Experiential learning put simply is learning by doing, and most often will refer
to direct, first-hand experience in whatever context is employed as the learning
medium. Traditional experiential methods have included such media as physical challenges
(“ropes and rocks”), or so-called survival simulations, or “gamified” problem solving
exercises, or even intricate business simulations. More recently, “exposure and
immersion” experiences have sought to transfer lessons from participants’ time spent
in different environments (innovation labs, for instance) or in front of senior officers
of companies whose attributes are to be modeled.
Our form of experiential learning is based in learning by example, or exemplary leadership,
and it is indirect in the sense that participants learn from the experience of others
on the very ground on which they engaged or in the 20-20 perspective of history according
to the actions taken – leaders in momentous events from history, whose actions and
behaviors are “frozen” in time through revealing case studies to allow a detailed,
in-depth examination of the connection between leaders’ actions and behaviors and
results.
Momentous events in history are typically characterized by highly-pressured and heated
situations in which decisions were called for and action taken in ambiguous circumstances
with incomplete or inadequate information against some form of opposition. This
type of leadership environment has been termed “the leadership crucible” due to these
characteristics and to the fact that in such circumstances there is an incredibly
vivid and direct linkage between decisions/actions and outcomes. The inherent drama
of such momentous events further highlights the examples of both effective and ineffective
leadership which form indelible imagery to help guide participants’ future leader
behavior.
