At this leadership programme, classrooms are mountains

The leadership programme at Tata Steel Adventure Foundation is structured in a way that challenges gradually increase day by day leading to progression of skills through various activities.

M Saraswathy

Special Correspondent | Moneycontrol

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At Kuflon near Uttarkashi, a team of corporate professionals have lined up to begin the day’s activities. They have all their gear ready for the trek. But they are not here on vacation, but for a leadership development programme with Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF).

The Outdoor Leadership Course (OLC) programme of TSAF draws on experience in ‘leadership’ from the risky and hazardous expeditions that Bachendri Pal (the first Indian Woman to climb Mt. Everest) has led.

The course also relies on the National Outdoor Leadership School USA, with whom TSAF has collaborated to upgrade its Leadership Development Programmes.

Pal is the Chief of Adventure Programmes in Tata Steel.  Having climbed Mt. Everest in 1984, she led an Indo-Nepalese Women's Everest Expedition in 1993 in which 18 people reached the Summit including seven women.

TSAF’s clients include Tata Steel, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Coal India, IIM Ranchi, SAIL among others.

Bachendri Pal, Chief-Adventure Programmes, Tata Steel said, “This is a team sport and people realise that as a team we can achieve greater heights. Participants are from corporate houses as well as from the local community and mountaineering training is a medium to teach them leadership skills.”

The OLC programme is designed & structured in a way that the challenges gradually increase day by day leading to progression of skills through the various activities.  It is in the form of an adventure journey where a group of people come together, work together, and overcome the obstacles for achieving a common goal.

“My goal was to make TSAF a learning organisation and help individuals bring out their hidden qualities and skills. This is like a live classroom and helps individuals discover their hidden abilities and get prepared for uncertainties of life. Once they complete the course, risk-taking ability is increased and they are able to deal with problems in everyday life in a much better way,” said Pal.

There is also a programme called Ascent which is a six-day Outdoor Leadership Course. This is also held at Uttarkashi at an altitude of 12,500 feet. This includes trekking activities as well as team-building activities and leadership model, among others. TSAF forms a part of CSR arm of Tata Steel.

Pal said that team-building is also taught through rock-climbing on boulders through ropes and a feedback session is conducted as well.

“When individuals are working with 6-7 members, we see challenges such as conflicts but when everyone’s energy is directed towards a common goal, it also leads to more trust among team members,” said Pal.