(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – New Delhi) - Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah highlighted the value of humility as a global leadership asset, describing it as essential in addressing shared global challenges, and developing systems that endure in an era of rapid change.

“When you accept that you don’t know everything, you build differently. You design systems that can scale without breaking, and reach people who would otherwise be left out,” Queen Rania said.

“Humility keeps resilience and human dignity at the center of progress and prevents them from becoming tradeoffs,” she added.

Speaking at the 10th annual ET Now Global Business Summit in New Delhi on Friday, Her Majesty called for greater inclusion of marginalized perspectives in discussions on global issues, highlighting the need for nations in the Global South to play a larger role in addressing shared challenges.

“Too often, global conversations are shaped by the loudest or most powerful voices. Yet many of the consequences of those decisions will be felt most strongly by those who can least afford the fallout – here, in the Global South,” she said.

“We need all our voices. All our perspectives. Not just in business and technology, but in the way we pursue our destiny as fellow human beings,” Her Majesty added.

In her keynote address, the Queen noted a prevalent global mood of “anticipation paired with unease… not because the future looks bleak, but because it looks unfamiliar.”

Despite this uncertainty, Her Majesty said that much of the world has continued to rush ahead without stopping to ask what exactly they are racing toward.

“We see it in companies rushing to deploy AI without considering the potential impact... in institutions that filter out opposing or cautionary perspectives… and in political systems that elevate popularity over principles,” she elaborated.

Explaining how small errors can quickly spread in today’s interconnected world, Her Majesty warned of the danger of confusing all motion with genuine advancement. However, rather than attempt to slow progress, the Queen suggested that leaders guide it with humility. 

“It’s true, humility is a quiet virtue. It doesn’t announce itself,” Her Majesty said. “But I see it as a core leadership value in today’s world – not as hesitation or self-doubt, but as honesty about our limitations.”

The Queen underscored humility as an acknowledgement of fallibility. “It forces us to test our assumptions, and it reminds us that having authority is not the same as having answers,” she said.

“To understand humility, consider its inverse: Overconfidence. Arrogance. An inflated sense of one’s abilities. And the failure to reflect, regroup, and accept shortcomings,” she added.

Explaining that humility encourages thoughtfulness and the willingness to sit with complexity, Her Majesty highlighted the importance of having the discipline to pause and ask ourselves if we are wrong.

“In a culture that celebrates certainty and speed, that question can feel uncomfortable,” she acknowledged. “But doubt is a survival skill. It reminds us to seek out alternative solutions, consider every angle, and stay open to other opinions.”

Queen Rania went on to note that humility has long served as a fundamental global value, citing examples from Indian history as well as from Her Majesty’s Muslim faith.

“Islam’s holy book, the Quran, tells us not to arrogantly roam the Earth, for we will ‘neither crack the ground nor reach the mountains in height,’” she said. “In a moment of global uncertainty, reaffirming that wisdom is not only comforting. It is practical.”

Her Majesty underlined the advantages of acknowledging one’s limitations in order to build systems that are more inclusive and adaptable to change.

“This approach is not about who gets there first, but how many can get there together. It is about choosing what is responsible over what is merely possible,” she remarked. “And it is one that is familiar to us in Jordan.”

Noting that her country sits at the intersection of multiple crises in its region, the Queen explained that Jordan has endured not by taking stability for granted, but by adapting to uncertainty.

“Through it all, we have held firm to human dignity, even when the cost was high and the credit low,” she said. “That is the Jordan I am proud to call home. A reliable, honest partner in a complicated world.”

“We may be a small country, but what defines us is what we stand for. And that is why, in my eyes, Jordan stands very tall,” she said.

The ET Now Global Business Summit is a global gathering featuring the participation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as a wide range of political figures, business leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and futurists. Organized by Indian media conglomerate The Times Group, this year’s two-day summit was held under the theme, “A Decade of Disruption, A Century of Change.”