24x7 Leadership Factory

"A Leader is a Dealer in Hope."- Napoleon Bonaparte

AIESEC Hyderabad describes itself, very aptly, as the 24x7 Leadership Factory. Ergo we churn out leaders all round the day. Of course we all have our ways of looking at Leadership, and what it means to us. To some of us Leadership would mean leading 11 young(??) men onto a grassy little ground with the hopes of a Billion cricket fanatics on their back; to some of us it would mean being the hope of a falling country, and changing the world with three simple words, "Yes we can.". To some of us leadership would mean taking care of our little sister, while our parents are out. To me leadership has been redefined to what I've seen over the past 10 months of my life.

I've always been a recluse, to the point that it lead to vanity, without having anything to be vain about. In meeting people, the people that make up AIESEC Hyderabad, I got what was one of the biggest reality checks of my life; that there are people my age, infinitely cooler, smarter and better than I am. And in those people I found my first leaders in AIESEC. They came in many forms, my Executive Board, 11 incredibly diverse people working towards a common goal; my Team Leaders, whom I share a very special bond with, the people who introduced me to 'eXchange' and how we actually are impacting the world through it; my fellow General Body members, each one of them with their own special skill set, dreams, aspirations and visions, who led me through this wonderful path of discovery where I realized how much better the world is for having such people.

One of the greatest opportunities to vision leadership at its best is at a National Conference. June National conference 2009- a week that changed my life; what it stood for, and what it will in the future. As cliche as the whole "Life Changing" expeience may sound, there are few other words that could substitute what I felt during that period. Only maybe if I used a thesaurus. It was there where I saw men and women my age from all over the country united, standing for what they thought their world should be like, living the dream. Taking it to that next big step, taking it to 'Infinity'.

The phase of my life that followed, thanks to my prodigal sense of judgment, was a real hard one. I was going through things I really wasn't ready for. In ways I was spiralling down towards rock bottom, and it was then that I found to what extent the right leaders can impact your life. On a fine autumn evening, on a particularly low day for me, I recall very distinctly, a leader of mine telling me this, " The first person you'll ever lead is yourself. You need to get your act straight."- He told me things I made a very important mental note of, and follow to this day, only to see things around me getting better. My friends at AIESEC Hyderabad helped me greatly, each one of them in their own way, leading me to a better place for myself.

It is in AIESEC Hyderabad and all it stands for that I truly see Leadership, from the people who lead the organization in the literal sense of the word, to those who make every day an opportunity, to lead, to live and to be the best you can be. I haven't been officially on a Leadership Position now, but then I know, for the day I get one, I would be great. I've had the best of the lot.

Here's to the people who bring out the best in you,

The Leaders of AIESEC Hyderabad,

Cheers.

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- Varun Pawar,

Member, Education Sector

Student, S.V.I.T., Hyd.

GO GLOBAL and eXPerience the world !

Our world today is far more competitive than it used to be. Moreover, apart from the cut-throat competition, it is growing ever-smaller with each passing day and has almost turned into a “Global Village”. Amidst all the technology, all the overseas settling and the intense courses for different fields of study, an international opportunity, the likes of no other has emerged. This opportunity is the portal for young students who are undergraduates to eXPerience internationalism, work with diverse individuals from different parts of the world, network globally and gain an edge over many others looking to get employed in the market.

AIESEC is the world’s largest student run organization, stretched across 107 countries and 1700 universities globally and it is the international platform for young individuals to explore and develop their leadership potential. Today, AIESEC in Hyderabad brings to you the opportunity to go for a 2 month international internship and live diversity in a country you’ve never been to before, work with people from across the world and eXPerience cultures you never dreamed of!

Yu Lin, a Chinese student here in Hyderabad, who grabbed this opportunity says, "I delivered my knowledge in the English language to the children of Ukraine, had lots of fun with them and came out as a person better equipped to face life." Talking of eXPeriences, another student, Zahid who’s internship wishes took him to Poznan, a city in west-central Poland said, "I now have over 250 friends from all over the world, I have learned to open up, to be more confident, and to work effectively in a team and I was treated like a king by everyone there, and they really value your work."

This is your perfect opportunity to GO Global even while you’re studying! With AIESEC’s help, you could go places and make your resume look great as well! Sign up for the Global Entrepreneurs Program brought to you by AIESEC Hyderabad, TODAY! Who knows, today, you might be attending a class in college and tomorrow, you might just be in an office in Malaysia, working with people your age from the world over!

If you’re an undergraduate, this is a MUST HAVE eXPerience!

Sign up for an International Internship. Get in touch with Ashwath Vyas +91 98663 14433 or ashwathvyas@gmail.com, Vice-President International Opportunites, AIESEC Hyderabad.

I am an AIESECer!

Networking was the word for me! I had newly shifted to Hyderabad and was looking for a good friend circle. I joined the nearest Gym, joined in some student group in college, did everything to increase my 'friend-o-meter' in the city! I joined AIESEC for the same reason! Initially I was very happy to know that I was one of those 50 who were selected out of some 2000 odd applicants in the city! But it didn’t take me much time to realize what I had actually got into! It was not just about networking or a certificate which would add to my resume; it was about the AIESEC experience, which I am not very sure if I would be able to blot down here on this piece of paper!

I was an ordinary boy with decent acads and satisfactory exposure. AIESEC gave me the platform to explore my potential! A platform so big and huge that it blew my mind! I never imagined that I’d be able to give a formal seminar to an audience of 50 MBA students who would listen to me with note pads in their hands wearing suits! Trust me it feels good! I never thought I’d be so clear about what I want and how would I go about it if it wouldn’t have been for AIESEC. I still have managed to maintain a balance between AIESEC, my studies and my attendance.

I am an AIESECer and I am proud to be one. If I tell you how good AIESEC is it might sound obvious! So, I’d rather tell you why I don’t like AIESEC. I don’t like AIESEC because I haven’t been able to know everything about AIESEC yet even after 9 months of my experience in AIESEC. I guess, even after 2 or 3 years in AIESEC the experience wouldn’t be over! AIESEC is an idea which if you adopt, you’d grow endlessly, I am still growing and I have a long way to go! I don’t like AIESEC because I know that one day I’d have to leave and then I’ll have so much of free time. Time, which I would probably waste then, rather than meeting big-wigs of the corporate or sending mails to Europe and Africa! I hate AIESEC cause today when I log onto my gmail account I have about 25 people online 24X7 from all over the world pinging me! I miss those times when I used to log onto orkut and keep sending random scraps to offline people and keep waiting for their replies! I hate AIESEC because today I have the smartest of the people in the city as my friends around me and so I don’t get to boss around! I hate AIESEC because I came to know about it when I was in 2nd year of engineering or I would have joined in earlier!

Moving on from the sarcasm and talking of practicality, today everyone wants a job with a heavy pay! To the companies, we all are like products in the market which they’d buy by paying money (salary). I know that I have increased my worth in the job market! Because, I know how to work in a team environment. I know how an organization runs. I have the AIESEC experience! Today I don’t need a piece of paper to justify that I have fluent English, or which says that I have been in AIESEC. I have the exposure and it shows!

AIESEC doesn’t give you benefits in bullet points. It’s a gradual change and a very fruitful one! Today, I know that I have grown more mature and sensitive towards issues. Today I am more aware about things. I have a clear picture in mind about what my priorities are in life and my goals. I know where I want to see myself after 10 years from now and how to achieve that! I have moved up from worrying about petty issues in life and now know how to look at the bigger picture!

Buying that piece of paper in college and attending the AIESEC recruitments was probably my best decision ever! Yesterday I was just another bookworm in college. I rose from the routine ordinariness and became something which others look up to.

I am an AIESECer!!


-Dhruv Mathur
Team Leader, Education Sector

Counting Steps...

I don’t know how AIESEC changed my life but I know it changed it. It all happened in a span of 14 months. I didn’t even realize but when I look back, a lot has changed in a different way. I remember being so lame, so directionless, so confused, so silent. It all changed. I found weird things about myself, which were always there but I never realized.
AIESEC has given me a huge platform to hop from one point to another and explore the vast number of opportunities. And there are still so many more opportunities left to be excited about. They never seem to end!
The best thing I like about AIESEC is networking. The number of people I got to meet through conferences, appointments and random meetings is huge. I never knew I could talk to random people so effortlessly and make that connection ;) …
Being a part of the Exchange team in AIESEC, Hyderabad, and being responsible for providing an extraordinary experience to an 18 or 28 year old individual gives me a strange satisfaction :) .

Getting the opportunity to lead a team of totally diverse individuals and being able to show them what AIESEC is, and helping them understand AIESEC better and learn something even when one might feel there is not much to do; understanding them as individuals, building that connect, its a totally different experience. The fact that you get to learn something or the other every single second with the occurence of even the smallest and the most irrelevant events blows my mind!
It is like learning practically what I have read theoretically through AIESEC. The whole concept is so simple, a bunch of students come together work on a basic thing, like say, Exchange and having minimal money to help all of this survive. It sounds as simple as 1-2-3, and it all is as simple as 1-2-3 but it takes you from 1 to 100 and you wouldn’t even realize.



-Vega Chauhan

National Accounts Manager, AIESEC Hyderabad

100 And Going Strong!

The last post indicated about AIESEC making impact and creating life-changing experiences. Now, how exactly does AIESEC do that? AIESEC is an international platform for young people to explore and develop their leadership potential. Now what is ‘International’ about it?

AIESEC has a huge network of over 40,000 members and alumni spread across more than a 107 countries and 1700 universities globally.

AIESEC has, time and again, created opportunities for its members and non-members to go to another member country in the AIESEC network for the purpose of an ‘Internship’, gaining international exposure in the process and undergoing a never-before-heard-of-change in terms of personality development and cultural sensitization.

Every such experience that AIESEC creates is what we AIESECers call an ‘EXCHANGE’ which contributes towards AIESEC’s long term vision of ‘Peace and fulfillment of human kinds potential’ and the purpose for which AIESEC was formed 61 years ago by 7 individuals: to bridge cultural barriers and to do away with the possibility of World War III.

AIESEC Hyderabad has, in 2009, successfully delivered 100 such experiences, and has thereby impacted 100 such individuals who have taken that step and gone on an AIESEC internship to another country or have otherwise come to Hyderabad for an internship! And what’s more? AIESEC Hyderabad is the first Local Committee this year in Southern India to have reached this benchmark!

A 100 dreams. A 100 aspirations. A 100 eXchanges, and a 100 life-changing eXperiences! And AIESEC Hyderabad is showing no signs of slowing down. Hearty CONGRATULATIONS to all the members of AIESEC Hyderabad who have made it happen; who have made 100 EXCHANGES happen! Heaven knows it can only get stronger henceforth!

AIESEC Hyderabad has created and delivered and will continue to create and deliver such experiences to anybody who is ready for it because right now, AIESEC Hyderabad truly is DELIVERING DIVERSITY!!

Catch your breaths folks, there’s more to follow! After all, CITIUS-ALTIUS-FORTIUS is the mantra of the season! Ain’t it? :)