To be a successful leader one must be willing to speak out, challenge previous systems and be willing to create the change you desire. Greta Thundberg has been quoted before saying that we cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis and if solutions within the system are so impossible to find, maybe we should change the system itself. On Episode three we were left in awe by Aanya Patel, whom at only 16 has founded Global Girls Initiative. This is an organisation close and dear to our hearts because it focuses on working towards helping end period poverty in America through enabling better access to menstrual products for girls in school. She is proving that it is not age that makes people leaders but it is their passion to make a change and be the change the world never knew it needed. Both of these factors are what leads individuals like Aanya to be recognised as leaders in their spaces.
Times are definitely changing especially with technology growing so rapidly and advocacy does require new ways of thinking, because there are new ways of spreading information.
Here are four things you will learn from listening to Aanya's story that can be of help in your journey as a leader:
1. Stay Curious
When Identifying your area of interest always learn to keep the element of curiousity in you because it will lead you to evolve and grow. Being curious will also lead you to engross yourself in research which ultimately helps you design and create ideas that will either resolve the issue your trying to solve or help mitigate further challenges.
2. Surround yourself with the right support system
Aanya praises her family and especially her parents who continue to be supportive as she embarks on this journey with her organisation. It is really important to surround yourself with the right pillars of strength around you because the journey at the top is often very lonely and we all need to be surrounded by people who remind us to keep going, encourage us when our battery is running low and are our biggest cheerleaders with every single step taken to make the ideas created come to pass.
3. Don't be afraid to make a difference
When we asked Aanya what would she tell a fellow aspiring young leader and her message was simple: "don't be afraid to go out there and make a difference, you don't need to do this big thing to make a difference. You don't need to impact thousands of girls just to make a difference, impacting one girl's life is enough. Start somewhere!" And we couldn't agree more, most of us don't move ahead with our set plans because we are fearful what we have planned isn't enough but in life impact is more about how you impart someone's life and one must realises that one act alone is all one need's to start a chain reaction.
Listen to the full episode to be fully inspired by Aanya's leadership jouney by clicking on the suitable links for you below and please also subscribe to the show's channels so you can get regular updates for each episode that comes out. You can also listen to each episode LIVE on Capital FM Kenya every Monday at 10.30 pm EAT.
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