«Submitted by Hiya K. Madhu, student at Pearl Academy – Delhi»
If I had just one word to explain the entire experience of World Of Business Ideas (WOBI) on Leadership – 2015, there is just one word that comes to my mind – Overwhelming. The event offered me lessons not just on a professional level but also on a very personal and emotional level. On one hand there were eminent speakers from all over the world talking about such diverse topics but all converged to one single theme – how to become a better leader. Elements like – psychology, happiness, decision-making, power of mind, neuroscience, consciousness and self-awareness were all strewn together to explain what differentiates an average person from a leader. And I can confidently speak on behalf of all the student representatives from all across the Laureate network, that the event left us inspired and motivated to bring about a change in us and in the lives of those around us.
However, at the end of the four days, the 2 days conference was not the only highlight. The opportunity to participate in the live telecast of the conference across the Laureate campuses was one of the firsts for most of us. Facing the camera and going live across so many television screens was frightening but also exhilarating at the same time. The anxiety of being in front of the camera was very effectively diminished by the camera training that we had received a day earlier preparing us all for the real act well in advance. There is one thought and only one thought that comes to one’s mind when you go on screen – it is your institution that you represent, the pride of belonging to a nation so rich. There is a responsibility on your shoulders that in that few minutes you need to show to the world all that you are and all that your institution has instilled in you. And today, looking back to it, I sincerely hope I was able to meet all the expectation from me.
But for me the opportunity to meet so many people from different parts of the world was an experience which was unparalleled. Never in my life have I been in the same room as people from so many nationalities. There was so much to learn from everybody. Every single person I talked to had something new to tell me. Learning about their cultures and traditions as well as sharing the culture of my country with them filled me with a sense of pride and an unexplained bliss. There was an inexplicable bond that was shared in that moment among all us students. We made memories together which are going to stay with us for the rest of our lives. This experience just strengthened my belief in the saying – “People may forget what you said, people may forget what you did but people never forget how you made them feel”. Mexico city is a vibrant city bustling with energy and festivity. It has got a rich history and many testaments of that history for one to experience. Every corner of every city seems like it has a story to tell you. Just being in Mexico city was a dream like experience made even more beautiful with the amazing company of the Laureate team.
To sum it up I would like to quote one line that Mr Travis Bradberry, the first speaker at the event had said – “In life we always win the small battles to lose the final war”. This one line set up the tone for this entire experience for me. Every moment was a victory in its own. But at the same time every moment was a realisation that there is a bigger war to be won, there are bigger boundaries to be conquered. The war of becoming a better person, the war of bringing a change in you and the world around you, the war of emerging a leader and leading to make a mark in the society. I cannot thank Pearl Academy and Laureate connect enough for this one in a lifetime opportunity and the lessons learnt from it are going to stay with me forever.
