All of us strive to succeed in all we do. Success, however, is not easy. It takes constant effort, focus, and determination to achieve. To facilitate this and ensure our efforts are spent in the most effective manner, we have developed success drivers. On the surface, the success drivers describe a set of traits geared towards enabling our success. At a deeper level, however, success drivers are a comprehensive and balanced system designed to bring about positive change to our inner traits, habits, and characteristics, as well as in our external perceptions of people and events. Our success drivers will enable us to achieve success both in our business and personal lives. They achieve this by helping us identify and up-root those personal attitudes that hinder our success. Then they help entrench the attitudes needed to propel us towards the achievement of personal and business objectives. The success drivers are divided into two groups. First, there are the internal drivers we need to establish a sound, stable, and balanced set of attitudes and behaviors. These “Internal 4” drivers work by creating a comprehensive framework that identifies the key behaviors, or traits we need to become more self-aware of our performance and driven to enhance that performance. The second set of drivers is the “External 4”. The “External 4” addresses an area key to our success, which is our ability to interact and cooperate effectively with others. The “External 4” achieves this by enabling us to employ a process of developing effective interpersonal relationships.

At Reham Real Estate, we believe that the first step towards success needs to be taken by the individual himself. We, as individuals, need to believe that our success is largely dependent on our own actions and not those of others. After realizing this, we need to begin the process of adopting the correct attitudes and traits that will enable us to succeed. For Reham Real Estate, the first set of such traits is what we call the “Internal 4” The “Internal 4” details the enablers we need to begin the process of realizing the need for personal development, beginning our personal development, and implementing that which we have learned. These traits will enable us to overcome the personal attitudes that obstruct our growth and development. Specifically, these traits will help us overcome the prime obstacle to success – arrogance. 1. Confident Humility (Tawado): We at Reham Real Estate believe the primary obstacle to success is arrogance. The reason for choosing arrogance as the primary obstacle is because it breeds in us several attitudes that prevent us from doing what is needed to succeed. For example:

• Arrogance can instill in us the belief that we know all that is needed, and that no one is more capable than we are. This, in turn, means that we will not, or be reluctant to, seek the advice or guidance of others, since we believe no one can add value to what we already know. Thus, when we face problems or are unsure of how to proceed, arrogance will not let us turn to others for support. Ultimately, this means we will solve problems based on our limited knowledge and experience, leading us to suboptimal solutions.
• Arrogance can have a negative effect on our success when it instills in us the belief that seeking the help or advice of others is “humiliating”. Thus, even if we do not believe we are the best, we will still not turn to others because we do not want to appear “humiliated” in their eyes. Here, again, the consequences are that we will solve problems on our own, relying on our limited knowledge rather than utilizing the greater knowledge and experience of those around us.
• Arrogance can prevent us from admitting mistakes, as this will make us look “weak” in the eyes of others. This refusal to admit mistakes means we will continue with a project, process, or idea even though we know it is wrong, and we know that the actual results will not be as expected or promised. More damaging, however, is that by continuing down the wrong path, we are hurting not only our personal performance, but also negatively impacting the organization and any others who might be depending on us.

Thus, arrogance prevents us from accepting:

• There are those who are more knowledgeable and experienced than us, from whom we can learn and benefit.
• The advice of others, since we perceive seeking such advice as “humiliating”.
• Admitting to mistakes is a sign of strength and will be appreciated by those around us since it will save them a lot of time and effort both in working on the wrong solution and recovering from it.

Thus, the first driver of success is the value that will enable us to overcome our arrogance and ego. This is the value of Tawado. Tawado is the attitude of confident humility. It grants us the confidence we need to perform our assigned responsibilities while at the same time instilling in us the humility we need to overcome, or, at least, minimize our ego and its arrogance. Thus, with Tawado we will perceive our arrogance as an obstacle to, rather than an enabler of, success, and we will strive towards overcoming it. It is the value that will enable us to accept the fact that we do not know everything; that others can be, and some most probably are, more knowledgeable than us; and that it is never wrong or too late to admit to mistakes and learn from them. It is the value that will allow us to accept criticism open heartedly, assimilate this criticism, and use it as a means for personal growth and improvement. 2. Learning from Role Models (Iq’tida): By uprooting this arrogance, accepting the fact that we do not know all we need to know, and accepting the fact that others might be more knowledgeable than us, we now have a duty to ourselves to act on these facts. Our primary duty is to develop ourselves. This selfdevelopment can come through traditional means of instruction such as attending courses/seminars, or using audiovisual instructional material (e.g., books, multimedia, in addition to tools that enhance learning and application, like podcasts, online courses, webinars, interactive elearning platforms, and social media content). These means, however, provide only a partial description of what we are trying to learn. They provide us with the theory, and its application in specific, and isolated cases or scenarios. They do not truly show us how to apply and employ this knowledge in our daily lives and in its various situations. To relate the needed knowledge to our lives, and to make it relevant to our needs, we need to experience it firsthand, and see it demonstrated in front of us. In other words, we need to see a living example of this knowledge and learn from it. This more powerful, effective, and relevant means of transferring knowledge from one individual to another is through the process of Iq’tida. e.g., from traditional books to cuttingedge digital technologies, the landscape of education has evolved dramatically. Today, learners have access to a vast array of resources, including podcasts, online video tutorials (such as YouTube and Coursera), and interactive online learning platforms. The advent of virtual and augmented reality, enabled by devices like VR headsets and smartphone apps, has revolutionized the learning experience, offering immersive and engaging content. Moreover, social media, online conferences, webinars, blogs, articles, and educational games contribute to a rich and diverse learning ecosystem. Iq’tida means to seek out, interact with, and learn from those who are more knowledgeable than us, and are willing to share their knowledge with us. These individuals should become our Qudwa, or role model, from which we learn the specific knowledge we need. Thus, Tawado helps break the barriers our arrogance puts up against learning from others, and Iq’tida instills in us the values by which we can actually learn from others. Iq’tida can be practiced through one of three possible methods. First, there is the formal process by which an individual with the requisite knowledge and experience is identified and designated, by the organization, as our mentor, or Qudwa. The second, and more common, method is to learn directly from those who are more experienced and knowledgeable than us, and with whom we have continuous onthejob contact; our line managers. The third method is when we recognize the required expertise or knowledge in an individual who is neither our line manager nor official mentor, and we approach that individual to ask to learn from him. Regardless of the type of Iq’tida we find ourselves in, as Reham Real Estatens with Tawado, it is up to us to take advantage of these conditions to better ourselves. To maximize the benefits of Iq’tida, we need to exhibit certain behaviors and undertake certain actions. First, we need to actively interact with our mentors/managers to discuss and challenge issues. The purpose of this discussion is to clarify issues and learn; it is not discussion for discussion’s sake. Being a process of learning, Iq’tida then stipulates that we need to actively support, and propagate the advice, and guidance of our mentors/managers. We need to exhibit a keen interest in and appreciation for the knowledge being gained. At this point, it should be clarified that the support and propagation we are exhibiting is not done for the pleasure or satisfaction of our Qudwa. The reason we do this is because one of the most effective means of entrenching recently acquired knowledge is to actually use it and communicate it to others. Thus, by supporting and propagating knowledge, we are actually enhancing our ability to absorb it. Iq’tida further stipulates that we need to be honest with our mentors/managers/colleagues by providing them with relevant, timely, and accurate feedback on what we are learning from them. We need to openly discuss with them the problems we are facing and not hide from them facts that might hinder the learning process. We need to ask questions when we are not sure and speak up when we do not understand. Iq’tida also requires that we seek out those individuals who are most knowledgeable so that we might learn from them. Last, but definitely not least, Iq’tida requires that we seek feedback. Ultimately, Iq’tida is about having the right attitude and demeanor towards knowledge and its acquisition from any available source. 3. Determination (Azm): By not putting the acquired knowledge to use, our Iq’tida process will have been in vain. Thus, to continue the path towards uprooting the obstacles to success and entrenching the enablers, we need to use the knowledge we acquire. Implementing knowledge, however, entails changes to our current practices and habits. Such changes are difficult and cannot be achieved in one step; they need to start from within. They need to start with the decision that we will enact the needed changes. This is the starting point of Azm. Azm, or “WannaDo”, is about having the decisiveness to act on our intention and to adopt the knowledge we acquire to better ourselves. Azm is about having the desire to deliver, and the mental focus to determine what must be done to achieve what is required of us. We also need to be decisive in setting our priorities and the manner in which we will address the issues we face. Without the decisiveness to prioritize our responsibilities, we will not be able to effectively fulfill those responsibilities, nor will we be able to give the more relevant and important responsibilities their due. In addition, we need decisiveness to select the optimum solution, among many, for any situation or task we face. Azm stipulates that a correct decision is the one that provides the most effective solution. This is the solution that optimizes our returns for a given amount of effort. Thus, we can claim to possess or have adopted Azm when we demonstrate:

• A desire to analyze the various situations we find ourselves in, and the knowledge needed to address those situations.
• A willingness to acquire the knowledge needed to prioritize between the various situations.
• A commitment to determine the various solutions available to us for any given situation.
• A commitment to determine the most effective solution. This entails understanding the requirements for each solution (in terms of resources and effort) and the returns expected for the required effort.
• Decisiveness to decide which situations will be addressed and which solution will be chosen for each situation.

Thus, Azm, the “WannaDo” trait, addresses the behaviors and attitudes we need to have in order to understand our options, prioritize from among them, decide on which to choose, and prepare the needed plans to effectively execute them. 4. Striving for Perfection (It’qan): When we have Azm, we have the ability, willingness, desire, and intention to do our best. However, it does not guarantee that we will do our best, since, by nature, we tend to search for shortcuts or paths of least resistance. Thus, Azm does not guarantee our work will be as error free as we can possibly make it, and that we will be able to achieve our objectives in the most effective and efficient manner possible. Similarly, Azm does not guarantee that our work is as comprehensive as possible, or that we are able to identify all possible contingencies and scenarios and address them. To ensure the quality or comprehensiveness of the work we do, we need a value that will drive us to give our best. We need the value of It’qan. The literal translation of It’qan is perfection. To us, however, It’qan is about how we strive for perfection by adopting the main drivers of perfection: caution and care. By being cautious about our work, what we deliver to others, and what we are responsible for, we will always be vigilant about the quality of our work. We will be driven to investigate/review our work in detail to remove any problems or errors. We will be driven to ensure that what we deliver is done to the best of our abilities and that no stone is left unturned. We will be driven to ensure that all contingencies or possibilities are investigated and addressed by the work we present. We will ensure that we utilize all the knowledge and help we have available to us. We will contemplate as many possible outcomes of our actions as possible and develop contingencies for each. Once we are continuously driven by this care to do our best, we will have acquired the value of It’qan. Having adopted and implemented the value of It’qan, means we will tend to produce high quality work. This tendency to consistently produce good work might gradually instill in us the belief that we are “experts” at what we do, and that there is little left for us to learn. This belief can ultimately lead to arrogance and a retrenching of the obstacles to success. Thus, to ensure we avoid this trap and remain on the path to success, it is essential that we review these four values continuously and make all of them an integral part of our daily lives. That is, we need to revisit our Tawado, Iq’tida, Azm, and It’qan regularly.