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Summer of ‘16 Leadership Bootcamp  Every year in April, with advent of summer and the start of school vacations, a nationally renowned sports academy in Hyderabad is bustling with youthful energy. Dressed in Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo jerseys, these beginners in the game of football enliven the grounds with their laughter and enthusiasm. Over the course of a few months, a transformation takes place among these youths. When they arrive, they are eager to win matches. Intent on scoring goals, they can frequently be observed making a break for the goal without passing the ball to anyone else on their way. With time and coaching, however, these youngsters begin to understand the different facets and functions that make up a strong team, and their own individual place in it —be it as a goal keeper, defender, winger or forward. It is fascinating to witness their metamorphosis from individual glory-seekers to team players who aim for collective rather than individual success. Every year in April, across the road from this academy, the globally renowned ISB also welcomes a new batch of management students. They are ‘the best and the brightest,’ a compilation of diverse backgrounds and geographies, and each one is eager to make their mark as leaders.  To help students on this path, the faculty at the ISB has designed a Leadership Development Programme (better known as LEAD) to prepare them for the intense rigour and pace of life, both at ISB and in the professional sphere thereafter. The four-day LEAD programme helps participants recognize and nurture the individual personality dimensions essential for leadership and teamwork, addressing traits such as extroversion, openness, neuroticism, agreeableness and conscientiousness. The programme also incorporates discussions based on the holistic feedback provided by previous classes. It gives students hands-on experience of team dynamics and individual decision making styles through a business simulation exercise. Cohorts also learn to discuss and formalise team contracts for effectively running or participating in high performance teams. Another key aspect of the programme is that it facilitates group and personal counselling sessions with ISB alumni. “I’m impressed by what I’ve seen of the new class,” remarked alumnus Gautam Vasappanavara (Class of 2012) who met with several students at LEAD. He continued, “They are showing amazing maturity right at the start of the programme – I’m sure they will make ISB proud. They seem to be enjoying the exposure and insight into the programme that they’re getting too; a sense of how best to utilize the year ahead.” Gaurav Mukherjee, a member of the new class, said of the alumni interaction, “it’s a great feeling to be a part of a network that cares for you. I feel supported.” LEAD lays bare the fabric of opportunities and activities available to cohorts during the academic year to improve self-awareness, deepen domain knowledge, practise leadership, work in high pressure and high performance teams, improve communication, refine cultural adaptability and learn professional networking. The programme leaves participants with a blueprint — a Personal Development Plan (PDP) — to work on throughout the year. One might say that during LEAD we are able to see the first inklings of students’ transformation into team players and bona fide leaders. The idea behind LEAD is that, ultimately, those who pass through the programme will be an embodiment of team spirit and deliberate leadership. To return to our metaphor, they are ready to enter the field, donning jerseys with their own names printed across them. The author, Deepak Agarwal, is an Associate Director of Career Advancement Services at ISB. |