PGPFMB 39 | Personal Development and Leadership Lab: Learning beyond classrooms

At the heart of the Post Graduate Programme in Family Managed Business (PGPFMB) lies the belief that leadership begins with self-awareness. After completing five immersive weeks of phase I, the participants of PGPFMB Batch 39 stepped away from the classroom and into the natural setting of Garudmaachi for the Personal Development and Leadership Lab—an outbound experience designed to foster reflection, resilience, and leadership through experiential learning.

For three days, participants disconnected from their digital routines and embraced an environment without mobile network coverage, where meaningful conversations, shared experiences, and self-reflection took centre stage. Every climb, challenge, and collaborative activity became an opportunity to learn, not just about leadership, but about themselves.

What makes the Garudmaachi outbound truly distinctive is not merely the activities but the environment it creates for introspection, humility, courage, and personal growth. Removed from the distractions of everyday life, participants learn to trust one another, navigate uncertainty, embrace vulnerability, and discover strengths they may never have recognised within themselves. Some activities tested physical endurance, others demanded mental agility, while the most impactful challenged long-held assumptions and encouraged participants to rethink how they approach leadership, teamwork, and decision-making.

The Personal Development and Leadership Lab reflects SPJIMR’s commitment to developing leaders who are not only capable of managing businesses but are also grounded, self-aware, and equipped to lead with purpose. It serves as a powerful reminder that some of the most enduring lessons are learned beyond the classroom - and that leadership is an inside-out journey, one that continues long after the participants return from the hills.