Mission-driven strategy: When faith reframes people, purpose and profit – TMR Edition
How Muslim leaders can translate mission-oriented frameworks into faith-conscious strategy
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
- Appeared in print edition of TMR (The Malaysian Reserve) on 10th November 2025 – click for scanned copy.
- Appeared in online edition of TMR on 12th November 2025 – click to go to TMR online article.
(pic: MEDIA MULIA)
Revisiting Autonomous Knowledge
IN MY previous article, I challenged us to unlearn defaults entrenched by coloniality and to generate autonomous knowledge rooted in Quranic guidance and Prophetic practice.
Today, I pick up that thread through the lens of strategy frameworks which already exist in the secular world and explore how they might be re-interpreted and re-grounded for faith-conscious leaders.
Lately, I’ve been reading the book Venture Meets Mission by Arun Gupta, Gerard George and Thomas Fewer. It argues that capitalism itself is shifting: From pure profit-seeking to purpose-seeking.
Organisations now talk about aligning people, purpose and profit to create societal transformation. That’s appealing to me. For us Muslim professionals, the question becomes: How do we translate that alignment into strategy that honours Allah, serves mankind and ensures sustainable impact? That is when mission truly meets deen.
Faith Lens: Purpose Beyond Profit
The Quran instructs us: “And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion…” — Quran 98:5.
Similarly, the Prophet Muhammad taught: “Actions are but by intentions, and every person will have only what they intended.” — Hadith.
Strategy has focused on beating competitors or achieving better margin. For Muslims, we also remember to be serving as khalifa, stewarding resources and people and ensuring the benefit is far-reaching and enduring.
When venture meets mission, profit becomes means and not the end. Strategy must serve khair (goodness), amanah (sacred trust) and ihsan (excellence).
• Shared Values: Rediscovering the common ground between people, purpose and profit. The authors say organisations must build trust by aligning underlying values, not just transaction models. For Muslim leaders, this means embedding Quranic values (justice, mercy, stewardship) into strategic frameworks.
• The Virtuous Cycle: Aligning people, purpose and profit to create the future we want. The book argues that mission-driven ventures that align these three generate sustainable impact. From a faith lens, this becomes: People as amanah, purpose as ibadah and profit as means for welfare and legacy.
Translating Frameworks Into Faith-Conscious Strategy
Here are possibly actionable steps for us leaders:
• Re-define the “profit” variable: In our strategic models (e.g. Balanced Scorecard, Business Model Canvas), redefine “profit” to include barakah (divine increase) return, social value and sustainability for akhirah (the hereafter). Embed revenue targets alongside impact targets, eg number of lives improved, knowledge transferred and environmental harm reduced.
• Align strategy around values first: Start any strategic planning with: What values will we embody? Use frameworks to map how each pillar of strategy. Goals, key performance indices (KPIs), people and governance reflect those values. If “people as resources” is our starting point, we can consider changing it to people as amanah and check how strategy changes.
• Design mission-venture partnerships internally: The book shows that the most effective mission-driven organisations shift from “either or” (profit versus purpose) to “both-and.” For internal strategy, create collaborative teams across functions (finance/HR/ operations) where mission-oriented metrics are co-owned. As a sample, designate a team responsible for “outcome beyond deliverables,” eg not just “deliver 500 units” but “deliver 500 units + improved community literacy.”
• Review our strategy ecosystem annually: Just as the book outlines how ecosystems of venture + government + society require alignment, our organisational ecosystem needs periodic review. Ask — do our partners, suppliers and customers share our values? Are we influenced by imported paradigms of growth alone? Are our frameworks colonial in origin and need localisation for our Muslim leadership context?
• Use case study reflection:
We may pick one area of our organisation (or our professional practice) where we see “mission drift” creeping in. Map it using the “people-purpose-profit” lens, then redesign the strategy toolbox: Tweak the Business Model Canvas, revisit KPIs and repurpose incentives to be aligned with ihsan. Document the before and after. The shift becomes part of our autonomous knowledge. Talking of case study, here’s one: A video from one of our Faith-Conscious Professionals meet-ups when George Bohlender of Dragonfire Corporate Solutions illustrated the above-mentioned “purpose as ibadah.”
Navigating the Status Quo
Generating autonomous knowledge isn’t comfortable. It means questioning frameworks we relied on, admitting gaps and re-learning with humility, amid the status quo in most of the world.
But as leaders conscious of faith, we can transform strategy from a tool of domination into a vehicle of stewardship. We can shift from extraction to contribution.
The invitation is simple: Let faith and not default paradigms be the compass for our strategy.
• Hasannudin Saidin, Kuala Lumpur.
Click here for the longer Newsletter version of the article that includes video.
