Since it was founded in 1957, EADA Business School has been a leader in the application of on-site outdoor management training. The Leadership Development Programme (LDP) is a key component of all of EADA’s programmes focused on developing participants’ soft skills. Students are challenged to develop transversal leadership competencies by getting out of their comfort zone.
During the LDP, participants identify their strengths and weaknesses and develop an action plan to actively improve them. They become aware of their beliefs and develop an understanding of their beliefs and how they impact behavior.
“The experience in EADA’s leadership campus provides an immeasurable opportunity to dive into leadership skill while forging deep connections with your fellow masters classmates”.
Elizabeth Truffa (United States), Master in Tourism & Hospitality Management 2023
The LDP is divided into four two-day modules:
- Leading Oneself.
- Leading in Teams.
- Leading across the Organization.
- Leading oneself in Society.
These modules take place in EADA’s Residential Training Centre in Collbató, located 40 kilometers from Barcelona in the Montserrat mountains. This unique location encourages intense training and collaboration skills through outdoor training, self-evaluation exercises, one-on-one and group reflection sessions and role plays. According to Master in Marketing alumna Hiba Hamdani (Algeria), the most important take-away from the LDP is that teamwork is the heart of great achievements. The teamwork in EADA, and more specifically, in the LDP, prepares participants for their future international careers.
Crucial to this career preparation is the open-mindedness and critical outlook that come with the development of leadership competencies. EADA students become experts in giving and receiving constructive feedback that makes them the best leaders they can be. International MBA student Johnson Cheung (Hong Kong) said it best when he urged future LDP participants to “be open for constructive feedback and really pay attention to what people say about you”.
First-hand experience: Nelson Kück
Master in Sustainable Business & Innovation student Nelson Kück (Germany) saw the LDP as an opportunity to network with fellow master’s students from all over the world and develop a global mindset. This safe space allowed him to grow together with his classmates and experience teamwork in an international context. Nelson has completed two of the four leadership modules so far at EADA. He is already impressed with how far he and his classmates have come since the first module.
Nelson found the discussions about different personalities based on the DISC or Belbin test to be particularly insightful. Another memorable challenge was a climbing exercise in which students had to test their physical strength as well as their trust for one another.
In the overall experience, Nelson highlights the inspiring atmosphere and trusting environment, describing the faculty as empathetic yet challenging. According to him, this meant that LDP participants were able to build trust, improve their presentation skills, provide constructive feedback and strengthen their skills as global team players.