Rewire, refire, renew: The HEART of leadership – TMR Edition
Leaders who engage in consistent renewal create the conditions for sustainable performance
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
- Appeared in print edition of TMR (The Malaysian Reserve) on 24th November 2025 – click for scanned copy.
- Appeared in online edition of TMR on 26th November 2025 – click to go to TMR online article.
Slowing down becomes a moment of strengthening as leaders rewire with intention (Pic: AFP)
LEADERSHIP is often measured by results, but long-term effectiveness depends on a leader’s ability to renew strength, clarity and purpose. Without renewal, there is a feeling of same-old same old.
Then performance eventually dips, decision-making dulls and leaders drift away from the connection between their responsibilities and their inner compass.
Earlier this year, I underwent bypass surgery. It was a harrowing period that disrupted my routine and momentum. It really tested my resilience as I faced pain and total weakness.
At first I saw it as a medical interruption. It then became a period of deep reflection on what sustains a leader through painful trials and tribulations.
My endurance during the gradual recovery journey gave rise to the HEART Framework, a model for building resilience and intentionality from the inside out, applicable to both personal leadership and organisational development.
The experience reminded me of a Hadith many of us know but seldom internalise: “Take advantage of five before five: Your youth before old age, your health before sick-ness, your wealth before poverty, your free time before busyness and your life before death.” The Prophet Muhammad highlights five domains where awareness and foresight create strength. I began to see how these domains shape leadership too.
When my health faltered, even temporarily, I realised how easily leaders can take wellbeing for granted. Recovery allowed me to rewire how I view time, ambition, impact and identity.
I recognised that I did not want to return to the old operating system that prioritised output over wellbeing, speed over wisdom and activity over purpose.
The bypass surgery can be viewed as a one-time overhaul, for physical health, but the process of rewiring is not. It is a continuous restructuring of how I think, how I work and how I lead.
Leaders who do not intentionally rewire eventually repeat patterns that no longer serve them. Leaders who engage in consistent renewal create the conditions for sustainable performance. This mindset forms the pulse of the HEART Framework.
Slowing down becomes a moment of strengthening as leaders rewire with intention.
The HEART Framework
The HEART Framework grew from my own process of rising, strengthening and regenerating after surgery, It now serves as a leadership model for strategic renewal in organisations.
H – Health Audit
I am a regular cyclist and had no symptoms, but I did a health screening anyway, then (shockingly) discovered heart blockages. Before surgery, doctors reviewed every critical indicator.
Leaders need similar audits. Where are the silent risks in the organisation, physical and beyond? Are teams functioning with clarity? Are leaders stretching beyond healthy limits?
A health audit is a disciplined pause to assess what is strong, what is weakening and what needs attention.
E – Emotional Readiness
During recovery, I made a deliberate commitment not to retire, but to return with more intention and impact. I had rewired 10 years earlier by exiting corporate life to become coach. Now I became even more crystal clear about heartfelt intention and impact. So, I re-rewired!
Emotional readiness determines how leaders show up. When leaders operate from exhaustion or routine, teams feel it. When leaders carry clarity and readiness, organisations gain momentum.
A- Anchor in Meaning
My decision to return to work came from a heightened and deeply personal sense of calling. Healthy again, I feel I am at my prime to help leaders and professionals with my lived experiences and the wisdom God has gifted me, Alhamdulıllah.
Leaders gain longevity when their goals are aligned with meaning When objectives are rooted in purpose rather than vanity metrics or urgency, decisions improve and teams stay grounded.
R- Rhythm of Development
After major surgery, my body was haywire. I had almost zero energy and could barely speak. My recovery was excruciatingly slow. Each week, small improvements accumulated into strength. I religiously followed the regimen set out by my personal trainer and vocal instructor (read: Physiotherapist and speech therapist) and got out of the woods eventually.
Leadership development follows the same principle. Growth requires rhythm, patience and respect for pace. Organisations that rush transformation often burn out their people. Those that honour rhythm build resilience.
T- Time Gracefully Used
My four-month medical leave became a period of gestation and regeneration rather than stagnation, Although I call it recovery, I prefer to think of those months as reclamation.
Leaders benefit when they reframe pauses. Sabbaticals, transitions, slowed quarters or unexpected delays can become spaces for reflection, skill-building and strategic reset.
Collectively, these HEART principles form a structured way for leaders to pause, reassess and realign. They offer language for sustaining performance without diminishing wellbeing
Renewal From the Inside Out
I have met many capable leaders whe struggle because they lack renewal. They move fast but do not audit their health, emotionally or organisationally. They deliver results but drift away from meaning. They push for speed but ignore the rhythms of development. They fill their days with activity but do not use time with grace.
Leadership is often taught as a series of skills, yet its deeper foundation is the leader’s inner environment. The HEART Framework helps leaders cultivate that environment.
When leaders embody these principles, they create a culture where teams feel safe to breathe, organisations can grow sustainably and renewal becomes a shared discipline.
Rise Through Challenges
My surgery taught me that slowing down can be a moment of strengthening. Renewal is part of leadership instead of a retreat from it. When leaders take the time to rewire with intention, they return with clarity and conviction.
The HEART Framework offers a pathway for leaders and organisations seeking to build resilience that lasts, grounded in purpose and sustained through alignment. As leaders move through changing seasons. HEART becomes a guide for leading with steadiness, wisdom and ihsan – excellence with consciousness.
Hasannudin Saidin
CEO Coach, Rubah Associates
and can be reached at hasan@rubah.my.
Click here for the longer Newsletter version of the article that includes video.
