I was given my first leadership role at the age of nine, 16 years ago. I joined "The Red Hats," a leadership programme at my international school. If you're on the leadership team, you were literally given a red hat to wear around campus! That was the beginning of my journey as a leader. In this article, I will highlight three lessons I have learned during my multiple tenures as a leader.

1) Curiosity
You can imagine how lost I was when I was given my first leadership role as a red hat. A shy and timid 9-year-old boy is tasked with leading. I recall asking everyone and anyone how I could become a great leader. Even when my teachers assigned me the simplest of tasks, I would bombard them with questions concerning how I could improve my performance. Fortunately, I had very patient teachers who took the time to answer all of my questions.

I initially thought I was asking questions because I didn't understand the job scope and role of a leader. But as time passed, I realised that I was constantly asking questions because I was naturally curious and eager to learn. 16 years later, after multiple tenures as a leader, I am still seeking advice from more experienced leaders and constantly learning from leadership books and articles.

One thing I've learned is that good leaders are curious leaders.

Curious leaders are always looking for ways to improve themselves. They are constantly asking questions and seeking advice from people they want to learn from. As they are constantly learning and growing, this inevitably helps them to become high achievers. Curious leaders are also open-minded, which makes them humble individuals. They admit their flaws and accept that they may not be the most intelligent person in the room. They listen to team members who are more knowledgeable and skilled in specific fields and incorporate their suggestions into a project.

2) Hunger
I was considered as a potential team captain in the basketball team I used to play for a few years ago. My coaches and seniors had full confidence in me. They provided me with numerous opportunities to lead and dictate plays. I participated in every team training and never missed a game. I felt like I did everything I could to definitively earn my position as team captain.

I had a conversation with my coach one night about my leadership progress. "Joshua, how badly do you want to be the team captain?" my coach questioned. Of course, I replied that I really wanted it. My coach, to my surprise, gave me a disapproving glare and said that I didn't want it bad enough. He asserted that I was not hungry.

I'll never forget that conversation for a plethora of reasons. That night, I went home, unsure of how to feel. I was perplexed, sad, and frustrated. What was I doing incorrectly? I performed admirably in every game and hustled harder than anyone on the court. I was early in every single team practice. I made so many sacrifices, but I could never please my coach. I was constantly questioning my coach about what he meant when he said I wasn't hungry enough. He never directly responded to my question, but he did leave me with the following message: "It's not about doing more, but being more."

After a period of self-reflection, I finally understood what my coach meant when he said that I wasn't hungry enough. The truth was that all of the opportunities and experiences I had were given to me rather than earned. I was passive and only waited for my coaches and seniors to give me instructions. I never took the initiative to actively seek out opportunities for advancement. I never asked for more practice time nor did I actively seek my coach's advice on certain game strategies. I only did what I was told to do. My coach cared more about my development than I did. It turned out that I truly wasn't hungry at all.

The second lesson I learned was that good leaders are always hungry for more.

Hungry leaders are active leaders. They do not sit back and wait for opportunities. They make things happen for themselves and their team. For a team to grow, the leader must be hungry for growth as well. Hunger is contagious, and it will propel you and your team to new heights. "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish," Steve Jobs famously said. It means that you should never be satisfied with what you are given. Continue to strive for more. Be that idiot who is willing to give up everything for nothing. Don't be afraid to experiment. You'll look back and be grateful that you were both hungry and "foolish" at the same time.

3) Accountability
I recall being the project head for an environmental project. Months were spent planning and preparing for the official event day. I assigned various roles and responsibilities to members of my team. Every member of my team played a significant role. The emcees, various presenters, and those who were in charge of logistics.

Everything was going swimmingly in the days leading up to the event. I had several rehearsals with my team, and everything went well. What could potentially go wrong? Well, on the day of the event, one of my members went missing. He had to give a presentation on our hydroponics project, which was a key component of the event, and he overslept.

Throughout the event, I remained calm and collected, and I made some last-minute changes that resulted in major adjustments in my team's roles and responsibilities. I was grateful to have a great team that managed the changes well. Eventually, the event went well, and I received glowing praise from top management.

Along with the praise came criticism. My event partners questioned the abrupt change in roles, which caused a 20-minute delay in the event. I could have conveniently blamed the member who overslept, but I didn't. I held myself accountable to my team as a leader.

A valuable trait for all leaders: good leaders hold themselves and their teams accountable.

It is easy to assume responsibility when the fault is your own. But what if it isn't your fault? I mean, I wasn't the one who overslept. Why should I bear the blame and get reprimanded on behalf of my team member? I could have pointed the finger and shifted the blame. But I chose not to because I knew I needed to be an accountable leader.

As I reflected on that event, I realised that as a leader and manager, I could have done a better job. The person who overslept for the event had a history of being late. He had also overslept for other events. Knowing his track record, I should have assigned him to a less important role in the event. It was wiser to move him to the logistics department, where his absence would not affect the event.

Because I chose to accept personal accountability for the event's hiccup, I eventually grew as a leader by realising my own mistakes and learning how to better manage a team in the future. When you choose to accept accountability for your actions, you learn and grow from mistakes you were previously unaware of.

I hope you guys enjoyed this article! I will be publishing more articles on leadership in the future so stay tuned for those.