Key global events often shape the work creatives produce. For Hafiz Sheriff, the re-election of Donald Trump in 2024 was a moment of profound disillusionment and also the moment in which his newest book, ‘Character,’ took root.
The United States, he felt, had failed a basic test. “I hated Trump even during his first term,” Sheriff told Brunch. “I knew he was bad news. When he was convicted of all those crimes, I thought that would be the end. But the Supreme Court and the Republican Party still backed him and nominated him for the presidency in 2024. The American people still voted him in. I felt they had no character. That’s when I knew I had to write this book.”
The book in question is ‘Character,’ Sheriff’s second publication, which was released worldwide on 15 August by Austin Macauley Publishers (UK). In it, Sheriff explores what true character means and why the world needs it now more than ever.
What is character?
Sheriff is not shy about his views on what defines character and what inspired his book. For him, Trump embodies everything that character is not. In ‘Character,’ he places Trump in direct contrast with Abraham Lincoln, the President he sees as embodying dignity, honesty, and empathy.
“Character is not about power or wealth,” Sheriff explained. “It is about acting with dignity, being honest, and caring for other people. It is about empathy, about recognising the struggles others face.
“Leaders with character don’t just manage tasks; they help their people with their personal challenges too. If someone in your team has personal problems, those problems affect their work and then your productivity as well. As a leader, you must support them. That is good for them and good for the company.”
Sheriff also believes that the foundation of character is self-awareness. “Self-awareness is crucial,” he said. “When you are self-aware, you understand your strengths and weaknesses. You can correct yourself, and that gives you the ability to understand and read other people as well.”
Cultivating self-awareness
Sheriff traces his own practice of self-awareness back to his teenage years. At 16, he began visiting the British Council Library in Colombo, where he came across a book on psychology.
“It taught me the importance of thinking and reflection,” he recalled. “I didn’t realise it then, but I was training myself to become self-aware. As I grew older, I understood that this was the key to my success. Wherever I worked, my bosses respected me because I could see problems clearly and act on them.”
He shared one striking example from early in his career in apparel when he was assigned to a factory that was struggling nearly to the point of needing to be shut down.
“The factory was struggling. Within the first month, I doubled production. They had been shipping three containers, but I raised it to six. Later in Bangladesh, I improved productivity to such a level that I was given huge bonuses.
“My approach was simple. If I had even five minutes free, I would walk the factory floor. I would look for bottlenecks, broken machines, or inefficiencies and fix them immediately. That attitude, grounded in self-awareness, made all the difference,” he said.
This discipline of constant observation and analysis, he said, was central to his success as an apparel manufacturer Chief Executive Officer (CEO) overseeing operations across Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong.
Research and inspiration
While ‘Character’ is shaped by Sheriff’s personal experiences as a CEO, it is also informed by his wide reading and research. He drew extensively from resources such as Yale University publications and Harvard Business Review articles.
“There is so much writing on character,” he said. “I picked from here and there, combined it with what I had seen in my own life, and tried to make it practical.
“My advice to readers is simple: look inward. Examine your inner life, find your faults, and make corrections. Be kind, be good-hearted, and help people whenever you can. That is how character is built.”
Sheriff’s first book, ‘History As I See It,’ also tackled similar themes, tackling global politics with the same directness he brings to his ‘Character.’ He devoted much of that book to the Israel-Palestine conflict, examining not just the history of the conflict, which has been taking place since 1947, but also the broader histories that set the stage for the conflict today.
He is uncompromising in his criticism of the conflict. “The war is, quite simply, crimes against Palestine. ‘History As I See It’ covers the A to Z of it, from how Israel was created to what it is today. The treatment of Palestinians today is simply inhuman. Israel thinks it is superior to the Palestinians and is committing mass murder. It has brought Gaza to the ground.”
‘History As I See It’ also talks about the US-Iraq War, which Sheriff simply denounced as a “crazy war,” noting that in the end, the US was never able to find the weapons of mass destruction that began the conflict in Iraq. “They went in on a myth about weapons of mass destruction, destroyed one of the world’s oldest civilisations, and left it in ruins. That is not leadership. That is the opposite of character,” Sheriff noted.
Ultimately, Sheriff hopes ‘Character’ will encourage readers to turn inward and reflect. “If a person looks inside themselves and is guided by what is good and bad in this world, their character will be fantastic,” he said. “They will know their faults and they will lead a decent, honourable life. That is what I want people to take away.”
Beyond ‘Character’
Sheriff shows no signs of slowing down as an author. ‘Character’ will be followed in October by ‘Why Work Hard?’ — a book influenced by his own professional journey and the value he places on effort and discipline.
“Hard work has defined my life,” he said. “Even giving up rugby, which I loved, was part of a decision to focus fully on my studies and career. Self-awareness pushed me to work harder than others. That is why I succeeded.”
Other works are also in progress or under review. These include books that deal with themes of the importance of gratitude, the power of empathy, and a study of the Enlightenment thinkers who brought science into the world during the Renaissance and reshaped the world as we know it.
Gratitude, in particular, has become a subject of deep interest for him. “Research shows that when people write down what they are grateful for, depression disappears. Gratitude brings humility and happiness. I never realised its importance until I began researching it.”
Sheriff is also a singer-songwriter. His music is available on Spotify and iTunes, another outlet for his need to express ideas and emotions. He reads widely, citing Yuval Noah Harari’s ‘Nexus’ and ‘Sapiens’ as recent favourites, particularly for their exploration of history and humanity’s origins.
All of his creative work, whether writing or music, is guided by a single philosophy: the pursuit of truth. “I always believe in the truth,” he said. “Even when I read sensational stories, I want to know the truth. That is the only way forward.”
‘Character’ is now available on Amazon. Sheriff’s third book ‘Why Work Hard?’ follows on 10 October