XLRI Leadership Expedition (Coverage in www.jammag.com)

Campus Buzz: XLRI Leadership Expedition
Mount Everest Base Camp, March 2006

Some people are born leaders but some learn it through situations. Texts on leadership identify some key attributes that a leader must have: spirit of adventure, high self confidence and self-awareness, an ability to influence others without force, and lastly something that has become relevant in current times, a sense of social responsibility. Keeping these key ingredients of leadership in mind, twenty of the graduating students of XLRI embark on a ‘journey’ to Mount Everest Base camp in the form of XLRI Leadership Expedition this March.

This journey to the feet of the highest peak in the world has two objectives: First is to create situations where future managers can learn and experience the fundamentals of leadership and secondly, to impact the society in a positive manner.

Learn by leading: This journey would involve about 110 kilometres of trek starting from Lukla through Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche then Gorak Shep before reaching Everest Base Camp and its overlook at Kala Patthar (18,480 feet above sea level). A trek that would span 8 days would have a different team leader(s) on daily basis. The team leader would take care that the team meets the daily trek distance target, decide where to stop and start moving and give motivational support to the group. To ensure effective learning, XLRI is working with a leading firm that specialises in programmes in experiential learning to design the trek. In drawing up the trekking plan, we are getting the guidance of Ms. Bachendri Pal, India’s first woman to summit Everest.

Lead by contributing to society: The second objective of creating a positive impact on the society is being done through partnering with CARE (an NGO into AIDS prevention and poverty reduction) and executing AIDS awareness in Jamshedpur (India) and 7 villages in Nepal that would fall along the trek. The trek team is working with CARE volunteers on how to make villagers aware about AIDS. The plan is to talk to groups of people, have short street plays and distribute condoms. The trek team has already done field trips to slums in Jamshedpur to make people aware of means of AIDS prevention.

Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) is providing physical training support to help the team prepare for the tough trek one month from now. TSAF is providing artificial wall climbing facilities, access to a state of the art gym, all facilities in their fully equipped JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur.

Mountain Dew (a brand from Pepsi stable) that positions itself as a drink for the adventurous and young, is sponsoring the trekking gear for the team.

This expedition would be the first of its kind in India, on the lines of the Wharton Leadership Program. The idea has been more than welcomed in the corporate world, which feels that traits like genuine leadership cannot be developed through classroom teaching. XLRI has taken a commendable step in this direction. Will other B-schools follow?