July 30, 2022

Leadership Lessons from Muharram.

Today is Muharram. Muharram marks the first month of the Islamic calendar. It’s the second holiest month after Ramadan.

Significance

The day itself commemorates the death anniversary of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn Ibn Ali al-Hussein. He is believed to have died at the Battle of Karbala on the10th day of this month around 14 centuries ago. Although a day of mourning, Muharram is observed to remember al-Hussein’s kindness and bravery. The mourning begins on the first day of Muharram and goes on for 10 days until the death day of al-Hussein.

Rituals

Some observe the day by dressing in black, fasting, and breaking the fast on the day of Ashura, which is the 10th day. Some also say hymns and chant “Ya Hussein.”

Leadership Lessons

Quite evidently, Muharram is a festival that values sacrifice, unity, and bravery. It is believed that the Battle of Karbala was fought between Hussein’s supporters, which mainly comprised his relatives while on the other end was a massive army that belonged to Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph.

Hence, this festival is a significant lesson in staying calm and courageous in the face of conflict and adversity. For management and leadership, this can mean:

• A leader is the anchor that can keep a team and company moving even in the hardest of times.4
• A leader is not afraid to speak openly and honestly, be it about employee feedback, needing help, discussing a sensitive matter and so on.
• A leader can take responsibility for the most difficult of tasks and delegate when needed.
• A leader is not afraid to take onus for their teams during a challenging situation or when things go astray.
• A leader knows how to resolve conflict with or among other members of the team.

How to incorporate courage into your leadership style

To become more courageous as a leader, you can incorporate certain traits and habits into your leadership and management style:

1. Practice honest communication: Leaders are considered most effective when they can communicate honestly. It also paves the way for courage as it shows that you are not afraid to have difficult conversations. Try to find the most direct and coherent way to say things instead of sugar coating or being indirect. One common problem of leaders face is to have open conversation about team member’s performance. The Leader must ensure the objective of each function is well articulated and be sans of bias or ambiguity. He should have a system to set, track and achieve goals in every function of the business.(Having difficulty here?-reach out to me for help) Once this system is in place he must have conversations on where the business is with reference to the Objective or business plan or budget or AOP at least once a month. Many business leaders do this once in a year at the time of increment which creates unhealthy environment that is leads to differences and conflicts. 
   
   
2. Learn innovative ways of conflict resolution: As a leader, one of the most challenging situations you might find yourself in is conflict resolution. This could be between you and another team member or simply among team members. The trick is to not panic and try to think of a way that leads to a win-win outcome. Leaders are expected to be problem-solvers. Here are some engaging problem-solving activities that you can lead with your team.

3. Be ready to take responsibility: When you assumed leadership, you also became the person in-charge of your team. Hence, more than any team member, the responsibility of the team act rests largely on you. This might mean that you have to take the fall for someone else’s error from time to time but that is part of the job. A true leader is fearless and not afraid of accepting ownership for a mistake and Improve further on.

Conclusion

As we observe Muharram this year, regardless of which religion or belief you practice, as a leader try to imbibe the lessons that this festival teaches. It is truly a lesson on staying strong during hardship and embracing fear head-on.