Learning Strong Leadership Skills at a Young Age
This week on the Lion40 Podcast, I talk to Aanchal Higorani, a 24-year-old who was born in Mumbai, India, grew up in a suburb of Atlanta, and is a graduate of the University of Georgia. She lives in New York City currently and works at Pangea Resourcing. She came into this job with two years of people operations experience at a growing startup called Peopleift. In her free time, she loves to travel, cook and meditate.
“without having the prior experience. And I also, you know, working at a startup, you kind of just have to teach yourself these things. No one’s really telling you how to do anything. It’s up to you to figure it out. And I can really draw parallels with my experiences in college and in high school, having to figure things out, just being from an immigrant household
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In addition to this quote, here are some points of conversation that resonated with me most deeply.
Be confident, even if you’re not feeling super confident.
We’ve all heard the term fake it until you make it, but we are often more capable than we give ourselves credit for. Chances are we are focusing on all the little things we are worried about or feel less competent in and not about our strengths and skills. It makes me think of the Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy, How your body language may shape who you are. There are tons of benefits in learning how to have more confidence.
2. Reflection and self-work are worth the time.
You need to be able to reflect on your past experiences but also look ahead to see what's coming down the pike. You should be able to analyze what worked for you in the past and what didn't so that you can plan for success in the future. When you're able to look at every situation from multiple angles, you'll have a clearer picture of where things are going—and how they might change. Being able to do this kind of self-reflection will help you make better decisions in all areas of your life.
3. Don’t wait for someone to teach you, go and learn new skills
In the past, you may have waited for someone else to teach you a new skill or give you a promotion in order to advance your career, but it's time to take matters into your own hands—and make it happen! Research what skills are needed in your field and how they can help advance your career. Leadership is something that is often taught, and through coaching, Lion Leadership helps executives and business owners get to the next level in their careers or businesses.
4. Sticking to a hard-reach goal gives you a real sense of accomplishment and confidence.
I enjoyed hearing about Aanchal accomplishing her goal of making a big move to New York and switching jobs and her residence. You know what they say—the journey is the destination. You can't really appreciate the journey until you're on it, but once you're there, you'll see that it was worth every step.
No matter how big your goals are, staying focused and determined to reach them will give you a real sense of accomplishment and confidence in yourself. It will also help you understand exactly what it takes to accomplish something big—and tackle the next big goal.
5. Your disadvantages might actually launch you forward.
I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "Life is like a slingshot." You know, you pull back and then let go, and either you shoot forward or stay still.
That's what makes life worth living: when we take risks and jump into the unknown with our eyes open. When we come face-to-face with our fears and do it anyway because we believe in something bigger than ourselves. We put our best foot forward no matter what anyone else thinks because it's the right thing to do—not because we're trying to impress someone else or make them happy or prove something to them—but because it's right for us.
6. Work culture is important
Aanchal talked about often feeling like she didn’t belong in so many capacities from going to college around less diversity and being introverted around extroverted people. Now in her new job, she feels like she belongs because the company she works for has put time into their work culture from a more diverse workforce and sense of belonging.
A workplace culture will emerge whether you design it with intention or you don’t. The best cultures, it goes almost without saying, are designed with intentional alignment to core values and intentional activities created with the expressed purpose of amplifying what you want to be amplified and minimizing what you want to be minimized. Here at Lion Leadership, we spend a lot of time helping companies get a good work culture which will in turn create a more productive team and less employee turnover.
7. Change is scary but staying the same can be even more frightening
I see this a lot in my practice where people are really afraid to make these big changes but the idea of staying in the same place they are now it even more terrifying. You will never know what you can accomplish if you don’t make moves on creating the life you want for yourself.
8. Don’t compare yourself to others.
Stop comparing your journey to others around you, everyone has their own timeline. It's easy to be jealous of the success and happiness of other people. We all have our own timelines and paths, and it's unfair to compare yours to someone else's. We're all at different points in our lives, and what might seem like a perfect life from the outside may actually be filled with pain, sadness, or regret.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that you shouldn't strive for success or happiness. But there will always be someone who is doing better than you or has more than you do—and that's okay! It's part of the human condition to compare ourselves to others. But instead of comparing yourself to others, focus on building yourself up and becoming the best version of yourself possible.
9. Say yes to opportunities
You never know what your next move will be and what opportunities will fall into your lap. Aanchal talked about her current job, a recruiter actually reached out to her. You never know where your next opportunity will come from and may be just around the corner sometimes, new things have a way of presenting themselves when your not expecting it.
More About Aanchal Higorani
Aanchal Hingorani is a 24 year old young professional and a graduate of the University of Georgia. She lives in New York City currently works at Pangea Resourcing. She came into this job with 2 years of people operations experience at a growing startup called Peoplelift. In her free time, she loves travel, cooking, and meditation.
Connect with Aanchal Higorani
Author Information
Natasha Ganem, PhD, serves as principal consultant and organizational psychologist at Lion Leadership, an executive education firm dedicated to helping company owners design world-class leadership teams. To learn more about Lion Leadership coaching services, management training, and off-site retreat facilitation, contact us at info@lionleadership.com.
Lion Leadership – an executive education company.
We coach and train leadership teams and mid-level managers so that people don’t quit because of bad bosses. Whether you need 1-on-1 coaching for yourself, a custom leadership academy for your company, off-site retreats for your teams, or just a few hours of morale building, we are here to get your organization ready for what’s next. Natasha Ganem, Ph.D., is the founder and principal consultant.