How to Build Your Foundation as a Leader

To be a leader, you don’t necessarily have to be in a high position of an organization. You can be a leader regardless of which dynamic you are in. If you are interested in becoming a leader in your life and profession then it’s important for you to build a strong foundation to cultivate your leadership on. Keep in mind, this would have to be a lifelong commitment, because leadership is not a static role, but rather a dynamic one in all aspects.

Master yourself.

Because when you master yourself, you can master everything else. Be willing to get to know yourself deeply and honestly so you could eliminate the emotional and mental limitations. Are you aware of your core driving values in life? Identify them and be committed to aligning with them everyday.

Are you aware of your weaknesses? Use them to fuel your personal development.

What motivates you? Leverage these to create maximum efficiency and value.

What distracts you? Create strategies to conquer distractions.

Do you know your biggest strengths? Strive to excel in the things that you are good at.

How well do you process your emotions and to what extent do your emotions influence you and your choices and behaviour? Don’t be afraid to explore the difficult emotions. If you treat them as guides, you can coach yourself into the right direction every time you come across a challenging situation.

What are your unique influential qualities? Commit deeply to these. This is what makes you authentic as well.

What makes you relatable and to whom? Recognize those who you serve and are connected with. You need others and others need you.

How do you truly bring value into the world around you?

These are powerful questions that can reveal a lot when answered honestly and openly. Be cautious because this can also bring up a lot of limiting beliefs and fears. Stay open to facing them and challenging them.

Radical Self-awareness can create massive success for you as a person and as a leader. It can help you identify and master your fears, hesitations, and doubts - giving you the space to nurture and function from a growth mindset. If you want to lead from your truest potential, then mastering yourself is the first step.

Build your Mental and Emotional Resilience Capacity

The biggest energy drainers are mental and emotional ones. To be a good leader, you must learn to intelligently manage your mental and emotional energy expenditure. Strive to increase your emotional and mental resilience capacity by willing to take challenges and leveraging the way you spend your emotional and mental energy.

Resilience has become such a buzz word and everyone is talking about it. But what actually is resilience? Is resilience just bouncing back? Resilience is not just about bouncing back to where you were, rather it’s about the way you approach the journey, while being stretched due to challenging circumstances, setbacks, and adversity. Resilience is adapting to what’s happening around you, experiencing it through openness and acceptance of the challenge and thereby building your capacity to life and its challenges. Ultimately, you never bounce back to where you were before because challenges change you. You grow through challenges, and build a higher capacity to handle similar challenges that may arise in the future.

Cultivating your innate leadership qualities

I think everybody is born with the capacity to develop their unique leadership qualities. Just like everything else in life, there is no one size fit all formula to leadership. There is no leaving things to randomness. Leaders need to see every opportunity to build their character, and take progressive; consistent actions towards building their leadership qualities and responsibilities.

A true leadership is authentic and unique but valuable, influential and responsible to those it serves. Commit to being a dynamic leader, who adapts according to the challenges and yet stays authentic to who he or she is.

Harjot Mann, MD

Self-Mastery & Leadership Coach