Who Was Your First Leadership Role Model?

Why Early Examples Shape How We Lead 

Long before I held a leadership title, I was already learning how leaders behave. Like most people, my first leadership role model did not come from a business book or a corporate hierarchy. It came from real life. 

Early role models shape our internal definition of leadership. They influence how we interpret authority, responsibility, and success, often without us realizing it. 

In my case, that first example taught me that leadership is not about being in charge, but about being accountable. Showing up consistently, making difficult decisions, and carrying responsibility even when it was inconvenient. 

What makes early leadership models so powerful is proximity. We don’t admire them from a distance; we experience their behavior up close. Their actions create a template that stays with us. 

As my career progressed, I began to recognize how often I defaulted to those early lessons. How I communicated under pressure. How I handled responsibility. How I treated people when no recognition was involved. 

Not all early role models are perfect. Some teach us what to emulate. Others teach us what to avoid. Both are formative. 

Leadership development accelerates when we consciously examine these early influences. Asking ourselves where our instincts come from creates self-awareness. 

I often ask leaders and teams this question because it opens honest conversations. People reconnect with the values that shaped them before titles complicated leadership. 

When leaders understand their first role model, they gain clarity about their own leadership style, its strengths and its blind spots. 

The leaders we admired early in life still shape the leaders we become. The question is whether we lead by default or by design. 

Leadership maturity begins when we choose which examples to carry forward. 

References 

Harvard Business Review (2023). “How Role Models Shape Leadership Behavior.” 

Bandura, A. (1977). “Social Learning Theory.” Prentice Hall. 

McKinsey & Company (2022). “Developing Self-Aware Leaders.” 

Written by Sergio Velarde, MBA, M.A. in Human Capital Management, and Industrial Engineer. He is the CEO of GTMG and Founder of Mente Hispana, The Thought Leadership Podcast. With over a decade of international experience, Sergio helps leaders develop self-awareness, judgment, and character.