A week away from my laptop in a management program was almost as good as a vacation, with learning happening alongside. This was a program for middle management with people from all over the organization staying in our beloved ‘College-hostel’ like guest-’house’.
Some random thoughts after the program:
a. Not all talks on management related topics are boring. A (very) few were inspiring, a few interesting, a few provoked some serious introspection - but even the driest lecture had something about it to at least make us laugh (for reasons I would rather not mention).
b. Some minor inconveniences only help in seeing the bigger picture. In the beginning two of us were asked to share each of the guest house rooms. Later, eight of us, stayed inside a not-so-primitive tent, although the only characteristic we shared was gender. We developed a good rapport by the end of the 6 days and got to know a few people better.
c. Shyness is only a function of time. Also it is difficult to continue the pretence of being a serious intellectual, who is silent because her thoughts are too profound and not because she has nothing interesting or witty to say. Fortunately the program ended before the entire truth stumbled out about you-know-who!!
d. Managers are not necessarily aggressive people - at least not all the time - and usually not when more aggressive people are around 
e. Managers are normal people and are as crazy as any other person. In fact some of them are crazier than Govinda’s films. If they appear serious, it is because someone somewhere told them that that is how managers behave!
f. Art is a major ice-breaker and can quickly bring the guard down for most people. A few songs during the bonfire in the outbound learning centre and we were all suddenly great friends.
g. No matter how tough one is, it is still very touching to see people being protective about you especially when you hardly know any of these people. We were all doing some dare-devil stunts (and the military guys at the outbound centre would roll their eyes if they heard the activities described this way!!) and I was touched when my colleagues around me stopped their activity to make sure I got down without harming myself. (And then it could also be because they were afraid that I would hurt them in the process of saving myself !!)
h. It is a great feeling when you can overcome your fears. One of the activities at the outbound learning centre was rappelling - climbing down a large rock substituting for a cliff, with a rope tied on one end to a facilitator standing on top of the rock and the other passing through your harness. The experts did a demo of it and it was scary. You have to actually stand perpendicular to the rock while climbing down putting your life in the hands of the facilitator at the top. My heart was thudding louder than my loudest possible voice. But I knew I had to do it. Where else was I going to get the opportunity?? And I did it and it felt great.
i. It takes a lot of courage to refuse to do things you are not comfortable doing. A few of our colleagues were scared of climbing down the rock. I was really impressed that they dared to say no in spite of the tremendous peer pressure they were under!
j. No matter how many programs you attend, there is always something new that you discover in the next one. I met some interesting people and not all of them were from our company. We had a session by this amazing gentleman who dreamt of retiring at the age of 40 and did it. He now works for 2 days a week and follows his dreams for the rest of the week. I have the same plan too and I only wish I am as brave as him when I turn 40 !!
k. Great leaders are almost always simple. This was proven again and again during these 6 days. Apart from the usual suspects, we had a session by a neurosurgeon on the last day of the program. This was a program that many in our group were sceptical about. And this was the program that was universally acknowledged as the best of the lot at the end of the 6 days. The man was so full of knowledge that I could almost see knowledge oozing out of his every pore. Yet he was humility personified. People could not stop raving about him and the impact he had on them at the end of the program.
l. Once you have seen a person at his most vulnerable state, it becomes easier to think of him as human and work better with him.
m. No matter what you think of your appearance, a comment about your age or your looks is still capable of rattling you at least a little!!
Many of these leaders proved that to be a good leader, you don’t necessarily have to be aggressive or loud. You do not have to be serious or speak impeccable English. You don’t have to talk about how much you know. Greatness, like good food, advertises itself!!
