Leadership in Afghanistan

One great thing about being at SOM is taking advantage of the larger Yale University community. Tonight, for example, I went to hear Aziz Royesh speak at the Law School. Aziz is a Yale World Fellow, the founder of the Marefat High School in Kabul, Afghanistan, and a leading proponent of granting equal access to education throughout the country. Our discussion ranged from him telling stories of how he handled extremists coming to the school for his head (literally), to how he thinks international aid and security should be altered in Afghanistan. I drew many leadership lessons from his experience - one of which being that in times of crisis, sometimes fighting back can exasperate a bad situation. Better to identify what you're up against, find the right antidote to ease a tense period of time, but never waver from what you believe is right.

Marefat High School