When I read the word for the first time, honest to god, I thought it was a word invented by influencers to show clout and made absolutely no sense. But as I slowly started learning and growing, I realized it meant everything as a founder.
So what is Agency?
Agency means your ability to make choices and take actions that influence your own life or the world around you. It’s about believing “I can do something about this” rather than feeling like life is just happening to you.
Essentially this is in your mind, mindset if you may.
So if agency is about having the wheel, High agency is about figuring out how to steer the wheel come what may.
High agency describes a mindset where:
You take ownership of problems, even if they aren’t strictly “your job.”
You focus on finding a way instead of looking for reasons it can’t be done.
You believe obstacles are challenges to work through, not excuses to stop.
You act resourcefully, trying different paths until you get results.
Now you might hear of these “high-agency” people around you, in offices, in your friends and family circle. In India, they might perhaps be known as “Sharmaji ka beta” ( a neighbour’s son who always does well in every thing).
But this seems like a common trait, so why don’t people have this trait or mindset?
The first is very obviously your upbringing. You have been brought up in a bubble. Your parents gave you everything you needed and even things you did not need. Students are taught to look for the one “right” answer instead of exploring multiple possibilities. This habit trains people to wait for instructions rather than build their own momentum.
Another reason is the deep fear of failure and judgment. High agency requires taking risks, experimenting, and facing the possibility of being wrong. But most of us grow up equating failure with shame. To avoid embarrassment, people retreat into passivity. If they never try, they can’t fail and so they avoid the discomfort that comes with ownership.
There’s also the phenomenon of learned helplessness. When people repeatedly experience situations where their actions don’t seem to change outcomes—whether under strict parents, rigid workplaces, or unresponsive bosses, they start believing their efforts don’t matter.
On top of this, external blame feels comforting. It’s easier to say, “The system is broken,” than to admit, “I could have done more.” High agency strips away excuses because it demands personal responsibility. That level of accountability is uncomfortable, so most people avoid it.
Finally, environment plays a huge role. High agency thrives when you are surrounded by resourceful, action-driven people who model problem-solving and persistence. Without such examples, many individuals never even realize it’s possible to approach life differently.
But the good news is you can become a high-agency mindset person just a few months. The first thing you need to do is evaluate every task that you do in life, see if you are showing high-agency or you are simply letting life happen to you.
For eg. you want to lose weight, but haven’t done it for the last 8 years (Yes, I am talking about myself here!). What are my excuses - Stressed, too much work, binge-eating and the list goes. Classic examples of a low agency mindset.
But what if I did this - Get up on the treadmill for 15 minutes and walked daily for 365 days. I wouldn’t just lose weight. The ripple effects of getting on the treadmill - renewed motivation, discipline, eating better will all come together. That’s the power of a high agency mindset.
You know dominoes right? In 1983, Lorne Whitehead wrote in the American Journal of Physics that he’d discovered that domino falls could not only topple many things, they could also topple bigger things.
He described how a single domino is capable of bringing down another domino that is actually 50% larger.
High agency is placing the dominoes one after each other and achieving bigger and better things by just making that first move.
Actually here’s a simple, actionable 5-step roadmap to build high agency:
1. Train yourself to ask: “What can I do right now?”
Instead of dwelling on what’s unfair or out of your control, shift focus to the next possible action. Even small steps (making a call, drafting an outline, sending a message) build momentum and rewire your brain to look for solutions.
2. Take radical responsibility
Stop outsourcing blame. Whether it’s a missed deadline, a low income month, or a failed pitch, ask, “What was in my control, and how will I adjust next time?” This doesn’t mean blaming yourself for everything, but owning the parts you can influence.
3. Redefine failure as data
High agency people don’t treat failure as shame; they treat it as feedback. Each attempt tells you what works and what doesn’t. This mindset makes it easier to take risks, experiment, and keep moving despite setbacks.
4. Build resourcefulness as a habit
Instead of saying “I don’t know how,” practice saying “I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out.” Look for alternatives, ask for help, use free tools, and try unconventional methods. Over time, you train yourself to believe there’s always a way.
5. Surround yourself with high-agency people
Mindsets are contagious. Spend time with people who act instead of complain, who solve instead of stall. Their energy will push you to level up, and you’ll start normalizing initiative and ownership in your own life.
High agency is not about having all the answers, but about believing you can find a way forward. The more you practice ownership and resourcefulness, the more life starts working with you instead of to you.