Monday, April 27, 2009

Admiring the proactivity approach

“For every difficulty that supposedly stops a person from succeeding

 there are thousands who have had it a lot worse

 and have succeeded anyway. So can you.  

It’s late Sunday evening now. The whole day I basically spent on writing “helpful” emails, constructing project pages in myaiesec.net, sorting out the files and documents for some members of my local committee in AIESEC Almaty and new coming executive board members in particular. I took initiative on my own to just help them with their current processes, make them even better to get the expected successful outcome and gave my first hand. And they’ve responded. Somehow, I always feel myself that I’m also part of the processes which they are running and that from my wide practical experience in many areas in AIESEC, I can always help them with suggestion, some ideas, share my knowledge and network of contacts. I’m always opened to help people and just “running for it”, if they respond to my first approach… Somehow, from my current role in the organization I can observe that my eyes are starting to shine and I feel so much motivated, when I see that I can help people to perform and that they can use my expertise to succeed in their roles and they ASK QUESTIONS and FEEL CURIOUS. That’s smth I didn’t know at least a year ago, even when I was leading and managing my team of executive board in AIESEC Almaty. For me the organizational goals have been alwats the first thing.

I really appreciate people who always stay PROACTIVE and DON’T AFRAID TO TAKE RISKS in their activities and who ALWAYS GIVE A TRY. I’m trying to follow this principle in my life as well, even sometimes it causes me hours and hours of thinking and doubting and in the end, I always stay positive about the things I’ve achieved or learned. I never regret. 

And I just love when this culture of being PROACTIVE – taking always the first initiative and turning ideas into immediate actions, transforms to the whole organization, when such individuals like energizers make other people to act the same and then “taste the success” all together. I feel that’s one of the healthiest organizational cultures at least every AIESEC committee should have. The culture of “no excuse”, proactivity, curiosity and big ambition… And I really adore this approach in my local committee, where I’ve taken the part of creating it last year – this AIESEC chapter is the ideal model to everyone in our global network. Really. And now people who are leading the organization now always put the higher bars to themselves and achieve it! Just looking to the current results it has now – the biggest ever recruitment of students to go abroad for summer and the toughest selection – every 4th got an opportunity got on exchange via AIESEC, which ensures the quality of people as well, the highest ever income from corporate sector, constant growth in exchange and membership, healthy retention, ever biggest student coverage at external events and now – the final external project for AIESEC stakeholders – annual report, as the most “expensive” projects ever… 

Of course, nothing comes by miracle and in getting those things the level of luck is small, but what matters – hardwork, ability to constantly learn and improve, being professional in every action and strong belief in your final goal. Keep the same level, AIESEC Almaty, and I will be always around to support you any way I can now… 

And it makes me afraid as well, will it happen always? We don’t know in the long-term for sure. Current leaders matter a lot and investment in them too. 

I feel right now missing of living in such an intense environment, when people don’t find excuses and don’t question, whether they should do that and afraid to fail, but always try… even taking the risks… going with the right approach towards achieving great things… 

I have exactly 2 months left to live in Estonia and work for AIESEC national board here, but I don’t feel until now, that it’s the time to feel “its over”, as its somehow getting more interesting now to make the new processes work and push the organization grow till the end. It’s very interesting for me now actually understand the way we made changes in a quite short-term (one year) period within organizational processes and changed people’s mindsets in many areas towards achieving growth. And what approach I, in particular, was taking towards working with people and making everyone to do their best. For sure, there haven’t been any identified plan behind that on what work approach to take, somehow everything came naturally. The ones, who responded to my “first given hand” and were opened to changes, I’m sure got the benefit from that… The ones, who responded, but didn’t take most of the things forward, will for sure understand after some time. I hope…  But I’m sure that in the end of this road I won’t regret that I didn’t do smth which I could actually. I’ve tried and worked hard and have been always opened to people, who are again curious about achieving and growing. Who are willing to do their best… 

And I think it’s a good feeling, isn’t it? :) 

Stay cute…