Book Excerpt: Akbar The Great CEO - The Emperor’s 30 Rules of Leadership by Shazi Zaman

An exclusive excerpt from Akbar The Great CEO : The Emperor’s 30 Rules of Leadership by Shazi Zaman (Published by Speaking Tiger, 2024)

The prosperous province of Gujarat was Akbar’s prize conquest. But soon after he reached Sikri after capturing Gujarat he got the disturbing news that the province was about to fall to Muhammad Hussain Mirza and Ibrahim Hussain Mirza who, like Akbar, were descendants of Amir Timur. The governor appointed by Akbar in Gujarat, Mirza Aziz Koka, was besieged in Ahmedabad. While the rich coastal province was of immense value to the empire, the governor Mirza Aziz Koka was especially dear to the Emperor. His mother Jiji Anga was one of the ladies who had breastfed Akbar. Akbar was fond of saying, “We and Mirza Aziz Koka are joined by a stream of milk.” Weeping profusely, Jiji Anga told Akbar, “Do whatever you must. I want to see my son’s face.”

Akbar immediately dispatched the royal harem and thousands of soldiers and said, “They are going ahead of me but will reach after me.”

Raja Bharmal, Raja Todar Mal and many trusted nobles were entrusted with the security of Fatehpur and Kunwar Man Singh was ordered to join the Emperor with the Kachhwaha Rajputs.

On Sunday the twenty-third of August, 1573 CE, Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, accompanied by three hundred people, mounted a she-camel and set out on the swiftest journey of his career.

As predicted, on the way the entourage met the forces that had been sent in advance and overtook many of them, reaching the destination in record time. Abul Fazl wrote:

“To make a long story short, the world’s lord being possessed of a right intention, an upright mind, supreme confidence in God, and a lofty courage, and also because by giving even small attention to the matter, 300 or 400 first-rate troopers could be collected in a short space of time, accomplished in nine days such a long journey—which caravans took two or three months to effect.”

When the rebel Muhammad Hussain Mirza saw Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar’s army on the other side of the Sabarmati, he shouted and asked, “Whose army is this?”

A soldier replied, “This is Badshah Salamat’s army that has come to teach a lesson to the disloyal.”

Muhammad Hussain Mirza said, “My men left Fatehpur fourteen days ago. If this is the royal army, where are the royal elephants who are never separate from the royal army?”

The soldier replied, “How would elephants mighty as the mountain travel with the army and cover four hundred kos in nine days?”

Although some in the army felt that they should wait for reinforcements because the enemy was far superior in numbers, Emperor Akbar said, “In all enterprises and especially in this expedition all my reliance is on Divine aid. If I had looked to ordinary means I ought not to have come this long journey so unattended.”

With this he plunged into the swollen river and his army followed him. In the fierce battle that took place, Muhammad Hussain Mirza was captured.

With the battle won, Emperor Akbar’s foster brother Mirza Aziz Koka was rescued and the head of Muhammad Hussain Mirza was dispatched to Fatehpur and Agra for public display.

Despite numerical inferiority, it was the element of extreme speed and surprise that won the battle. But for Akbar each challenge deserved a different strategy because he was not predictable. Predictable action would make him vulnerable. His foes were kept in suspense about what strategy he would pursue—long rope or lightning march.

The chariot goes as swift as a cloud,

Like as patience departs from lovers,

From the rapid going outside and inside

The echo reaches the skies.

—Sheikh Abul Fazl about the swift march from Sikri to Ahmedabad

Excerpted with permission of the author Shazi Zaman and publishers, Speaking Tiger from Akbar The Great CEO : The Emperor’s 30 Rules of Leadership.

About the Book

Centuries pass and the world changes, but many of the qualities that make a charismatic and effective leader do not. The life of Akbar, the great Mughal, stands out for its capacity to guide today’s aspiring leaders.

Akbar inherited a turbulent territory, but after 49 years of rule, left behind one of history’s strongest and largest empires. Not only did he successfully subdue rebellions and expand his rule, he won the loyalty of many, and the admiration of many more, things which mere brute force cannot accomplish. Akbar knew that some situations require a lightning response while others benefit from deliberation. He understood the value of being unpredictable, but also the need to be merciful and dependable. He knew the importance of networking, of seeking counsel, but also of putting one’s foot down. Loyalty was treasured, but he wasn’t blinded by it; clarity was valued, but he realized that gestures and symbols were important, too, in order to convey what could not be stated explicitly. Akbar was larger than life, always one step ahead of friend and foe alike, but he understood that no power is absolute, that no office can be taken for granted, and that force has to be tempered with toleration, and confidence with caution.

Through defining episodes in Akbar’s life, Shazi Zaman paints a nuanced and insightful picture of one of the mightiest and most inclusive rulers in history, conveying enduring lessons in leadership to the captains of modern institutions.

About the Author

Shazi Zaman started his three-decade-long career in broadcast journalism at Doordarshan, and has since then worked with several media organizations. He has had a long association with the ABP News Network as a senior executive producer and as their Group Editor. He has been on the governing bodies of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi. He is the author of three Hindi novels, Prem Gali Ati Sankri, Jism Jism ke Log and Akbar, which he also translated into English. He has also written a book for children, The Alligator and The Stapler and Other Magical Tales.