With great expectations and a large amount of uncertainty, approximately 40 of the CBS MBAs departed to tackle the wilderness in the grand finale of the Leadership Discovery Process. Our destination was some remote location, on the banks of a beautiful lake in Sweden. For the following 3 days, 4 teams consisting of up to 10 members each were going to get to know each other much better. Armed with a backpack, sleeping bag, the basic essentials and the theory that we have learnt during the past few months, we were assigned different tasks to complete during the following 72 hour period. With each member of the team being assigned as team leader of a different task, and other roles also being switched, the learning gained from experiencing different leadership styles with the use of feedback and reflection was tremendous. From an academic and leadership development point of view, the simulator was absolutely amazing. But I believe the real value gained from this experience was in the personal growth, the friendships formed and the learning from the different cultures.

From my perspective, the MBA class of 2011 achieved more than merely expanding our professional network during this year, we also made new friends from 22 different countries. This simulator enabled us to strengthen this friendship bond in a different setting, through non-academic activities. The most memorable of these were navigating in the icy rain, conquering one’s personal paradigms through the encouragement of your team and breaking the ice in an early morning row around scenic islands. These team building activities, together with the breathtaking surroundings, paved the way for interesting stories being created and shared among friends. And there were great stories to share…one poor soul nearly lost his life for being a snorer, while another fell off the island and into the water while attempting a late night toothbrush. Finally, I believe ‘Queen of the Mountains’ would be an apt title for a particular lady who decided a ‘touch-up’ was needed after surviving the descent. Not to forget the Germans’ and the Spaniards’ golden voices in sharing their cultural heritage over some fine dining prepared by gracious hosts.

The fact that there was so much time to talk around the campfire was part of the design of course, with an estimated total sleeping time of 8 hours in three days. The lack of sleep was as a result of sleep-talkers, snorers and fires that had to be guarded. Personally, I will long treasure the memory of sitting next to the campfire with the flames breaking the ice cold atmosphere, water lapping the rocks 2 meters below, and enjoying a truly insightful conversation with a couple of friends and warm coffee at 4 in the morning. I bid Sweden, and soon Copenhagen, farewell with the knowledge that I am much richer as a result of the friendships I have developed in such a diverse group of people, which was strengthened through an exhilarating experience in the Swedish wilderness.