thoughts...

Last week, I was seated at the MC office thinking about leadership and the differences between leadership in corporate organizations and leadership in not-for-profit organizations. I picked up a conversation with our baby angel on getting her views on what she thinks is the difference between both types of leadership situations. One thing came out very clear, that leadership is indeed very different, depending on who you are leading and what motivates them into the organization.

A thought then that I pondered on is Volunteer organizations, where there is no employment relationship between the member and the organization, this represents an interesting context in which to explore the effects of leadership and organizational commitment. Volunteer leaders from an international social/charitable organization have a very hard time, on the one hand, leading volunteers whom have very different motivations in the organization and on the other hand, managing results from volunteers, results which are critical in the overall big picture of the organization and that determines whether the organization is relevant within the environment it operates. Volunteer leaders are more psychologically involved and committed to their organization than comparable leaders from companies and/or trade unions, where you can simply fire or reduce salaries based on productivity. This shows then that the experience gained from leading a volunteer organization, such as AIESEC is no Joke. All the MCs, LCEB's, team leaders, project directors and leadership teams in AIESEC are people who have characteristics that give them a significant edge than their peers.

The processes, the systems, the minimums, the projects, the learning networks, international affairs, country partnerships and many other commitments at the same time, all geared up towards achieving a common goal, together with direction setting and motivation is an experience everyone in the universe should go through.

It now a month since we took over office and the experience so far is tremendous. I can imagine our finance angel, with two degrees underway, exams left right and centre, and still manages to be in the office at seven in the morning is amazing. And its not that she is failing in class, she still has admirable grades...Juliet..kudo's...hats off for you...:) but i believe you can write something here as well...

Lastly, i believe that its imperative that leaders in volunteer organizations then consider the human element and various motivations of people they lead...most importantly, managing results from volunteers as well as enhancing their capacity and providing that big picture always to avoid instances of mediocrity and level-headedness....responsibility and the ability to inspire action and results then are a perfect recipes for a successful leadership in an organization such as AIESEC...

But as always....its up to you!

Until next time...

Much love

Phil.