Unlocking the Natural-Born Leader's Abilities

By MBA Salar A. Khan MD

This book will serve as a discussion on the natural-born leader through an autobiographical lens. It is not meant to be a book based on research, but it will rather present anecdotes from my life to substantiate what I think are the essential qualities and characteristics of a natural-born leader. I hope that by reading this book, you may, throu

• Language: English
• Publisher: Salar A. Khan
• Release date: Apr 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781958066393

Book preview

UNLOCKING THE NATURAL-BORN LEADER’S ABILITIES:

An Autobiographical Exposé

By

Salar A. Khan, MD, MBA

Copyright © 2023 Salar A. Khan, MD, MBA.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Published by: Salar A. Khan, MD, MBA

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid.

ISBN: 978-1-958066-37-9 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-958066-38-6 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 978-1-958066-39-3 (Ebook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

To my late father, Mukhtar Ahmed Khan.

To my late mother, Noorjehan.

To my children, Faraz Ahmed Khan and Saad Ahmed Khan.

To my wife, Rubina Salar.

BOOKS BY SALAR A. KHAN, MD, MBA

The author’s first book, entitled, Unlocking the Natural-Born Leader’s Abilities: An Autobiographical Exposé (published by Xlibris in 2017)

Shaping the Future of Global Leadership: Finding a Peaceful Solution (published by Archway Publishing in 2020 is the continuation of the first book).

Global Political Leadership and the Public: An Essential Guide To Learn the Necessary Skills and Mindset (published by the Author in 2022 is the continuation of the first book).

Am I Burned Out at Work? A Self-Care Solution (published by Archway Publishing in 2019).

The author’s upcoming book is entitled: Salar Khan’s Kitchen: The Art of Cooking – Delicious South Asian Recipes.

CONTENTS

About the Author

Prologue

Chapter 1: Family Background

Chapter 2: Teaching of Natural-Born Leader (NBL) Abilities, Traits

Chapter 3: Could I be a Natural-Born Leader?

Chapter 4: Education, Training, and Experience Create Strong Observational Skill

Chapter 5: Discussion on Leadership and the Natural-Born Leader (NBL).77 Why Do I Think That I Am a Natural-Born leader?

Chapter 6: Cultivation of My Natural-Born Leader Qualities

Chapter 7: Leadership Intuition

Chapter 8: Conclusion and Self-Assessment Tool to Identify NBL Abilities

Awards

DISCLAIMER

This book will serve as a discussion on the natural-born leader through an autobiographical lens. It is not meant to be a book based on research, but it will rather present anecdotes from my life to substantiate what I think are the essential qualities and characteristics of a natural-born leader. I hope that by reading this book, you may, through introspection, potentially uncover these qualities within yourself.

There is some intentional repetition in prose about the leadership learning process because most readers do not read books in one sitting. In my opinion, repetition of some elements will provide a good continuity to grasp basic concepts related to leadership and becoming a confident leader. Anyone can be a leader: whether it is working in a big or smaller organization or any institution; it could be even at home as one of the parents to manage and guide kids or family members.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Salar A. Khan, MD, MBA, FACA, FCCP, DTCD, MCPS, has been serving as a Research Compliance Officer (RCO) at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (JBVAMC) in Chicago since 2009. As an expert, Dr. Khan has discovered his hidden talents and intuition related to clinical work as a consulting physician, pulmonologist, psychiatrist, and associate professor of medicine. Dr. Khan has also garnered leadership skills as chief of medicine, director of medical services, hospital director, CEO, and research compliance director while working in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the USA. Before becoming an RCO, he held various positions at JBVAMC between 2000 and 2009. Dr. Khan served as a medical administration specialist, VA merit review grant administrator, and the Acting Director of Westside Institute for Science and Education. Dr. Khan was an Operating Room Buyer and Materials Manager at Michael Reese Hospital, Acting Supervisor and Central Processing /Materials Manager/Surgical Assistant at Edgewater Medical Center between 1996 and 2000.

Between 1980 and 1984, Dr. Khan treated approximately 18,000 patients during his urology, general surgery, internal medicine, and neurology residencies and as a primary care physician at various clinics. He gained patient management experience to improve prompt, on-the-spot diagnoses for establishing a solid foundation for his future clinical intuition. Between 1985 and 1987, Dr. Khan was an Attending Physician at Karachi Psychiatry Hospital in Pakistan. He oversaw psychiatric wards, examined and managed patients with psychiatric illnesses, and treated over 9,000 patients. During his tenure from 1988 to 1993 as Attending Internal Medicine, Psychiatrist, and Pulmonologist, Chief of Medicine, Chief of Staff and Hospital Director at Al-Midhnab General Hospital, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Khan treated over 65,650 patients, managed day-to-day administrative activities, supervised 350 medical/paramedical staff, performed clinical duties, worked in the academic/clinical/research arena, supervised funds, confidential files, quality management and budget development, acted as chairman of various hospital committees, and directly collaborated and built consensus with the Board of Directors. As an Associate Professor of Medicine, he taught one hundred final-year medical students, fifty dental college students, and saw inpatients and outpatients at Baqai Medical University and Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from 1993 to 1994.

Dr. Khan also garnered excellence in patient care, as well as the mindset, skillset, and knowledge necessary to successfully diagnose rare cases with minimal diagnostic testing. He commenced using passion, inspiration, and motivation to build self-confidence to unlock his abilities and quick decision-making skills to treat complicated patients without costly laboratory tests. His remarkable career and unparalleled accomplishments can be found in his book, Unlocking the Natural-Born Leader’s Abilities: An Autobiographical Exposé.

After earning his medical degree from Dow Medical College & Civil Hospital, University of Karachi, Pakistan, in 1979, Dr. Khan completed a Diploma in Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases at Ojah Institute, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan in 1983. In 1985, he received his MCPS training in chest diseases from the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Pakistan. A Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians (FCCP) and the American College of Angiology (FACA), Dr. Khan holds a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from American Century University, School of Business, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

As an RCO, Dr. Khan has played an instrumental role in establishing the new Jesse Brown Institutional Review Board (JB-IRB), a critical part of the research program dedicated to advancing excellence in healthcare for veterans. His unparalleled understanding of the regulations and research oversight, together with his scientific background contributed to the success of the project. Dr. Khan also closely collaborated with research service staff at JBVAMC, the Office for the Protection of Research Subjects at the University of Illinois (Chicago), Northwestern University, and Midwest Office of Research Oversight (ORO). While establishing the JB-IRB, Dr. Khan demonstrated outstanding leadership and managerial practices. Among other duties, he audited approximately quarter of a million pages of documents to improve workflow and efficiency.

Dr. Khan is a lifetime member of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent in North America (APPNA) since 2012, the National Association of Distinguished Professionals (NADP), since 2013, the International Association of Healthcare Professionals (IAHCP) since 2015, and the International Association of Who’s Who since 2015. He is also a featured member of the Covington Who’s Who and the Continental Who’s Who (CWW). On December 10th, 2016, CWW published his article The Value of Clinical Intuition: Kids also Get Drug Side Effects in the Inner Circle Executive magazine. In 2022, Dr. Khan was included in the Top 100 Registry Magazine’s Top 100 Doctors issue. His outstanding career achievement and exemplary leadership skills were also recognized when he received the Lifetime Achievement in Medicine & Leadership Award in 2022.

Notably, Dr. Khan is an award-winning author. After reading a fictional novel in high school, he started training his mind to improve his critical thinking. This has led Dr. Khan to unfold his intellectual dimension, which helps him to find innovative solutions for complex issues. Through his books, Dr. Khan aims to highlight the importance of intuition, insightfulness, self-confidence, intrinsic motivation, integrity, communication, patience and composure, open-mindedness, courage, compassion, and optimism. Thus far, he has written and published three books. Unlocking the Natural-Born Leader’s Abilities: An Autobiographical Exposé (2017) is a book designed to provide perspective on leadership, helping readers to learn to lead and overcome hurdles. He explores the subject of self-improvement in Am I Burned Out at Work? A Self Care Solution (2019), which also presents solutions people can implement in their lives with some practice and attention. His book Shaping the Future of Global Leadership: Finding A Peaceful Solution (2020) is a political science book that explores how to find and train global leaders to create a more peaceful and just world. His books have earned him the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award from NABE (National Association of Book Entrepreneurs), he was a finalist for the Book Excellence Award by Literary Excellence Incorporated, a finalist for the Pacific Book Award and the NIEA (National Indie Excellence Awards), and a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Dr. Khan also received five out of five stars from Readers Favorite.

As a highly accomplished individual, Dr. Khan has mastered the concept of intuition throughout the years. He defines this abstract concept as an instinct that is subconsciously developed through the various experiences one undergoes in life. Dr. Khan explains it as the art of integrating nonverbal information that a patient presents to reach a diagnosis, reducing the need for diagnostic testing. He uses it to avoid invasive and costly procedures by making accurate on-the-spot diagnoses and treating the patient conservatively with pharmacotherapy and lifestyle changes before considering a more aggressive treatment. He believes that, along with other skills, clinical intuition can help to realize the ideal of holistic patient care.

Through his numerous leadership roles, Dr. Khan has also evolved his leadership intuition. He praises his self-confidence, ascertainment of risks, understanding of situations, and decision-making skills that have aided him in expanding his leadership intuition. As he describes in his books, self-confidence is an integral skill of an effective leader. Self-confidence includes not only the ability to make prompt decisions but also problem-solving and how to make corrections. His experiences in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the USA have molded his ability to make life-altering decisions with great precision and self-confidence. His tenure at the JBVAMC has further developed his leadership skills. 

As a testament to his career, Dr. Khan has received numerous awards and accolades. He is the recipient of the Award of Distinction by the International Association of Who's Who and the Award of the Leading Physician of the World 2015 Doctors of Excellence. Dr. Khan has received Special Contributions /Incentive Awards (2005 to 2012) as well as the Chicago Federal Employee of the Year Award (2006). He was a Service to America Medal nominee (from 2006 to 2008), a Spirit of Jesse Brown Award nominee (from 2007 to 2016), a Chicago Federal Employee of the Year Outstanding Team Award nominee (2009, 2012, 2013), and a Management Excellence Award nominee (2016). He was also the Employee of the Year in 1997 at EdgeWater Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, after successfully and independently saving several hundreds of dollars for the medical center. Dr. Khan has also received international recognition from Saudi Arabia under the Ministry of Health, such as Best Hospital Administrator (1993), Enhancing Hospital Reputation (1992), Excellent Job Performance & Best Practices (1990), and Best Hospital Employee (1989). Highly praised by his peers and patients, Dr. Khan enjoys cooking, photography, and cricket. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two sons. 

Please visit his webpage at www.doctorsalarkhan.com and the Dr. Salar Khan BOOKS YouTube Channel, where you can find his book trailers and various interviews.

PROLOGUE

Where has the time gone? I am sixty-two years of age now, and the world is changing at a dazzling pace.

I was thinking about writing this book over the last few years and decided to write it after retirement, until an incident made me realize how unpredictable life can really be. On Sunday, March 6, 2016, at about 6:00 p.m., the thirty-six-year-old son of my elder sister was sitting on a carpet at home, working on his laptop. My sister was sipping some tea in the same room as the news droned on from the TV. It was a typical lazy Sunday evening. He had no history of any illness when, suddenly, he dropped dead on the carpet. There was nothing—no warning, no signs, and no symptoms. In two to three seconds, he had already departed. Life honestly doesn’t play on anyone’s timetable except its own. And so I