A 17 year Olds Thoughts on Leadership

A letter from Aymen Taimur, an incredible 17 year old from Karachi, Pakistan, who spoke to Julia about her perspectives on leadership in this weeks Podcast. Her views were so interesting that Julia asked her to write a letter detailing them further.

Dear Julia,

If the expedition would be of any use to me, it must have a handful of things which I feel are needed to be taught to the woman of this world.

A boss and a leader are two different things…people need to understand that. A boss controls people, a leader guides them. What people hope to be is a leader, what they turn out to be is a boss. Why? It’s because they learn from the current people in power. It’s just how it is. People learn from the things they see. And if one does the same as the previous leaders…what’s going to change? But maybe change is possible, and it can only start within ourselves. And it can only start if we realise that the word ‘leader,’ is not according to gender, anyone can be a good leader whether it’s a male or a female.

I feel like women have this unconscious idea of imitating men in everything. It could be the way they work, the way they lead, the way they handle people when it comes to hierarchy or anything related to the corporate world. Maybe it could be the fear of doing something new or different. Fear of failure maybe? I think we need to understand that doing things differently isn’t always bad. People need to realise that we all come into this world for a purpose, but what’s the point if everyone is the same?

You come to this world for a reason…and having a different reason is where it gets interesting. Being the same as everyone else…where’s the fun in that?

Don’t give up. We’ve heard that phrase plenty of times in our life. But how many of us have religiously followed it? None. Why? It isn’t possible. Life gets hard and there are times when people are prone to give up. And that’s alright. But we need to understand that getting back up is also important. We need to know that taking responsibility is just as important. Just because we don’t see a result immediately, doesn’t mean that we give up. Results, change and ways to approach a certain situation…all take time, and we need to realise that. If we keep expecting good results from the start, then we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Many females have limitations. I, myself have many limitations. But if you truly believe that what you’re doing is good, from the bottom of your heart you know that it’s worth it…then you have to fight for it. Find different ways to get it out there for the world to see. Find unconventional methods. Think outside the box. All of this will get you what you want one day.

I hope this expedition is successful and it changes the mindset of many who support it. I’ll be looking forward to a better, and more equal world.

Yours sincerely,

Aymen Taimur