4- Genetics

Today's challenge:

Take time to reflect on who you are and accept what you can and cannot change about yourself.

Genetics is the scientific study of genes, heredity, and how traits are passed from one generation to the next. It explores how DNA—the molecule that carries genetic information—affects everything from physical characteristics (like eye color or height) to susceptibility to certain diseases and even behavioral tendencies.

But here’s the key: genetics does not determine your destiny. While it sets a baseline, your lifestyle choices, education, environment, and personal development play enormous roles in shaping your wellness and leadership potential.

Why is it important?

Genetics plays a foundational role in several areas of health and wellbeing:

• Physical Health

• Disease Risk: Some people inherit genes that increase their risk for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or cancer.

• Metabolism & Nutrition: Genetic variations affect how your body processes nutrients, responds to exercise, and metabolizes medications.

• Mental Health. Genetic predispositions can influence susceptibility to conditions like depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia—though environment and lifestyle are also major factors.

• Longevity & Aging. Certain genetic markers are linked to longer lifespans or slower aging processes.

• Resilience & Recovery. Genetics can affect how quickly someone recovers from illness or injury, and how resilient they are to stress.

A long-standing debate asks: Are leaders born or made?

Spoiler alert: It’s both.

Think of it like athletic ability—some people are born with physical advantages, but training, discipline, and mindset determine how far they go. Leadership works the same way.

Genetics may influence leadership through:

• Personality Traits: Traits like extroversion, openness, and emotional stability have genetic components that shape leadership style.

• Cognitive Abilities: Intelligence, decision-making speed, and problem-solving skills can be influenced by genetics.

• Stress Response: Genetic predispositions affect how someone handles pressure, which impacts leadership performance.

• Empathy & Social Behavior: Genes can influence social bonding and empathy—key traits in transformational and servant leadership.

Does this mean I have to accept "the hand that I am dealt"?

No.

While some aspects of yourself are beyond your control, how you use your gifts—and how you respond to your challenges—is entirely up to you.

Here are two powerful reminders:

Terry Fox

• Lost his right leg to osteosarcoma (bone cancer).

• Legacy: Initiated the Marathon of Hope in 1980, running across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Though he passed away, his legacy lives on through the annual Terry Fox Run, which has raised hundreds of millions for cancer research.

  
  

Carla Qualtrough

• Visually impaired since birth.

• Legacy: Paralympic swimmer, human rights lawyer, and Canadian cabinet minister. She has won multiple medals and served as Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion.

Some aspects of who you are were determined before you were born. Some may be gifts, others may be challenges. But how you see the world and navigate through it is shaped by both what you can and cannot control.

Embrace both. They make you uniquely you.

Deep Dives

Here are two books covering the similar topics but with very different approaches. Mark Manson's book is very unapologetically honest, blunt and direct where Brené Brown takes a much softer approach.

"The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck", by Mark Manson and "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brené

Brown.

"If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room." - Confucius

Checkpoint: Something to consider today...

What leadership traits were you born with and which ones have you learned?