Last week we learnt the art of mastering productivity with Hamza Khan. As you watch the full interview with Hamza you will realize there is a lot more to him than just some productivity hacks. Hamza is a storyteller. He is an educator. He is a serial entrepreneur who also speaks on the topic of leadership.

Leadership has a constantly growing and evolving definition. It is the ability to inspire and execute a movement. You don’t have to be a leader of a country or a fortune 500 company to be considered a leader. You can be a leader of your own self like Hamza was during his time with the Canadian Armed Forces. You can be the leader of your family. You can be a leader of your sports team or a leader of your friends. In order to become great leaders, we need to cultivate the following four (4) skills. 

1. Foresight 

The top skill, according to Hamza, is the ability to predict the future. A leader needs to be well informed of the global current affairs, understand the trends of the world, recognize patterns and develop a view for the future that is not just a guess but a well throughout hypothesis. Everybody has an opinion and everybody can make guesses, but the difference between an average Joe guessing the future and a great leader making educated predictions about the future is that the great leader is read. The great leader has built a broad perspective by learning from diverse people and leaders with the same mindset. 

Actionable tip: Read. If you are not reading every day you are placing yourself at a massive disadvantage. Leaders are readers. Great leaders from Oprah Winfrey to Bill Gates, who have packed schedules, claim to finish reading 1 book per week. So what excuse do you have?

Reading is the best cheat code in life because when you read a book you get to download decades into days: i.e. you get to download decades worth of research and information into your brain in a matter of days. Moreover, consuming new information through reading great pieces of literature, fiction or nonfiction, opens up our mind and expands our mental bandwidth. Our mind is like a parachute. It works best when it is open. And reading is that secret to having an open mind. And as long as the door to our mind is open, new ideas and perspectives will flow inside that allows us to build that foresight that Hamza talks about. 

2. Trustworthiness 

The second trait Hamza talks about that great leaders possess is the ability to inspire trust in others. The interesting thing about trust is that it is something intangible and not measurable. You either trust someone or you don’t. If I, as a leader, want to inspire my team to take action, I need my team to trust me. Otherwise, we won’t take action and march forward. 

Actionable Tip: The simplest way to inspire trust in anyone, whether it is your team, your family or friends, is to live up to your promises and commitment.  

3. Resilience

We as humans have a superpower to adapt to our living conditions. From the days of hunters and gatherers to the days of agricultural and industrial revolutions, humans have evolved by constantly adapting to different conditions. Great leaders must possess the ability to not just adapt, but to embrace change through resilience. Change is inevitable and is the only constant in our lives. Just look around you, how the world changed overnight with the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who embraced this change quickly have come out on top, whereas those who resisted have struggled. 

Actionable Tip: Reflect on how you react to change. Are you somebody who adapts or resists? How has that turned out for you? 

4. Servitude

One of the most foundational attribute of a great leader is that the leader is passionate about serving and helping others. Servitude automatically inspires trust in others as well. The great American author and motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar said “You can get everything you want in this world if you help others get what they want”. 

Actionable Tip: If you want to become a great leader, find a way to serve and help others in your community, family or friends. And be consistent. 

To learn more about leadership connect with Hamza Khan at www.HamzaKhan.ca or connect with me at Omer@Omerqadri.com