka, Gordana Dudevski, Rebecca Isabel Fuentes, José Miguel Hernández, Albert Marshall and Jeanne Shenandoah.
Also, last, but not least, my book club committee for reviewing my manuscript and providing invaluable feedback and support:
Sophaline Mao
Jacqueline Bhagavan
Kathleen Thompson
Savy Som
Nancy Lee
Randy M Muth
Sonita Surratt
Jennifer Nicole
Arel Moodie
Ratanak Srey
Paul Kocak
Foreword
Habits And The Eruption Of Prospective
By Casey Reason, Ph.D.
The most transcendent artists don’t vie for our attention. They don’t try to identify with us. Instead, they create art wherein they find a way to harvest the truth within themselves. As observers of that art, we relish in their discoveries as we witness the harvesting season. Playwrights like Shakespeare, poets like Maya Angelou, graffiti artists like Taki 183, have artistic expressions within them wherein the expression of their art becomes an undeniable eruption on the world around them. Such is the case for the art and wisdom of Dr. Emad Rahim.
It will probably be difficult for most of you reading this book to identify with Dr. Rahim’s journey. Most of you haven’t worked with Jack Welch, studied at some of the most prestigious institutions on earth, and lived with the horrors of street gang justice and genocide. Indeed, your journey may not look like his, but the art that he’s created in Resilience: Killing Fields to Board Room is likewise an undeniable eruption —an artistic expression—a season of harvest of ideas and sensibilities that will shape your leadership journey.
The journey that is illustrated in this book goes beyond a simple rags to riches ascent. What’s compelling about this artist’s voice is his ability to emerge as a character with an unexpected ability to transform in front of you. Early in the story you meet the vulnerable refugee and the equally vulnerable young man of the streets. As an adult you meet the Ivy League scholar, the hip-hop DJ, and the benevolent caregiver and family man. Interestingly, each modern vestige brings strength, tone, and perspective to this work and allows for the emergence of a voice without hesitation or restraint.
Ben Franklin was famous for professing that a man’s net worth to the world is determined by what remains after bad habits are subtracted from good ones. What appeals to me about this book is its gritty, illustrative, story-rich content coupled with a very practical presentation of the series of essential habits that will guide a leader towards a better and more fruitful pathway forward. It is true that change happens in our hearts and heads first, followed by our outcomes. However, when we make those changes within, it’s entirely helpful to begin to follow the patterns of success that will undoubtedly shape our future outcomes. Getting clear about the habits that will lead us towards better outcomes represents a level of lucidity that’s frankly missing in many books today. In his writing Emad creates a perfect balance of story and strategy in helping the reader cross the chasm and enjoy a new perspective.
With so many inputs competing for our attention today, making the commitment to read a book is not insignificant. One of the beautiful benefits of reading a book is garnishing what might be decades of insights in just a few hours of digesting well-crafted prose. The heavy hammer of life’s very challenging experiences helped shape Emad into the man he became today. To be able to briefly see the world through his eyes even for just a few hours represents a very unique experience that would be impossible without the creation of this thoughtful book.
In an era wherein innovation is at the heart of everything we strive for in our personal and professional lives, this book will challenge your sensibilities and bring you to a new level of understanding. With resilience comes the opportunity to grow and to expand to new heights. Dr. Emad Rahim clearly experienced this transformation and by sharing these words, we each can be transformed.
Dr. Casey Reason is an award-winning author and expert in collaboration, innovation, overcoming resistance to change, and next-level leadership. He has worked with a variety of clients, including some of the top Fortune 100 companies in the world. Dr. Reason currently serves as the Director of The Center for the Advanced Study of PLCs and Virtual Collaboration at The University of Toledo and Founder of Casey Reason Companies.
Introduction
Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It's about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others' success, and then standing back and letting them shine. - Chris Hadfield
Introduction: The Boardroom