Indiahikes just took a significant step towards making the benefits of experiential learning more accessible. Between April 2 to 7, 2022, we conducted our first-ever open Collaborative Leadership Program.

Since its inception in 2011, the program had remained exclusive to the students of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). We finally opened it up for all university students and working professionals after careful deliberation.

The results it fetched exceeded the expectations of both the parties - the Indiahikes team members and the trekkers who participated.

“The Collaborative Leadership Program is highly-acclaimed. It is offered as a credit course by several IIMs. As the program gained more recognition, people from different fields started reaching out to us. They also wanted to enrol,” narrates Izzat Yaganagi, Head of Experiential Learning at Indiahikes.

“Once we decided to have an open program, we made some tweaks in the curriculum to make it more immersive. It left a much deeper impact on the participants than we had imagined. That is extremely encouraging since some of us were having butterflies!” she adds.

Izzat, for the past 11 years, has been continuously working towards refining the syllabus of the Collaborative Leadership Program. The primary aim of the program is to transform individuals into Collaborative Leaders.

The shift happens through a specifically designed exercise wherein the participants plan and execute a trek on their own.

Note: Our next program is happening on the Dayara Bugyal trek from April 14-19, 2023. If you would like to participate in the program, register through this link - https://indiahikes.com/registration?batchId=9152

It's a challenge to plan and execute a trek in the Himalayas. And facing this challenge together makes the team come together during the Collaborative Leadership Program. Photo by Jothiranjan. 

What Happened During the Course of the Open Program

The 2022 edition of the program was held on the Dayara Bugyal trek. A mix of 14 students and working professionals from all over the country attended it.

It was for the first time that such a diverse group was participating in the program.

The 4-day long innovative training was conducted by Indiahikes Senior Trek Leader Vijeet Shaw.

In all honesty, even someone like Vijeet who has been leading trek groups for years was a bit fidgety going in to lead this particular group.

But upon returning from the expedition, he termed it one of the most fulfilling experiences of his trek leading career!

“The kind of impact this program had on the trekkers is something I haven’t witnessed before. In the end, they were running out of words to describe their experience. Despite being strangers, they learned to work as a team,” shares Vijeet.

The program comprised three elements – The Trek, The Activities and The Reflective Sessions.

Participants are involved in an activity that tests the communication and coordination skills of all team members. Photo by Jothiranjan. 

“At the very start, we collected their mobile phones so that they interact a lot more. We then taught them to use an analogue map and asked them to navigate the trek on their own. It was challenging but it also brought them together,” tells Vijeet.

“Along with that, we conducted numerous activities such as blindfolded tent pitching, night hiking and outdoor cooking. At the end of each day, they reflected on their learnings. That’s where the true magic happened,” he adds.

The program brought about a visible transformation in all the participants. It taught them the skills required to be a Collaborative Leader.

According to Vijeet, the participants gained a much better understanding of who they are. They were also clearer about how they wanted to proceed professionally.

Tejashri Chavan, who is a Content Analyst at Accenture, terms the program a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“It's a cliche to say that mountains change you but after having lived this experience I can say that it's true. When I look back, I can't help but smile thinking how strangers looked out for each other,” says Tejashri.

“The tasks helped us understand our strengths and weaknesses. At every challenge, the team united to face the problem together. What also made this program special is that it had sustainability at its core,” adds the 29-year-old.

For another participant named Kedar Bhusanikar, a 29-year-old Software Engineer, the program was a huge learning experience.

He shares, “It was a perfect blend of trekking and collaborative leadership development activities. It helped us understand the core principles of leadership.”

“We also had a great facilitator in Vijeet who helped us grasp things quickly. At end of the program, every individual was part of one family. We understood our own qualities as well as team strength,” adds Kedar.

Nishchay Jain, a Business Analyst at Swiggy, says the program has transformed him. "I learned that making life easier for the other person makes you a better Collaborative Leader. I now collaborate with people in a much better way," shares the 25-year-old.

Deep, reflective sessions are a crucial part of collaborative leadership. Photo by Jothiranjan. 

Significance of the Open Collaborative Leadership Program

In today's rapidly changing world, Collaborative Leadership has become a valuable skill. It is now not only required by those in management roles but by the majority of students and working professionals as well.

For any organisation to grow, it is essential for its members to know how to collaborate.

This is where the Open Collaborative Leadership Program comes in. Now, individuals from different domains can take part and learn about the principles of Collaborative Leadership. That too in a matter of just 4 days.

Over the years, we have seen that these learnings go a long way in helping the participants communicate better with their colleagues or batch mates.

Our next program is happening on the Dayara Bugyal trek from April 14-19, 2023. If you would like to participate in the program, register through this link - https://indiahikes.com/registration?batchId=9152

For more information about Collaborative Leadership Program, click here. 

Transforming Individuals into Team Players

Indiahikes Conducts its First Open Collaborative Leadership Program at Dayara Bugyal

After running a wonderfully successful collaborative leadership programme for working professionals last year (read the report here), we have opened up another such programme this year. 

It’s one of the best certificate courses working professionals can do, with practical learnings in teamwork, communication, and collaborative leadership. 

“It was a perfect blend of trekking and collaborative leadership development activities. It helped us understand the core principles of leadership,” says Kedar Bhusanikar, a 29-year-old software engineer who was part of the team last year.

If you don’t know, the Collaborative Leadership Programme is an outdoor experiential learning programme we have been running for the students of a few of the Indian Institutes of Management for the past 12 years. Participants engage in a 4-day programme in the Himalayas that is designed to foster collaborative leadership skills.  

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) of Indore, Lucknow, and Bangalore have found it so useful that they offer it as a credit course to their students.

But we see collaborative leadership as more than a skill management students need.

A team activity as a part of the Collaborative Leadership Program. Photo by Jothiranjan

Most modern workplaces require you to have collaborative leadership. 

Top professionals are expected to collaborate, work across teams, gain trust with mutual respect among team members and collaborate with other stakeholders as well. Emotional intelligence and relationship-building skills have become central to a professional’s growth. 

We’re sure you may have already noticed this at your workplace.

The interesting thing is that the world’s biggest organisations and leaders are veering towards collaborative leadership. It is critical to an individual’s growth, and consequently, the organisation’s growth. Earlier, collaborative leadership was expected only of the senior management. In the modern workforce, it is expected even at an entry-level. 

Unfortunately, the formal education systems in our country do not lend themselves to students developing Collaborative Leadership skills. The focus is still on individual development driven by a highly competitive environment. 

This is where our Collaborative Leadership Program comes in. 

A trek in the Himalayas, which is specifically designed for learning collaborative leadership skills, is an ideal setting for this program. In a short intense span of 4 days, participants take away lessons of collaborative leadership that they can fall back on throughout their professional lives. 

We’ve seen participants take away key attitudes of collaborative leadership: 

Investing time to build relationships with teammates

Building trust through honest and transparent communication

Handling conflicts in a constructive manner

Sharing control and avoiding power struggles

Creating an environment that enables others to lead in their area of responsibility

Building connections with other teams and stakeholders

Being able to leverage the diversity in a team and tap its collective intelligence

Students participating in the Collaborative Leadership Program. Photo by Jothiranjan

These are behaviours that usually come with years of practice while working with a team. With the Collaborative Leadership Program the learning is condensed quickly. The impact is immediate and long-lasting. 

This is because of the way the program is designed and facilitated. 

What happens on the Collaborative Leadership Program

In this specifically designed experiential learning program, competing teams have to plan and execute their own trekking expedition in a remote part of the Himalayas. 

The trekking expedition, under our supervision, requires them to reach a high point, usually a summit, and return down to the base camp safely. Most participants have never trekked in their lives. 

In this trekking expedition, participants are completely out of their comfort zones. They are forced to confront situations and overcome challenges that they have never encountered before. Each day is designed to inculcate collaborative leadership skills in a progressive intense way. 

Overcoming these challenges tests and develops participants’ skills of collaborative leadership.

Students getting ready to start their trek as a part of the Collaborative Leadership Program. Photo by Jothiranjan

When and where is the programme happening? 

We have opened up only one date, April 14th–19th, 2023, for the Dayara Bugyal trek. 

The fee for the programme is Rs 12,850 + 5% GST. 

It includes the programme fee and all expenses for the stay and food for the 4 days of the programme.

At the end of the programme, all participants will receive a certificate of collaborative leadership. 

Who can join the Collaborative Leadership Programme? 

This programme is open to anyone between the ages of 20 and 35. It is open to university students, students of professional courses, and young working professionals.

If you are a manager and would like to organise a special programme for your team, please email Ms Izzat Yaganagi, the head of our experiential learning team, at izzat@indiahikes.com. 

How to register for the Collaborative Leadership Programme: 

Here is the link to register for the Collaborative Leadership Program - https://indiahikes.com/registration?batchId=9152

We have a limit of only 18 members and will not be opening any more groups. So register soon. 

Please contact me if you have any questions about the collaborative leadership programme.

Collaborative Leadership Program Now Open to All Working Professionals!

A common question asked is, how do we keep your students safe in the Himalayan Mountain Challenge program.

To answer this we need to give you a bit of a background.

Indiahikes is India’s largest and safest trekking organization. More than 20,000 trekkers trek with us every year. They do so not because we are the largest but because of our legacy.

Indiahikes has defined the safety norms for trekking in our country. We have brought in most of the safety systems, protocols and equipment that are now considered the standard requirement for safe trekking.

Since 2012 we have had more than 4,000 students from the top IIMs of our country with us on the Himalayan Mountain Challenge Program. We have never had any trouble so far, though most of these students had never trekked before and none of them were accustomed to such an environment.

We begin interactions with students a month in advance to prepare them physically and mentally for the program. Many issues that can arise from lack of preparation are taken care of through these interactions.

The mechanism of safety that we follow is very important for you to know. For this we need to take you through the 3 pillars that uphold safety on all our treks — it stands on:

Outside the facilitators, their fellow members, our Trek Leaders play a pivotal role in keeping your students safe on the trek. It is not easy to be a Trek Leader with Indiahikes. There is a long, stringent and a difficult selection process. 

After this they undergo a rigorous 8 month induction and training program before they are certified as Trek Leaders at Indiahikes. Only those Trek Leaders who are the best of our team are selected to lead the Himalayan Mountain Challenge. 

All our Trek Leaders are certified mountaineers with a Basic Mountaineering Course or Advanced Mountaineering Course. Among them, the ones who are Wilderness First Responders (NOLS-certified) are assigned to lead your students.

Apart from the Trek Leaders we have technical guides, trek guides, program facilitators and assistants who accompany the students. All of them are given specialised training in handling emergency mountain situations. If a situation arises, anyone of our team members will be able to evacuate your students to safety even in the middle of the night. 

Ultimately, even an expert team such as ours cannot keep your students safe unless they follow stringent safety processes. These are processes that have been developed by us for over ten years. They have been put in place after considering every scenario and evaluating every risk of a trek. 

Our risk assessment and management systems are extensive and deep, as you will discover when you sign up with us. There is a process for preparing students, a process to monitor the health of students 3 times a day, a process for management of accidents, a process for managing altitude sickness, a process for evacuation. There are processes for even trekking, and a separate process for difficult sections. Any potential risk is nipped in the bud.

Our extensive trek experience matters here. The trekking trails your students trek on are not new to us. These trekking trails have been nurtured and developed by us for many years. We have our own base camps on these trails. 

From the time we pick up your students till they return back to the town, they are our responsibility. 

On the trek we have a staff to student ratio of 1:5. Which means for every 5 students of your institute, there is an Indiahikes staff monitoring them closely. Students’ health is monitored 2-3 times a day. 

Most of the modern safety equipment used in the Indian trekking community has been introduced by us. This has fundamentally changed how trekking is done in our country.

In all of our treks, we carry a high altitude medical kit, an evacuation kit, a technical kit, radio equipment and oxygen cylinders (pulse oximeters and BP monitors are standard equipment carried by our Trek Leaders, including ropes and carabiners). 

These three pillars together —  people, processes and equipment — keep your students safe on our programs.

Many a times we get asked about the safety of students on a Himalayan Mountain Challenge. Read on to know how we keep your students safe!

How We Keep Students Safe During the Himalayan Mountain Challenge Program

(Published in BusinessLine on Campus website on 30 Dec 2019)

Earlier this month, I undertook a journey to one of the Himalayan peaks in Uttarakhand. With a team of IIM Bangalore students, we trekked to the Kedarkantha peak in waist-deep snow and sub-zero cold as part of the IIM-B Himalayan Mountain Challenge course organised by Indiahikes.

Such cold and steep climbs threw us out of our comfort zone, as we camped, cooked and survived the three days of ascent and two days of descent. There were times when we almost gave up and broke down as we negotiated the harsh cold of the long Himalayan nights.

But as the days passed and we witnessed pristine sights and trails, we also began to discover the untapped and deep reservoirs of resilience within us. The first few days were tough — physically and psychologically. However, on the summit day and later, the challenges looked no longer daunting, and we found humour in the situation.

The summit day was the toughest, yet we were better prepared, and our expectations were better calibrated: we woke up at 3 am, had our breakfast, washed the utensils in freezing water, un-pitched our tents, and began the steep climb by 5:30 am while it was still dark.

This time, the climb too seemed easier, even though it was steeper. We reached the peak by 10 am, climbing faster than in the previous two days.

Once we reached the summit, a dose of adrenaline, released by the sense of achievement and the unadulterated beauty of the Himalayan peaks, overpowered us. Now, we had another challenge — the descent — which would take another six hours until we reached our base camp. It was tougher than expected, as it put significant stress on our knees.

But, by now, trekking had become fun. Well, sort of. Some of us slid in the snow, others played Antakshari. There were still discomforts. For example, the snow was in our boots and our feet were freezing. Yet, it all seemed trivial in the face of the adventure.

When we reached the base camp, we pitched our tents and cooked food for a big dinner party, and despite the long cold day — this time, we were more content, not complaining, and enjoying the company and what we had with us. Here are the three lessons I learnt from the trek:

We often live our lives assuming we have only one gear in our bodies. We usually live far below our full physical and mental potential. We do not push ourselves. We give up at the first instance of discomfort. But when pushed to the limit, our body responds terrifically and changes its gear to a higher level. How many gears do we have? We can only know if we challenge ourselves.

This realisation made me appreciate sports stars such as Roger Federer and Mary Kom, who have truly pushed past their limits. The locals who live in the cold, rugged Himalayan terrain, also possess extraordinary endurance and strength, just because they have adapted themselves to new limits.

When we face discomforts, it does not feel good. But worrying or complaining does not help. Humour helps. Making light of the situation, some self-deprecation, and a little leg-pulling works. The company of lively people soothes too. Being in the present helps , as it allows us to respond to uncertainties in a better way.

Harvard academic Theresa Amabile in her book The Progress Principle teaches that instead of targeting one big win, we should focus on several small wins. Winning motivates us. But when we keep our targets big, and for long durations, and when we fail to fulfill those targets, it demotivates us.

In contrast, when we split our targets into smaller achievable wins, like dividing a long day trail into smaller segments, we are achieving “wins” more often, and this boosts our motivation.

Each day of the trek was a long psychological journey, and when we fulfilled the goals, no matter how small, it filled us with motivation. Beyond physical endurance and strength, I learned how our psychology had a significant impact on our ability to face challenges.

These three ideas — pushing our limits, living with humour and in the present, and staying motivated with small everyday wins, taught me what I now call the Himalayan mindset.

Now that I am back to the usual routine in Bengaluru, I am attempting to apply this mindset in my everyday life. The world around us may not be ideal. Sometimes it gets harsh, frustrating, and disappointing. But the Himalayan mindset is a useful reminder of our untapped potential and agency in the world.

During World War II, while facing Nazi air raids, the British public had found, in my view, a perfect phrase to capture this mindset: Keep calm and carry on. To this, I will add, ‘turn the humour on and carry on’.

Prateek Raj, Assistant Professor of Strategy at IIM Bangalore writes about his experience of trekking to Kedarkantha peak. Read to know more!

What The Trek To A Himalayan Peak Taught Me

Business Schools are constantly refining their programs to help students prepare for a rapidly changing work world. More and more organisations worldwide are clearly steering away from individual achievement towards cooperation and the development of collaborative skills and behaviors. This is not an easy task as these are new skills and behaviours that need to be learned and practiced - preferably in real-life situations.

This is where Indiahikes' Collaborative Leadership Program comes in. It is a carefully designed immersive experience that happens over a 6-day trek in the Himalayas.

Having taken over 4,400 students from the top B Schools of our country on the program with us, we have seen that in a short span of time they not only learn collaborative leadership —  they internalize it.

As the name suggests, collaborative leadership is on the opposite end of the ‘command and control way of functioning. It calls for a high level of trust between team members. Understanding team members and building strong relationships are vital for this form of leadership.

It demands cooperation between all while working towards a common goal — within the team, between teams, and with other stakeholders. It taps into the collective strength of a team and creates an environment in which individuals take on complete responsibility.

What Does Collaborative Leadership Require

Collaborative leadership requires a different set of skills, attitudes, and values. It calls for every member of the team to model behaviors such as:

1. Investing time to build relationships with teammates

2. Building trust through honest and transparent communication

3. Handling conflicts in a constructive manner

5. Sharing control and avoiding power struggles

6. Creating an environment that enables others to lead in their area of responsibility

7. Building connections with other teams and stakeholders

8. Being able to leverage the diversity in a team and tap its collective intelligence

These are behaviours that come with practice and while actually working closely with a team. There are some who naturally seem to veer towards collaboration – but what’s heartening to know is that it is a set of behaviours that can be learned and improved upon.

Having said that, though collaborative behaviour and leadership can be learned, it is very difficult to learn or practice in a classroom or simulated setting. This is where the world of the outdoors lends itself very well. 

Learning Collaborative Leadership Experientially

The Collaborative Leadership program is a specifically designed experiential learning program where participants learn to develop collaborative leadership skills. This suits students of business schools as well as professional institutes.  

The program has been developed and refined over the years in collaboration with some of the top Indian Institutes of Management in our country.

It has been designed for participants to work closely together in diverse teams in a challenging environment — doing things they have never done before, out of their familiar zones. 

In the basic design of the program, participants plan and execute their own 4-day trekking expedition in the Himalayas. Their goal is to reach a trekkable mountain summit as a team. We design this knowing that almost none of the participants would have done a Himalayan trek before. 

This sets the perfect stage for an intensely immersive experience that impels them to work collaboratively. There is no other way of doing it. Their success depends on it. 

In the last 10 years, having taken over 4,400 students from the top B-Schools of our country on the program with us, we have seen the strong impact this program has had on them. In a short span of time, they not only learn collaborative leadership —  they internalise it.

While the main benefit is developing collaborative leadership skills, other surprising benefits emerge from the program. Students speak profusely about this even many years after the program.

• Resilience: We notice students become more resilient after the program. Going through this program helps them in facing and tackling difficult situations in life. They are able to take ups and downs in life with a stronger resolve. 

• Self- awareness: They become more aware of their own selves —  their strengths and weaknesses — which can often surprise them. This helps them analyse and use their strengths better in their future career and life.

• Deep-seated Confidence: By the end of the program they leave with a deep-seated inner confidence, a quiet confidence that speaks for itself. Unanimously they feel better equipped to take on any challenge that life throws at them. They get accustomed to hardship — and do not fear difficult work. This is different from being accustomed to hard work, which they already are, thanks to their rigorous course.

• Reconnection with nature: A big disconnect with nature is repaired in this program. With our programme, we  ensure they acquire a deeper understanding of sustainability and how their every small effort creates an impact. They go back home becoming better citizens of the planet and stewards of the environment. In the consumerist world we live in, this is not a small thing to ignore. For many, the impact is life long.

Over the years we have received overwhelming acknowledgement of the efficacy of this program from students. The real-life experience of the program instills in them collaborative behaviour and leadership skills. They are better equipped for the modern highly networked work world.

To know more about our Collaborative Leadership Program and it’s benefits for your students do get in touch with us by filling up this form.

Alternatively, you can email us at izzat@indiahikes.com or call us on +91 7022175673.

Here's how the Himalayan Mountain Challenge transforms B School students into Collaborative Leaders through Experiential Learning on treks.

How The Himalayan Mountain Challenge Transforms Students Into Collaborative Leaders

How A Specially Designed Trek In The Himalayas Can Teach You Collaborative Leadership 

The Himalayan Mountain Challenge is a  specifically designed experiential learning program. In this program students have to plan and execute their own trekking expedition. The trekking expedition, spread over 4 days, requires them to reach a high point, usually a summit, and return down to the base camp safely. They do this in teams composed of 8 to 10 members, usually of diverse skills and abilities. 

│ What Makes A Trek An Ideal Environment For Experiential Learning

In a trekking expedition, students are completely out of their comfort zones. They are forced to confront situations and overcome challenges that they have never encountered before.

They face adverse weather conditions, like snow or rain. They cook their own food, set up and unwind their campsites, and find their way through mountain trails. Each day is designed to be a little more challenging in terms of terrain, altitude and specific team activities. 

│ How The Dynamics Within A Team Changes

Though enthusiasm is high, none of the above is easy to do — even for those who may have trekked before. Overcoming these challenges, day in and day out, as a team, tests and develops their skills of cooperation and collaboration. Conflicts arise. Morale gets threatened. Some teams almost reach break point. 

But these internal struggles don’t last long. Specially designed activities and reflections actually leverage this struggle to create deeper bonds within the team. They get to know each other and their relationship is strengthened. This builds trust. Once the trust is built, students begin dealing with conflicts constructively.

Power struggles give way to sharing of responsibility. As a result, we see team members getting completely engaged in all aspects of teamwork. 

As the program progresses there is a strong ‘buy-in’ as all team members become active participants. The goal of the team supersedes all personal goals and motivations. 

A shift is seen once teams learn to function seamlessly within the team. They feel ready to lend support to and seek support from other teams and stakeholders as well. They begin to understand and leverage the benefits of collaboration between teams.

All of this does not come about by chance. It comes about by the design of the program. Students are actively engaged in the experiential learning process of planning, executing, and reflecting. The three major elements of the design are:

1. The trek: Designing the trek experience to force students out of their comfort zones creates the environment for learning. Each day of the trek has a progressive change in terrain, altitude, temperature, and trekking hours. This keeps students constantly on the learning edge. 

2. The activities: The entire expedition is also broken down into carefully designed activities. Every activity has a specific takeaway. It requires every team member to work collaboratively every single hour of the program.

An example of an activity is teams having to find their own way to the next campsite each day. They are given GPX files or a rudimentary map to do so. They have to figure out the way to the next camp themselves.

This requires collaboration as well as creativity. It also requires the ability to decode a map, and negotiate the terrain. All the while they need to trek as a team, and support each other till they reach the next campsite as a unit — because straying members are not allowed under the rules of the program.

3. Reflection sessions: They are a crucial element that enables teams to introspect on their learning each day. Guided by the facilitator they talk about all the activities of the day and discuss what worked and what did not. They openly share the challenges they faced whether personal, interpersonal, environmental, or skill related.

During reflections, they also address conflicts in a way that resolves them. They strategise and plan for the next day, taking into account the learning so far.

They consult on what can be done differently. They become more aware of their strengths and areas they need to work on.

Doing this over and over again during the 4 days of the program, creates a strong pattern of planning, acting, and reflecting. This process becomes a powerful tool for addressing issues and creating a synergy that results in the team coming together as a cohesive unit.

When all these different elements come together, it results in teams making the necessary adjustments in their plans and way of functioning to achieve the team’s goal. It also enables them to collaborate with other teams to achieve common objectives, offer support, as well as accept support in areas they require it.

They recognise and work on the skills, attitudes, and values required to succeed as a team and to collaborate with other teams. Their capacity to demonstrate collaborative leadership skills and behaviours grows exponentially. This has a tremendous impact on them as they transfer this learning and real-life experience back to their lives, and their future work.

To know more about the Himalayan Mountain Challenge and it’s benefits for your students do get in touch with us by filling up this form.

Have you wondered how students are going to learn on a Himalayan Mountain Challenge? Read on to know how your students can benefit from it!

How Does Learning Happen On The Himalayan Mountain Challenge Program?

Today, I’m writing to you about something you can implement in your workplace. It is a unique leadership and team building program suitable only for companies and B-schools. 

You may know that every year, we take students of Indian Institute Of Management (IIM) on a Himalayan Mountain Challenge (HMC). It is not just a trek. It is an experiential learning program focussed on imparting real life management and leadership skills. 

In these experiential learning programs we have seen tremendous changes in the participants’ attitude and behaviour. The difference, later, at the workplace is significant.

We have noticed companies and organisations spend significant money in team building and leadership activities. Unfortunately, they do not yield much results. That’s because most team building activities do not factor in the power of repetition, uncertainty and reflections. 

How our Experiential Learning Programme is unique

In the experiential learning programs that we run, participants are forced to take decisions in the face of uncertainty every minute and every hour. These are not small decisions. These decisions can change the outcome of the entire program. These decisions are not only about the team but even about themselves.

Here, students of IIM (who have rarely trekked before) are forced to plan, run and manage their own trekking expeditions. They have to climb a summit. While doing that they also have to compete with other teams to win the Himalayan Mountain Challenge (HMC). The HMC is a specially designed series of challenging circumstances that have been built into the trekking expedition. 

The treks that we run for regular trekkers cater a lot to making a trek very comfortable. While that makes trekking easy, it does not lend itself to much learning. On the other hand the kind of program that the IIM students do has an incredible amount of learning built into it.  

The reason is simple. In the unknown outdoors, participants have to deal with challenges that they have never encountered before. Imagine trying to find your way successfully through a forest with no one to help except GPS tracks. A fork on the trail can take you off course for many hours. Teams have to make  immediate hard choices. And live with the consequences. 

It is not just finding the trail. On reaching safe grounds they have to establish their own camps. Without prior knowledge they must learn how to set up their camps and cook their food. Sometimes they have to do this in pouring rain or biting cold. 

Forced to come together in adverse situations participants:

Learn leadership skills that are essential at work

Learn to collaborate and succeed at teamwork

Gain an inner confidence that helps them tackle difficult situations

The reflection sessions that come in at the end of everyday are the secret sauce of the program. 

During reflections, participants often break out into conflicts, anger is expressed, strategies are hotly debated. Guided by our expert Game Masters, teams discover how to express themselves openly and frankly.Over time frankness is tempered by empathy and a new collaborative dynamic emerges. Over the course of the program participants learn to become ‘ideal team players.’ 

At the end of the Himalayan Mountain Challenge, the participants come back with a deep sense of accomplishment, of newly discovered leadership skills, of being more collaborative team players, a confidence to take risks and bold decisions, and a deep resilience to face hardships and uncertainties head on. 

Which is why we strongly recommend this program to companies and B-schools. The transformation is immense.  

This is what the dean of IIM Bangalore says about the program.

A unique leadership and team building program for companies and B-schools. IIM has been a part of it for 9 years, it's time more organisations look into it.

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