Leadership is that one thing that most people would readily shy away from unless, of course, the task at hand is simple and promises immense glory. Yet, there are some of us who have to step up and take the dreaded reins. The “why” is apparent, the “when” even more so but it is the “how” that most of us fail to understand. If we look around in everyday life, we suddenly realize that the society is full of cynics and naysayers who go to work, sit there for nine hours, come back home and repeat the same process every single day – except for weekends when they let loose and grumble about the upcoming Monday. However, what do they actually do in besides just going to work, getting back home and whining? Nothing.
Changes in this world are made by leaders. These are the people who contradict the cynics and the naysayers. They are able to enrich their lives while engaging them around a common goal. Leaders bring people, teams and organizations to life. One such organization that provides thousands of young people across the globe the unique chance to step into a leadership role is AIESEC. Through different activities that it runs, it offers the opportunity to its members to work in various teams, locally, nationally and internationally and gain experience. A leadership experience in AIESEC context means that a person is leading a team of at least three persons for a period ranging anything from one month to one year. These teams work for various purposes within the organization – organizing events (conferences, interactive forums, promotional events) and handling projects working on diverse issues such as entrepreneurship, child rights, education etc. Besides giving the youth the chance to develop themselves, it also makes them capable of facilitating the development of others. The ability to inspire and motivate people, to create an atmosphere of enthusiasm and success is an immeasurably valuable skill. With famous alumni such as Martti Ahtisaari (former Finnish President and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner), Helmut Kohl (former Chancellor, Germany), Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, Bill Clinton, Meera Sanyal etc. Kofi Annan former Secretary-General, United Nations endorses AIESEC, AIESECers are, in a way, in the business of changing the world.
60 Years of Activating Youth Leadership
The definition of a leader entails the acknowledgment of responsibility and the understanding of hierarchy – such that the leader sees his/her place in a bigger picture rather than in the immediate environment. That, in simple terms, is what leadership is all about – being ready to take up responsibility. It seems, in a manner of speaking, that the leader in anyone is linked directly to a two-way switch. This perpetual readiness is what people in AIESEC call Activating Leadership – flipping that switch and leaving it on.
Written by- Navdeep Randhawa for AIESEC Chandigarh
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