1. LEADERSHIP / TRAINNING
Female Leadership: A Literary Review
Over the years many definitions of leadership have surfaced, some were
debated on vehemently, some were accepted with vigorous nodding of
heads and some were honored with meetings in grand rooms and discussed
over tea and cake. I might have or might not have been born when these
historical moments occurred but thank heavens to the internet I
fortunately caught up. What is leadership training really? Is it teaching
your child how to tie their shoe laces so that they can teach their own
children the same skill later in life and so on? We t ake everything
seriously but it is easy really, what if you did not teach him to tie his
shoes? What if you did not let him tie them wrongly, denied him the
training? He will grow up to be an adult who does not possess that skill,
you would have robbed him the chance him to make mistakes, to correct
them, to practice the right thing and eventually master the right thing. I
will not pull out magical tricks or algorithms, formulas and spreadsheets
on this topic; I am here to only pour my heart out in hopes of starting a
conversation.
 EXPERIMENTAL LEARNING
“AIESEC is performing a very important task of both training and people
to people exchange” Jan Eliasson , Deputy Secretary General, United
Nations.
Organisations like AIESEC are a platform to allow global youth to work
towards ‘World Peace and Fulfillment of humankind’s potential’ we apply
practically what we learn in the classr oom and hold leadership positions.
Our processes and activities vary accordi ng to the reality of th e countries
we live in. Botswana and India are not different in distribution of
leadership roles according to gender but in AIESEC the f ine lines are
erased and we all work towards the same goal as global change makers. I
was president of AIESEC at my college in Botswana, it was not because I
was the most qualified or the most experienced and it certainly wasn’t
because I was the only female who applied for the position ; it was
because I demonstrated the passion to learn. Leadership was not about
power but exploring my potential, testing my abilities and some part of
me wanted to show the world that yes I am a young girl and yes I can and
will lead the organization. I am proud to say that I achieved all of that
and more but my understanding of leadership changed altogether and that
was my greatest accidental achievement because it made me yearn to
encourage every young man and woman to experience the same. In
AIESEC, everything is a real life simulation, presidents and vice
presidents, managers and team leaders, members, customers and partners,

2. organising youth empowerment conferences, facilitating international
exchange programs, organizational management, community development
activities, leading teams and projects, managing talent and team work.
This organization places us at a higher pedestal than our peers because no
amount of text books on these topics can match to actually performing the
tasks. As of 2014, AIESEC has since expanded to 125 countries and
territories across the globe. AIESEC annually offers over 27,500
leadership positions and delivers over 500 leadership conferences to its
membership of over 100,000 students. It is present in over 2,400
universities in its 125 member countries and territories across the globe
and its international exchange program that enables over 27,500 students
and recent graduates the opportunity to work or volunteer in another
country. AIESEC is supported by over 8,000 partner organizations. (
Wikipedia)
 VOLUNTEERING
All youth need to volunteer in different fields in their countries and
abroad; this broadens mindset and allows them to be actively involved in
solving world issues. Youth of this generation are, for a lack of a better
word, spoilt, our parents have everything planned out and re ady for our
taking. We don’t know self sufficiency; we live in a bubble and fail to
understand that we are responsible for our future, including that of our
countries. Volunteering at local and international orphanages, old age
homes, terminally ill patients homes, disabled people, hospitals and
schools as well as cleaning streets and forests taught me the following
 I am a part of ‘they’ if I don’t do it then whom do I expert to do it
 My country and the world is my responsibility as an occupant of it,
 Conversation with someone less privileged makes you feel like you
are the one who is less privileged because you lack the essence of
life.
 Knowing that I was part of the movement that made a positive
improvement in one’s life is fulfilling.
 It is the non monetary and selfless acts that matter at the end of the
day.
 It always seems impossible until it is done, all you have to is try
and failure does not exist unless you breathe life into it.
 And lastly, yes I can do it. I am destined for greatness and gr eat I
shall become.
Volunteering in different organizations like: UNFPA, AIESEC, African
Youth Network, Diabetes Association of Botswana and others helped to be

3. active in issues of; Human rights, environment protection, health, literacy
and cultural understanding.
 MENTORING
We need older, experienced and inspirational people to guide us through
leadership journeys. The older generation holds the key to our succ essful
leadership journey with their wisdom and experience. We have great
leaders like Indra Ghandi, Oprah Winfrey, Dr Atima Sharma, Seema Jain
mam, my grandmother Balekane Lwenda, my mother, my supervisors
throughout my different leadership endeavors, my colleagues just to
mention a few.. My all time mentor is my grandmother: it amazes me how
her wisdom knows no bounds, strength is formidable, this sounds like a
description of everybody’s grandmother , and that’s the power they posses .
It didn’t occur to me until I wrote this that my biggest and most important
mentors are the people that I mentor; everyday they challenge me to be
better than the last. Just this year alone, great young women rose up a nd
made it to my list of people who i nspire me and I had the opportunity to
meet one, Ms Shachi Soni one of the youngest Indian girls to reach the
Everest Summit at just 19 years old , not only did she prove her
capabilities to those that discouraged her because of her gender, she
excellent in her studies, leads an organization focused on cleaning
mountains like the Himalayas and takes time to share her journey in
leadership seminars . From a young age girls are restricted to explore their
potential lest they lose thei r feminine touch.
AIESEC has key personalities as our alumni and they are active in
providing mentorship programs for us. Some of the people are:
Bill Clinton, former US President
Helmut Khol, Former German Chancellor
Aleksander Kwasniewski, former President of Holland
Janez Drnovsek, former Prime Minister of Slovenia
Koosum Kalayan, General Manager of Shell
Cesar Gaviria, former President of Colombia
Micheline Rey Federal Council of Switzerland
Cavaco Silvia, President of Portugal
 RESPONSIBILITY
AIESEC in India believe in som e famous words which were uttered by
Nelson Mandela, he said ‘Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be
great, and you are a part of that generation’ If entrusted with
responsibility youth will rise to the occasion and prove their capabilities.
I believe that we are going towards a leadership vacuum in the coming

4. years because not enough youth is entrusted with leadership
responsibility. Leadership is a very dangerous act, entrusting youth with
responsibility is equally dangerous bu t denying us both is the same as
denying earth future leaders. If all parents shy away from letting their
children explore these then we are in an inevitable path to a leaderless
future. Generations silently shift as years go by, surely you are not going
to lead for the next 100 years and if you don’t prepare us then who will
lead when you are gone? In my journey, I had a chance to converse with
African leaders about youth policies, sit with Vanila mam and talk Spoken
English syllabus, meet with my differe nt teams and strategise on how we
are going to mentor students, launch community d evelopment projects,
deliver conferences. All these are great responsibilities, our
responsibilities; we acknowledged that and acted accordingly.
 OPPORTUNITY
In Africa there are so many opportunities for the youth to be leaders and
act as a link between government and the people. We have Young African
Leadership Initiative, African Youth Union , African Youth and
Adolescent Network, Young volunteers for the Environment and m any
more organizations for the youth to lead, receive training, improve
communities and drive change. I cannot of course forget AIESEC, the
global youth run NGO that is my reason for being in this room at this
moment. We live in a world where education is becoming powerless;
skills and experience have a louder voice when it comes to employment.
Unemployment of youth is staggering and employability of graduates in
this country is very low. We need extracurricular activities besides talent
and sports which develop students personality and professionally.
Colleges and universalities are only producing exam high achievers not
life conquerors, what is a decorated certificate if a students cannot use it
to get ahead after graduation? All we need is a chance and y ou will be
amazed at what we can do.
 EMPATHY AND APATHY
“When we understand our team we have a better idea of the challenges ahead of
us.” – @morrismichellek
I believe leadership should shift from being authorative to being
empathetic and sympathetic of the people. Empathy is the ability to
experience and relate to the thoughts, emotions, o r experiences of others.
Empathy is more than simple sympathy, which is being able to understand
and support others with compassion or sensitivity [William A. Gentry
2007]. Culturally, a leader is the epitome of power and commands respect,
submission and this should also include the ability to be people focused
and show the followers that the leader cares for their achievements and
needs.

5. In AIESEC there are mandatory practices like ‘LEAD’ sessions where
experienced personal development trainers like Dey Dos and Amalia teach
us how to relate to one another, teambuilding activities that builds trust
human connection.
 YOUTH LEADERSHIP
IMPORTANCE OF YOUTH LEADERSHIP
 Ability to articulate personal values
 Awareness of how personal actions impact the larger communities
 Ability to engage in the community in a positive manner
 Respect and caring for oneself and others
 Sense of responsibility to self and others
 Integrity
 Awareness of cultural differences among peers and the larger
community
 High expectations for self and comm unity
 Sense of purpose in goals and activities
 Ability to follow the lead of others when appropriate
Finally being a young lady and a leader has been one of the most
humbling experiences, as much as it was empowering to sit in an equal
setting with men, it was more fulfilling to know that my actions inspire
both genders to yearn for healthy leadership experiences. The woman’s
touch will always be unique and unmatched even in professional places,
we love, nurture, chastise and care naturally; it is beautifu l to add a
woman’s touch to a development of a young person. I find it natural that
we should be entrusted with all sorts of leadership because we are the
ones who raise the children and th ey never stay children forever some
grow up to be like George Washi ngton, Barack Obama, Thomas Jefferson,
Andrew Jackson and Bill Clinton . The above mentioned powerful men
have to two things in common; they were the Presidents of the United
States of America and were all raised by single mothers, that has to stand
for something.

6. REFERENCES
AIESEC LEADERSHIP MODEL
http://issuu.com/dariaaxenova/docs/aiesec_leadership_development_model
AIESEC (2007) EVERYDAY STARTS TODAY.
http://www.aiesec.org/cms/aiesec/AI/Asia%20Pacific/AUSTRALIA/index.
html
UNESCO
www.unesc.org http://ngo-db.unesco.org/r/or/en/1100041034
SPARK ACTION
http://sparkaction.org/24under24
EMPATHY IN THE WORKPLACE
William A. Gentry 2007
BY: Boitumelo Pauline Marumo
Spoken English Teacher
KMV
Jalandhar, India
+91 8427979928
Boitumelo.marumo@aiesec.net