The past few days have been really tiring but worth it. We started with few leadership games (talked about in the qna below), and then we did the 8 figure walk. 8-figure walk was a 2 mile walk with so much history filled in each step. We learned about how the 8 figure came to be, and how it functioned as a hub for the sick soldiers back in British days. We also got to know how Mussoorie acts as a vacation spot for people trying to escape the Delhi heat during the summer. Yesterday, we went on our first small mountain top walk, we also were able to do something called a solo, where everyone sat alone in some parts of the jungle, and spent time reflecting and absorbing everything that was happening around us. The solo led us to share our unique personal and group goals, and it was a very bonding time in the group. Today was the last day with Shantanu, so we started the day with reflection with him. Then got our gear checked for the little shake-down tomorrow (more will come later). We then spent the later part of the day in Mussoorie Bazar, where I was able to really live the Indian market dream of trying to negotiate just to see how it worked, and failed most of the time. But it worked once and I was really excited.

Let’s now move to the questions:

What new perspectives did you learn about leadership from the leadership games/activities from the past few days?  Is your perspective of leadership changing?  Why? 

• The leadership games in the past few days have been eye-opening. We started with the three clues to one artifact game, which really showed how our group behaved when tasked with group work. We found out how naturally some people step up and some hesitate to participate till they are directly asked. I was also able to see how I fit into the dynamic of the group a little bit. Nevertheless, this was the first game and our group passed it, so I learned that the group is more than capable of solving problems together. That day and the next, we played some unique games where we were tasked with some unique riddle-type problem. One was a riddle about the human circle we formed to turn backwards and I was surprised to see how fast we solved it. When we were asked how we did it, most of us did not know, we just followed the group. It gave me a new perspective on how we can influence others around us. This could come without us realizing it, so it is important to choose the correct actions, so the followers can follow the right path. The next one was the tire game and the first round was around 36 seconds long. However, after planning and trial runs, we estimated that we could get it down to maybe 30 seconds, but Shantanu encouraged us to choose 27 as an estimation and surprisingly we got it down to 27 seconds in the second round. This showed how if we all choose to work together, we can achieve things that once seemed unreasonable. My perspective on leadership is changing because just in the past few days I have seen how leaders do not have to fit into the stereotypical role of being just the front face of a group. My new perspective allowed me to see how each person can be a leader in a different way and can influence people’s lives without being the face of the group, or even being noticed. 

What does a good leader do when they make a mistake?  How can you learn from the leader’s example? 

• I believe when a good leader makes a mistake and realizes it, they will acknowledge the mistake to the group, if appropriate in the situation. It will then be followed up with why it happened and what they will change next time to fix it. I believe the reflection of why it happened will be helpful in how it can be fixed. I think a leader is usually a role model of the group, and leader’s mistakes and acknowledgments will help the entire team avoid those mistakes. The team can follow the leader because of the trust built by the leader.