This Is Why Every Leader Should Experience Ramadan.

Assalam Alikom and Ramadan Kareem.

When we read an article about Ramadan, we read about the religious teachings and how this month becomes an opportunity to connect with our Creator, correct? Ramadan offers many opportunities to sharpen our leadership skills, and this is why I invite every leader to experience Ramadan. In this article, I will address the opportunities to connect with others. Those opportunities will allow us to step into our leadership zone and have a reality check with ourselves and others.

The Challenge:??Fasting for three days.?

As you may know, when we fast during the day (from sunrise to sunset), we abstain from consuming (food, water, coffee, tea, any beverage, and smoking) and we avoid arguments, cursing, and foul language. We also avoid any sexual contact, flirting, cruising, watching porn, or even enjoying one's self. After sunset, you can eat, drink, smoke, and have sex. Doing ANY of that will disqualify and break your fast.

Here is why Ramadan is important for leaders.

1- Ramadan teaches self-discipline and commitment.

We start with setting intentions and aligning our actions to manifest our decisions. Now, staying committed will be challenged from the moment we open our eyes and step out of bed. COOOFEEEEE! Nope! We can't have it! Now what? Should we expect a visit from Mr. Grumpy in our office today? Every cell of our body screams coffee, tea, water, biscuits, anything! Yet, we sat the intention to fast. As simple as this intention is, facing the challenge is a royal pain in the posterior. Period!

Reality Check:?How will you show up as a leader in the office the day you fast? How will you manage your thirst and hunger? How often do you get grumpy when you set intentions in other areas of your life and start facing the challenges? Ramadan will expose you to that.

A Different Perspective:?What's common between Ramadan and Kung-Fu? (or any other form of martial arts). Both are about overcoming your desires and overcoming yourself. Kung-Fu and Ramadan will show you who is in charge, YOU or YOUR DESIRES.

2- Ramadan develops empathy and compassion.

So here is what happens, in general, during the first day, and this usually lasts for a week, then fasting becomes easier as the time passes. The body will start adjusting, and it will tell you how unhappy it is about it too :) Foggy mornings because you feel like you are "missing" something (psst, coffee) and can't operate. The brain knows it is not true, but good luck convincing the body. The body won't quit nagging you about being hungry and thirsty all day long like a child who won't quit. Now we are distracted and can't focus. A war is happening inside the body, but we still remember our intentions.

Reality Check:?Now that you are experiencing this internal, physical and mental struggle, can you describe your productivity level? Let's extend this thought to our company. What would the company's performance look like when the team is hungry and distracted? Let's grow that thought further and go beyond our company. How about hungry people in the world? How does it feel for them to live like that for years, not just 30 days, let alone three days? How do you feel about all these people, including yourself? Does that urge you to be a little more compassionate towards hungry people? Ramadan will teach you to look at hungry people with an empathetic lens.

A Different Perspective:?There is a clear relationship between hunger and performance levels. I invite you to think about those fasting in your company, and I also want you to pay attention to everyone's nutrition in your team. We all know that we can eat as much wrong food as we can and will end up with a deficient level of energy similar to the one associated with hunger. What if you have people in your company who are not getting adequate nutrition? They don't have to be Muslims and fast. The point here is to realize that there is an opportunity for you here as a leader to take care of your team when it comes to their livelihood. What if you took care of them? What would that feel like?

3- Ramadan offers self-awareness.

Do you ever catch yourself saying, "Oh, I need my coffee...I can't...I just can't"? When you fast Ramadan and go through 30 days without starting with anything, you will believe that the human body was not designed to run on coffee. So about the "I need coffee" thought, where did it come from? What evidence do we have to live thinking that we NEED coffee to wake up? The brain operates based on a belief that we create for ourselves due to the external environment; social conditioning. Now we are more aware of the quality of our thoughts. And that is such a lovely AHA moment when you reach conclusions like that. You will also learn how each hunger, thirst, smoking, or even sex is most challenging for you. Ramadan will help you realize the magnitude of the effect of each desire, so you become more aware of your strengths and weaknesses.

Reality Check:?Who is it that says "you need coffee to wake up" in your head? Is it you or someone else? Does s/he have a name? What else does s/he say that may not be true? And by the way, is it just one, or are there more? How would you know? When do they show up? ... etc. We call these Saboteurs, as Mr. Grumpy mentioned above! They show up a lot during Ramadan. How will you handle them?

A Different Perspective:?To know your body limits, we go to the gym and start exercising the upper body, core muscles, and lower body. We will not know which of these parts is stronger than the other and by how much until we hit the gym. It would be best if you had the gym to exercise your physical limits and Ramadan for testing your mental strength.

4- Ramadan develops a sense of community.

There is a special bond that develops around the Iftar table at sunset. A group of hungry and thirsty people who have gone through a lot physically and mentally during the day fighting hunger and thirst is now gathering to share a meal finally. None should be alone, and none should be hungry after such a day. Every Iftar, you are with a group, whether they are family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, name it. You will find yourself sharing your plate because you know how hard it is to go through the day without even a sip of water. And the funny thing is, about an hour before sunset, don't get surprised to experience a sudden surge in your energy level before Iftar time. The excitement of getting closer to eating and drinking time energizes you that many Muslims hit the gym during this hour, play football, or walk as if the whole day was a breeze. Simply because you know that the festivity is approaching, you can smell it and even taste it, and you can't wait until these 60 minutes are over. Naturally, you give it your best to make the prize even tastier.

Reality Check:?I invite you to go to an Iftar table at a mosque near you to break your fast. (Yes, it is ok to be Non-Muslim joining in, so don't let that stop you.) If you go to any Iftar table in any mosque in any city in the world, you will experience this energy level among hundreds of complete strangers. You will realize the secret that has created this level of energy and engagement among these strangers during this moment. You will also discover the secret sauce that keeps generating that energy level around every iftar table there is. The ingredients of that secret sauce are?challenge, time, and reward. What makes this sauce effective is?calrity. The challenge is clearly defined, the time frame known, and the reward is also apparent. What would it look like if you were to transfer these ingredients to your team in your company? Make sure they are very clear about every component for this to work. Fasting can be a team-bonding activity.

A Different Perspective:?Imagine you are the captain of your soccer team and winning 1-0 in the finals and reaching your 90th minute towards the end of the game. Are you experiencing a spike in energy? Chances that you are giving it your 1000% to defend your championship are high? Is the crowd roaring for you? Do you taste the sweetness of victory? You sure do!! Challenge, time and reward, and everything are clear. SAME ENERGY!! This is Ramadan in a sports context.?

I hope this article gives you an insight into Ramadan from a leadership point of view. Please feel free to join our LinkedIn Group (The Soul Leaders) and share your experience and thoughts. We would love to hear about your experience as a leader in Ramadan.?

Abbood Tamimi

The Soulpreneur

www.abboodtamimi.com

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