Let’s Build a Beautiful Digital World! Words of Wisdom from Jazz’s Director of Communications
Aisha chose to study media and digital communications in the late 1990s. She saw the potential for these industries to enact positive change, especially since the internet was going mainstream.
“My parents wanted me to choose engineering or medicine as the internet was relatively new and its future wasn’t certain. But I’ve always been excited about tech. At that time, I imagined all the amazing things internet connectivity could bring. I really believed in its power to converge mediums and communication,” states Aisha.
That’s incredible vision!
Aisha, who’s now Director of Communications at Jazz, recently sat down with us to discuss her life and career. During our amazing talk, we got some great advice on how to build a fair, just, and prosperous digital world.
Here’s what we learned:
1. All aboard the information train!
Check out this article from the early 1990s. It talks about the internet being referred to as the information superhighway.
Aisha saw these capabilities early on as well. She believes the key value of digital communications is its ability to spread knowledge and empower people. As the saying goes, information is power.
That’s why, while studying at university, Aisha took an internship at NPR and then a job at CNN in San Francisco. She wanted to learn how to utilize communications and media to be a positive force in an increasingly digital world.
“These experiences developed my reporting skills. They taught me the power of communications and the role journalism plays in bringing truth to people,” tells Aisha.
Today, as a mother of two daughters, Aisha has witnessed how the internet has gone from its early stages to the main platform we use to obtain knowledge. She sees firsthand how the new generation is learning and equipping themselves with the skills they need.
“My children have a nuanced approach to technology. They school me on almost anything, from Aztecs to biology. It’s very intriguing how this new generation is highly informed but doesn’t read in a traditional sense. There is a wealth of valuable info out there on the internet. Children will come up with brilliant stuff and absorb lots of knowledge if you teach them how to navigate what’s available. It’s about being in the right place — digital communications has opened up this ability.”
Aisha’s observations and ideas about digital communications translate into actionable strategies at work. For instance, she has parallel philosophies for her team and the company. One of those is “Make Everyone Digital”.
“Make Everyone Digital is about eliminating communication silos. We have to create digital platforms and processes to get things done. We must create transparency to boost effectiveness. We must also use these digital tools to understand each other’s workload and the unique challenges departments face. Digitizing in the right way allows us to know how to prioritize.”
Aisha also recognizes the need to humanize what they’re doing at Jazz. That’s why one of the team’s philosophies centers a video platform called “Conversations at Jazz”. By talking with decision-makers and employees, other workers and external stakeholders can hear why a certain policy or strategy is being implemented.
“The point of Conversations at Jazz is to discuss who we are, what we’re doing, and why. It’s about making things relatable.”
This idea of relatability applies when Aisha and the team are employing digital communications strategies. As experts state, “Being relatable and branding in a relatable format will allow your digital outputs to shine.”
Everyone — from C-levels to investors to customers — should be spoken to in a way that’s relatable for them. It’s how you build and foster key relationships.
“Relatability trumps everything else. We must speak in a language that people understand and in a manner that emphasizes with people and connects them to us.”
As Jazz undergoes a digital transformation, Aisha is integrating these ideas into company strategy. It’s exciting to see how it’s working.
“At Jazz, we’re at the pivot of an emerging market transformation. The people of Pakistan and the people of South Asia are very adaptable to change. They’re not rigid. They don’t have hangups a lot of other people do. The government has given entrepreneurs and companies the freedom to innovate. By and large, they haven’t stopped the flow of communication. Everything is becoming an app and portal and everything is becoming a platform in which you regulate your life. This isn’t for the elites. The masses of people in Pakistan, regardless of background, are ready to take on the future. Digital communications is enabling it. It’s the leaders that have to catch on.”
2. Carve your own road
Aisha lived in Uganda as a child. During that time, the President, Idi Amin, had implemented a policy to expel the country’s South Asian minority. The experiences Aisha had as a child in Uganda have had a major influence on the person she is today.
Here’s one experience Aisha shared:
“I was in Uganda and I think I was 3 or 4. My father felt we could just stay as he was a teacher and we believed we had done nothing wrong. Our house was attacked by militiamen. I was sleeping in the middle of the night. And I woke up. I asked to go to my mother’s side and they wouldn’t let me. The militiamen had these huge machine guns. They then shot at something to get us to listen…”
“I remember the sound of the rifle. It was enough to communicate the threat and power of weapons…”
“It was in that moment that I realized the threat of power in the wrong hands and how abuse of power can happen. This experience created a sense of justice in me.”
That is a very difficult thing to have to go through as a child. And it’s something that taught Aisha tough but important lessons that she uses today.
“Wars and weaponry bank on creating otherness. Being digital and opening a narrative is important because it humanizes everyone. It even gives us a way to bring stories of those we don’t agree with. It stimulates conversation and understanding — which is what we need.”
As Aisha says, that experience as a child created a sense of justice in herself — and that’s what motivated her to pursue a career in digital communications. She wants to make a positive impact on a huge scale.
“My first work experience was at NPR. It was actually a difficult time as my boss often criticized my work and he led in a manner that didn’t work well for me. This work experience showed me the value of not just making your voice heard and speaking truth, but also how to do it in a way that’s effective, especially when leadership isn’t being receptive. Sometimes you have to wait for the right opportunity.”
Following that, Aisha went to CNN. There she developed her digital communications skills while working in the community affairs department.
“Working at CNN was a time for me to understand that there isn’t one kind of person and one kind of self-righteousness. During my time, I covered lots of communities on the fringes. My boss was wonderful and he taught me that it’s okay to be who you are. As people in digital communications, we have a responsibility to let people show who they are.”
That’s powerful. As you can see, Aisha began to see all the great things she could do in the field while at CNN. And she understood even more deeply the potential of digital communications to build a brighter world.
“By creating this digital world, what we’re doing is creating an opportunity to understand the humanity of others.”
3. 1.9 billion websites and counting…and they all have something to say
“A word after a word after a word is power.”
One of Aisha’s personal inspirations is Margaret Atwood, a Canadian poet and novelist. She spoke and wrote a lot about the importance of having a voice, especially for women.
Aisha aims to give more people a voice, specifically those that haven’t been provided the proper platform for so long. By working in digital communications, she’s positioned herself to do just. After all, there are nearly 2 billion websites out there, which means there’s room for everyone!
Aisha’s motivation stems from her childhood experiences and being a woman who’s making her way in the world. There has been adversity along the way, but it’s all contributed to her mission to make the world more equal and just.
“Growing up in Uganda under Idi Amin, I developed an acute understanding of race relations and power dynamics. My family had to leave and move to Kenya. I returned to Pakistan for my A levels and then to the USA for school. This was a time of great turmoil as 9/11 happened while I was there. Being a Muslim in the US during that time made you think about your identity a lot.”
After working at CNN, Aisha served as a media coordinator at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC before returning to Pakistan to continue her career. That decision to return to Pakistan was a big moment.
“Moving to Pakistan was a decision to own my identity. I decided to have two streams of work: One was professional and one was to improve society overall. I’ve continued my activism. I want to make Pakistan part of the global process and part of the decisions being made. So much of that falls back into the work I do now at Jazz. We’re working on being a 21st-century organization. We’re working towards inclusion of women and empowering the poor. We care about removing the digital divide and we care about minority rights. I feel like suddenly now we have the digital tools to fix problems.”
Jazz’s initiatives to empower women, especially those from low-income communities and rural areas in Pakistan, is very important to Aisha. She knows firsthand the kinds of obstacles women face.
“It can be tough as a woman. I’ve learned that women have to be communicators beyond what their job description requires. I not only have to be competent, but I also must have the ability to convey that I was competent through the way I write and talk and carry myself. I’ve had to make my voice heard, to prove my place at the table.”
If you ask Aisha why she joined Jazz, it’s because the company focuses on solving real issues, like financial inclusion for women. Jazz is also building a culture that she sees is both productive and sustainable.
“During hiring, Jazz was direct about why they wanted me and why they didn’t. They’re straight-shooters. They treat you respectfully…
“When I started working, I was surprised how open they were to my ideas. On the first day, there was a leadership retreat and I spoke about the need for meditation centers and how it would increase productivity. Aamir Ibrahim allows for creativity to flourish and people to speak freely. You won’t be penalized for thinking out loud.”
Aisha has worked hard during her career to give people a voice, as she believes it’s essential to having equal opportunity and giving people a chance to be their best. She also stresses that we must learn how to listen. Aisha attests that we should use our available resources, like the internet, to hear the stories of others.
“If I could talk to my childhood self, I would say: Silence is a form of intelligence. Shut up and listen. There’s wisdom in silence.”
4. Let’s all share memes!
It’s good to laugh. That’s part of what Aisha’s team uses WhatsApp for. They crack jokes and share funny memes and GIFs. If the day is busy, the chat there is always a good relief.
Aisha has built this idea of fun and relaxation into her team’s philosophy. She’s done this by creating a culture of spontaneity.
“We often have spontaneous activities like role play and games. It enables us to build camaraderie,” describes Aisha.
Aisha’s team is a group of excellent experts in external and internal communications. The team includes managers for internal and external campaigns and the sustainability program. Such activities help maintain a close-knit culture.
“What’s really great about our team is their attitude. They bring very different levels of energy. They have a passion and loyalty to the work they do and to each other. You can teach people skills but you can’t teach them attitude. They have a very open mind towards learning and adopting.”
That sounds like a great group to be a part of, right?
“If you want to have fun, have your ideas heard, are open to learning, and are interested in digital communications, you’re more than welcome to join our team,” says Aisha.
As Director of Communications at Jazz, Aisha has many great ideas on what it takes to get the most out of everyone on the team, especially women, minorities, and others who have been underrepresented and not given an equal chance. A big part centers on inclusion.
“Recruiters must understand they have biases, such as the tendency to want to hire people like themselves. We must understand how to give people a chance to get comfortable. The old style was to intimidate so we could see who breaks. This is such a variable depending on where you are in life. You have to explain to the people in power to listen to people in their authentic element so we can give everyone a chance to shine. We need to look at these two things:
- Can they learn?
- Can they be flexible and adapt to an ever-changing landscape?
If they have the necessary intelligence, they’ll be fine as long as they have those two things.”
Many of Aisha’s ideas on leadership come from her life experiences and working in digital communications roles. Her father, who was a teacher that empowered his students and the people he came in contact with, showed her a lot about what it means to be a leader. She also takes inspiration from the life of Asma Jahangir, who was a Pakistani human rights lawyer and social activist.
“She spoke truth to power and advocated for an inclusive society.”
Perhaps most importantly for Aisha, being a leader is about empowerment. It’s about making sure others can be all that they can be.
“Leaders are mentors. If you’re a leader, you’ve earned your power. You have to give back that power to people that don’t have it. Leaders should look for ability and humanity in others — and inspire them to rise up.”
A better world for all!
Aisha’s unique and powerful story and her reflections on her experiences have a lot to teach us about doing good and achieving our goals in life. We have to be resilient, resourceful, relatable, adaptable, inclusive, empathetic, willing to learn, willing to speak up for ourselves, willing to give others a voice, and able to objectively look at our biases and shed them. That isn’t easy, but the end result can be beautiful.
We can build a better world for all.
Thank you, Aisha, for showing us that.
