XLRI Leadership Expedition

XLRI, School of Business and Human Resources truly believes that leadership and learning are inseparable. It is the first Indian B’school to encourage experiential learning in the form of a Leadership Expedition held every year in the month of March. Taking inspiration from the Wharton Leadership Program, the annual event at Wharton Business School, XLRI Leadership Expedition (XLE) was started three years ago. XLE exposes students to hardships and adverse conditions through challenging adventure activities with the objective of developing leadership traits amongst the participants. Every year, a unique location is chosen. In the first year, it was climbing the Mt. Everest Base Camp (altitude of 18,480 feet) followed by a bike ride from Pune to Kanniyakumari (3000 km) in the second year. What is unique about XLE is that every year a new social or environmental cause is propagated. For instance, the mission of the 2006 XLE was spreading AIDS awareness whereas the 2007 XLE aimed at spreading tourism along coastal India.

This year, plans are in progress to scale the Island Peak in the Himalayas. This peak, situated to the south of Mt. Everest, scales to a whopping altitude of 20,305 feet. Students will attend a 2 month long training camp conducted by mountaineering professionals to build up the required stamina. The team shall also undergo a week long equipment training session from one of India’s premier mountaineering institutes. The expedition is organized by the Adventure and Nature Club of XLRI, popularly known as XLNC in campus. The committee has decided that this year’s theme shall be selected in a unique fashion, in that an NGO would be given the option to decide the theme for the expedition, thus helping them promote their cause without any consideration in return.