3 Tools Within Us for Developing Great Leadership

When it comes to a lot of things, the general rule is “Use it! Or lose it!”

That same rule applies physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Fortunately for us, Mother Nature equipped us with the tools we need to continue using our muscles and memory for what is important to us, and thus, not lose them.

Evolutionarily speaking, we have been granted these tools for our mere survival. Even though we are social animals, we did more than just survive. We lived to create meaning in our lives, chase dreams, and create revolutionary changes in the world. So what exactly are these tools that have enabled us to accomplish so much more?

The tools we have can be found within our brains and they are:

• Dopamine
• Oxytocin
• Serotonin

The best part of this is that we are socially in charge of producing all of these, with the exception of Dopamine, as it typically requires no one else in the picture, so we’ll start off with that tool:

DOPAMINE

Dopamine is the sense of pleasure we get from accomplishment. It is the rush we feel when we win. YES!
When we achieve a feat. YES!
When we find what we spent much time looking for. YES!
It is the chemical in our brains responsible for this extraordinary feeling.

We have this neurotransmitter to motivate us to find what we want. From an evolutionary point of view, it motivated us to find food for the next day. This chemical makes us feel pleasure when we eat, mate, and sleep. It feels great, so of course we will want to create more of this dopamine. It’s why it is there!

We don’t necessarily need anyone else to create it. We can easily create it by going out for a run or crossing things off of our to-do lists. There are people out there (including myself)  that literally write down their to-do lists after they did their tasks of the day, just so we can get that sense of pleasure when we immediately cross them out. We can set challenges for ourselves to conquer and achieve, and what we get out of it when we achieve, or simply feel the process/progress, is this rewarding Dopamine that keeps motivating us to do things that will make us feel great and empowered!

OXYTOCIN

Also known as the chemical of Love, is absolutely needed for success.

It is responsible for the feelings we get of rainbows and butterflies, the love and trust we feel with our loved ones. If we did not trust and love the people we live with, we would not ever feel safe being around them, and therefore, we would not thrive. If we were not able to trust the people we slept with during pre-historic times, when danger could come through the door without knocking, such as an invasion from rival tribes or attacks from wild animals, we would not have survived as a species. We would always have been on the lookout, increasing our levels of stress and fatigue, which would drastically decrease our chances for survival down to zero.

Oxytocin also provides strength and a sense of protection. The feeling a mother gets when she gives birth to her children is a rush of oxytocin coursing through her body, empowering her with Love as she embraces the beautiful creature with her Love and care. “Never mess with a mama with cubs” doesn’t only apply for lions or bears, since almost any mother would do anything to protect that child… because she Loves this child! The amazing oxytocin at work.

Oxytocin is present when Trust is developed. We feel appreciated, safe and secure by the people we trust. It is the source that nurtures our relationships with people. It connects us to one another, and to top it off, it is also responsible for protecting and enhancing our immune system. We become healthier and directed away from dangers of addiction. We don’t want to engage in harmful activities. We trust where we are because we developed feelings of appreciation, safety and security -essentially Love- and extended this out to whoever we are connected with. Trust is inevitably developed because deep down, we want to feel safe. And when we feel safe, we do not act against the well-being of ourselves. We are not led by fear, and so we do not commit acts of fear that serve only the interests of ourselves.It enables us to extend our care out into the world and connect with one another, continuously empowering us to thrive.

SEROTONIN

Perhaps my favorite of these is this one: the Leadership Chemical. This chemical empowers the other two chemicals Dopamine and Oxytocin because it encapsulates the necessary actions it takes to be a Leader in any industry. It is responsible for enabling functions, including mood, behavior, and confidence.

It is produced when we do things that create Dopamine and Oxytocin, which also means that it is produced when we do things for others. I love to call Serotonin the Leadership Chemical because of this reason, and it is manifested through the power of simple Human Recognition and Appraisal, exactly what a Leader does.

We grow up naturally wanting the attention of our guardians, acknowledging and (hopefully) praising what we do no matter what it was we were doing. We don’t necessarily care if we are misbehaving in the eyes of others because we want to be the center of attention, and if we don’t get the attention, we begin to instinctively act in ways that will certainly catch the attention of the people we want to bond with.

Whether or not we were taught healthy ways to get attention, the need is still present as we grow up. Even as adults we need this sense of Human Recognition and Appraisal. Why do you think we hold ceremonies and celebrations?? How would we feel if the University we attended, the one that consisted of years of hard work, long nights, memorable times and people -all these sacrifices and rewarding moments- congratulated you via email and asked you to print your degree at home? We dream of walking across the stage to receive our degree or certificate of achievement, and see the people who supported us and love us clapping for us in the audience. We yearn to be recognized and praised for our accomplishments, for who we are, for our efforts.

But many times, we become affected if we do not know how to get attention in a healthy manner or we don’t know what to do when we encounter someone who is having trouble with this.

As Leaders, simple Human Recognition and Appraisal towards others -and ourselves- is a creation of Love (Oxytocin), that feels great when we are praised and acknowledged for our actions (Dopamine). In turn, Serotonin is largely produced. It is the chemical that enables us to be even more human as we continue to empower others because it creates this feeling of confidence. And when we feel confident, we feel more empowered to face challenges that help us nurture our learning and growth.

Let’s continue to set challenges for ourselves. Let’s continue to connect with people and spread the value of Trust and Love. And let’s continue to create Leaders in the world with recognition and praise.

We have the tools. So let’s not just survive; Let’s thrive.

🔴 Be Empowered, my friends.