Ramadan Notes #28: Qur'anic Insights on Optimizing Healthcare Teams

As-salamu’alaykum,

“Teamwork makes the dream work” is a common saying in the corporate sphere highlighting the potential of teams that work well together in taking vision and running with it.

In the business of healthcare delivery, pretty much every step of the patient engagement with the healthcare system is a function of multidisciplinary teams coming together to impact the patient experience journey in one way or another.

We can not go it alone in healthcare regardless of what role we play. Our renewed focus on the Qur’an this Ramadan is an opportunity to explore the Prophetic model around teamwork as well as leadership that is tied to it.

Allah, the Most High, points out in the following verse what made Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) successful in managing his team of companions and leading them to remarkable victories at home and abroad such as on the battlefield (think work!);

Teams are by design made up of people, often of diverse backgrounds and strengths, working towards a common goal. Without careful leadership and management of team dynamics, the team is unlikely to make meaningful progress as a unit. The verse above highlights the following insights;

1. It is out of the mercy of Allah that teams come together 

2. A gentle approach is key to support open communication

3. Mistakes will inevitably happen

4. The leader should pardon as appropriate and seek Allah’s forgiveness on behalf of the team members when mistakes do occur

5. Seek the counsel of team members in getting to the best decision

6. Execute promptly on decisions made

7. Rely upon Allah once a decision has been made - this comes as a package deal and detaching from the results is integral to this concept. 

As we have alluded to in prior Ramadan notes, the Qur’an offers us profound wisdoms to help us reach our full God-given potential. In the case of healthcare workers serving on teams on the frontlines or even in leadership or executive roles, approaching team dynamics with a Quranic framework provides a solid grounding for cultivating resilience on our teams.

A Quranic framework such as this is also well aligned with driving peak performance that is focused on optimizing our processes and interactions with less emphasis on the results which will generally take care of themselves if we invest 80% of our efforts on the upstream end of things including our culture, strategy, and processes.  

As the blessed month of Ramadan winds down and you are thinking of ways to stay grounded with the Qur’an, remember that the relationship that you develop with the Qur’an is not merely a spiritual one with no bearing on your day-to-day interactions at work (and at home); on the contrary, it has deep ramifications across all spheres of our lives if only we will engage as such.

May Allah, the Most High, open our hearts to the Qur’an and count us among those that witness Laylatul Qadr. Amin

Sincerely,

Sulyman

P.S. Are you interested in taking your newly discovered potential this Ramadan to the next level towards your best self - Register your interest here for a group coaching opportunity with me in the near future

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