5 lessons I learnt at AIESEC, 23 years ago, that I still find valuable as CEO of a global organization

In 1997, I joined AIESEC in Mumbai while I was at university. Little did I know that my experience there would help me build a global organization.

I have come to realize that lessons learnt early in life have a significant imprint on our personality. These lessons may come from people in your life: parents, teachers, mentors, friends, and siblings. Or from being exposed to challenging situations and pressure, a more difficult learning path.

For me, my stint at AIESEC proved to be a turning point in my life. It is here where I learned some of life’s most important lessons.

For the uninitiated, AIESEC is an international youth-run, not-for-profit organization with chapters in about 120 countries and 1000 cities. It provides young people with opportunities to hone their leadership skills through global work internships and volunteer exchange programs.

I joined the India chapter of AIESEC for their highly sought-after exchange programs and I was keen on exploring a new country on one of these programs. I was not really interested in their activities. Since it was a volunteer organization, I thought I could sit out on activities that I did not want to be a part of.

When I joined AIESEC, I was an underconfident teenager with no clear direction on what I wanted my life to be. But by the time I left the organization four years later, I was ready to take on the world.

I can recall several incidents that contributed to shaping me, but I’ll pick the most impactful ones.

1. Only you get to decide what you can and cannot do

One of the first interactions I had with the AIESEC leadership helped bust a long-held notion. When I was a child, I was repeatedly told, in school and at home, that I was not creative since I was not good with drawing and the arts. I internalized this belief and refused to participate in anything that required creative input. This incident at AIESEC changed that.

Some members of the Mumbai chapter were invited to a brainstorming meeting to decide the name of an event. My lack of interest and non-participation did not go unnoticed and I was called out. I said that I didn’t have any ideas to contribute. The person facilitating the meeting wouldn’t take no for an answer. She pushed me to come up with something. After much hesitation, I suggested a name, which, to my surprise, was liked by everyone in the room.

It may seem like an unremarkable anecdote, but this incident changed my perception of myself. Today, as the CEO of a multinational technology company, I need to think of creative ways to solve problems on a regular basis. It would have been a shame and so much lost potential to lead my entire life believing I was not creative.

Continuously destroy your past to reinvent yourself. — The CACTUS Way

Sometimes stories we tell ourselves are a result of conditioning or what we are made to believe about our abilities. A harsh word spoken by a family member or a teacher can leave a lasting effect on an impressionable young mind. But we don’t have to be shackled to these negative impressions. A small push can help uncover our true potential.

2. Examine inaction: what are you running away from?

During another project review meeting, I was caught reading comics. After the meeting, the Vice President, HR of AIESEC Mumbai called me aside and asked me why I decided to join the organization. I wanted to grow, I said unconvincingly.

He explained to me that life was too short to spend doing something that your heart wasn’t in. He advised me to quit AIESEC and do something more meaningful; there were many things one could do while in college. He said you get back from AIESEC what you put into it.

This conversation forced me to revisit my approach to everything. I realized that my lack of interest was because I was scared of taking on responsibilities and felt incapable of making decisions. After this conversation, I tried to change my outlook. While the change was not overnight, I started asking myself more often why I was not engaging with something. And every time I found the answer deeply rooted in a fear of doing something, I pushed myself to break those barriers.

What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do. — Tim Ferriss

3. Embrace critical feedback, and use it to improve

This one time, we had set up a booth at a recruitment fair at the World Trade Center in Mumbai. My team and I were quite proud of the efforts we had invested in the booth. This was until a senior AIESEC leader showed up and pointed out various flaws: the banner was crumpled, the team was standing inside the booth instead of greeting people outside, and so on. He could have been splitting hairs, but the point was to be and present the best.

There is no failure. Only feedback. — Robert Allen

This and similar events, where I was on the receiving end of harsh feedback, honed my eye for detail. It would have been very easy for me to discard inputs. But accepting feedback constructively and actively working towards implementing the lessons has helped me in all facets of life.

4. What’s in it for me? Answer this from the customer’s point of view

At some point, I took on the role of VP Marketing at AIESEC Mumbai. My key responsibility was securing sponsors and raising funds. I felt awkward about asking for sponsorship money and didn’t think I was equipped for this aspect of my role. This became quite evident when even after six months in this role, I did not raise any funds. Not a single penny! At every pitch, I did a stellar job of promoting the AIESEC internship program but had no luck securing sponsorship.

My previous experiences at AIESEC had taught me that only I had been holding myself back. I had overcome self-doubt in the past, so I should be able to do it again. I started improving my financial quotient by reading newspapers and company annual reports. I realized that companies had huge CSR budgets. AIESEC, on the other hand, was looking to raise very small amounts. We were pitching advertising and brand presence to these companies, but did they really care about it?

What was really in it for them? Why were they supporting AIESEC? How could I get them to support us? As I answered some of these questions, I realized that the branding story didn’t matter to them and AIESEC was too small to bring them relevant branding. They just wanted to be a part of a strong cause.

Don’t try to tell the customer what he wants. — Gene Buckley

With this clarity, we fine-tuned our pitch to these companies and went in bigger. We raised more money than AIESEC in Mumbai had historically raised. This taught me a valuable lesson: when working in sales, you need to answer the all-important question for the customer, what’s really in it for me?

5. Take the leap: have a growth mindset

The biggest leap I took was applying for the role of President of the Mumbai chapter. I won that election against all odds; I was pitted against candidates who were more tenured. The one year I served as the President was the most rewarding experience. It gave me the confidence to take on anything later in life.

I learned several important lessons when I started managing a team. All of us, yes, that includes me, had skill gaps. I realized that no one comes with all the skills required for any job. But if you have a growth mindset, you can succeed at anything you put your mind to.

I can’t say I was keen on doing everything I was expected to do as a member of AIESEC, but as the President, I had to lead by example. This forced me to step out of my comfort zone and take on things I was unsure of or scared to do. I learned to always be prepared: for meetings, for conversations, for emergencies. As the President, I had to steer the ship, so I had to know how to navigate the sea. It was the closest experience one can have to being a CEO of a company.

No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment. — Carol S. Dweck

I personally know many who have come out of AIESEC more confident and wiser. I’ve been lucky to have worked with some of them. My time with AIESEC will always be a period I’ll cherish. I had the opportunity to go on an international internship to Japan, which led to the creation of Cactus Communications. It’s not surprising that I continue to be associated with the organization.

If there has to be one takeaway from this article, let it be this: start investing in yourself at an early age. It can be through joining organizations like AIESEC, doing multiple internships, playing an active role in college festivals, or getting involved in family business from an early age. These experiences will mold you and make you better prepared for the future.