Almost a decade ago, with the resolute co-creatorship of fellow AAI alumni, I helped ignite the initial spark behind our trilogy, launching it out into the digital ether on Amazon, as well as in print with the co-created help of fellow alumni, specifically Oguz and Colina and beyond.
Writing a trilogy is an exercise in long-term vision. It requires staying with a narrative across years, mapping out complex systems, and trusting that the arc will eventually reach a meaningful payoff for humanity itself. Looking back ten years later, I realize that publishing those books wasn’t just a literary milestone—it was the beginning of an ongoing experiment in how ideas translate into real-world transformation that emboldens the few that dare to reset the narrative of humanity itself beyond high-horse narratives towards humility, openness, and equality that humanity beckons, especially given the state of the world nowadays.
Today, as I look around our hyper-connected yet increasingly fragmented world, I am drawn back to the global network that shaped my foundational view of leadership: AIESEC.
When we were active in AIESEC, we spoke passionately about activating leadership, cross-cultural understanding, and fulfilling humankind’s potential. We were young, bold, and unapologetic about wanting to change the world.
Decades later, many of us in the alumni community hold powerful seats. We are executives, founders, policymakers, and industry pioneers. Yet a critical question remains: Are we still driving epoch-inducing transformational change, or have we settled for incremental management?
Moving Beyond the "Prompt": The Philosophy of the Tutu
At MVP Journeys ®, our core ethos rests on a powerful Māori concept: to tutu.
In Te Reo Māori, tutu means to fiddle, to tinker, to explore, and to learn by doing. It’s the antithesis of passive observation. It is the raw, hands-on curiosity that drives an innovator to pull something apart just to see how it works—and then rebuild it into something better.
For too long, corporate and global leadership has drifted into static planning. We write 50-page strategy decks, hold summits, and nowadays, throw clever prompts into AI tools hoping for instant answers. But real transformation has never come from the sidelines.
True progress isn't sparked by pristine theory; it’s forged in the messy, iterative act of tutu.
When I started publishing our trilogy close to ten years ago, the tools of global publishing, borderless digital commerce, and artificial intelligence were either in their infancy or entirely out of reach for individual creators. Today, the barriers to global impact have vanished. A single passionate leader with a laptop, a borderless mindset, and a willingness to tutu can move levers that previously required multinational conglomerates.
A Call to My Fellow AIESEC Alumni
To my global AIESEC alumni family: It is time to reignite the spark!
We were trained to lead in complexity. We were taught to embrace cultural diversity, act with integrity, and take ownership of systemic problems. But wisdom without action becomes complacency. The decade ahead will be defined by an epochal shift—driven by AI, shifting geopolitical paradigms, and climate imperatives.
We cannot afford to let our legacy remain in the past tense. We need to apply our collective experience to active, hands-on building:
-
Trade Polished Strategy for Bold Prototyping: Stop waiting for consensus. Launch the initiative, build the platform, write the manifestos, and iterate in real time.
-
Combine Cultural Heritage with Next-Gen Tech: Leverage emerging tools (from AI to borderless digital networks) to build ethical, sustainable systems that serve human potential.
-
Mobilize the Network: AIESEC Alumni International (AAI) represents one of the most potent, values-aligned networks on Earth. Let’s stop using it merely for networking and start using it for co-creating epoch-inducing ventures.
The Next Chapter Starts Now
Ten years after launching our trilogy, my message to you is simple: Don’t just watch the future unfold. Get your hands dirty.
Whether you are building a social enterprise, reforming institutional policy, or launching a borderless brand, approach it with the spirit of tutu. Experiment. Iterate. Disrupt the quiet status quo.
The world doesn't need another committee. It needs the leaders we promised we would become.
Let’s build what comes next!
