The Economist columnist Andrew Palmer joined Carey Flex MBA students for the first days of the 2023 LDE Norway course, giving an inside look at the team's early challenges and learning, particularly about the value of simple structures and rules for making progress when leading, in The Economist's Boss Class podcast about leadership and management at work.
Leadership Development Expeditions
Develop your leadership skills through faculty-led adventure expeditions
Through Leadership Development Expedition (LDE) courses, students develop their capacity for leadership and build a deep understanding of their own strengths and contributions as a leader in a high-performing team. LDE courses draw on outdoor experiential education theory and challenge participants to serve as leaders during an adventure expedition. These courses build leadership skills through a combination of rigorous academic inquiry into the nature of leadership, honest self-assessment and reflection, and hands-on experiences in challenging environments.
Who can take Leadership Development Expedition courses?
LDE courses are offered for all MBA students at the Carey Business School. Full-time MBA students can take the LDE Belize course during the January intersession term as one of their experiential course electives required for the program. Flex MBA students can take either the LDE Belize course during the January intersession term or the LDE Norway course during the Summer term in July.
CIL also offers LDE courses for practicing leaders and executives in partnership with the Carey Business School’s Office of Executive Education. Learn more below about opportunities to participate in an Executive LDE or about custom executive treks for organizations wishing to develop high potential managers and build a pipeline of strong leaders.
LDE in the Media
Writing in the Harvard Business Review, CIL Directors Mike Doyle and Chris Myers describe the philosophy of the LDE course – and how the expedition helps participants develop abilities to tackle challenges, make decisions, and collaborate – highlighting four key characteristics of the course that can be adapted and applied to enhance many other forms of leadership development and training in organizations.
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LDE Norway
The Norway Leadership Development Expedition course takes place in the mountains of Norway starting from the town of Bergen. Spanning nine days, students will trek through Norway’s famous mountains, traverse glacial fields, and ultimately reach some of the highest points in Scandinavia.
The group will work together as an expedition team to navigate along trails and terrain, moving each day between various Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) cabins and huts. Each individual will be responsible for leading the group through various challenges and working together, at times, literally connected to one another while trekking across the glacier. Throughout the trip, students will focus on enhancing individual and team performance, learn and apply appropriate leadership models, and provide and receive structured feedback. Food and lodging will be in rustic DNT cabins.
Program Costs
- 2-credit Tuition Fee
- Course Program Fee (covers all in-country transportation, lodging, meals and activity fees during course dates). Program fees will be listed in SIS for each course.
- Students are responsible for their own international airfare, pre- and post-course expenses, travel insurance and travel documentation (including a passport and visa)
Physical Demands
This is a physically challenging course which requires approximately 10 miles of hiking each day at a moderate pace. Participants should be in good physical health and able to walk/hike for more than five hours per day with regular rest breaks. However, students do not need any prior mountaineering experience. For students with physical disabilities or needs that might require accommodations, or if you have any questions about the level of physical activity, please contact Mike Doyle to discuss options.
Register for the Next Expedition
Participation in the LDE course is by application, due to the limited number of spaces available in the course. Applications for the Summer 2024 session of the LDE Norway course are now available and are due December 15, 2023.
“The program provides a framework for leadership and teamwork through a shared language that allowed a group of strangers–of various ages and physical ability–to get from point A to point B on a timeline, feeling not only emotionally and physically cared for but also with a sense of pride in the individual and team growth.”
Chelsea Heneghan, DNP/MBA candidate ’25
Pediatric Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner at Boston Children's Hospital
LDE Belize
The Belize Leadership Development Expedition course places students on barrier islands off the coast of Belize, starting upon arrival in the capital Belize City. Over the course of nine days, the group will work together as an expedition team to kayak, navigate, cook, eat, and set up camp on remote islands along Belize’s pristine coastal waterways.
Students will experience the first-hand challenges of leading a group in a remote destination, relying on themselves and their teammates to successfully reach each island and provide the team with meals and shelter. Students will reflect on this challenge to develop their own conceptualization and practice of leadership.
Throughout the trip, students will focus on enhancing individual and team performance, learn and apply appropriate leadership models, and provide and receive structured feedback. Island Expeditions provides trip logistics and local guides to support the trek and teach students about life in Belize.
Program Costs
- 2-credit Carey Tuition Fee
- Course Program Fee (covers all in-country transportation, lodging, meals and activity fees during course dates). Program fees will be listed in SIS for each course.
- Students are responsible for their own international airfare, pre- and post-course expenses, travel insurance and travel documentation (including a passport and visa)
Physical Demands
This is a physically challenging course which requires four to six hours of sea kayaking each day at a moderate pace with regular breaks. Participants should be in good physical health and able to sit in a boat for more than one to two hours at a time. However, students do not need any prior sea kayaking experience to participate. For students with physical disabilities or needs that might require accommodations, or if you have any questions about the level of physical activity, please contact Mike Doyle to discuss options.
Register for the Next Expedition
Participation in the LDE course is by application, due to the limited number of spaces available in the course. You can find more information about the course and application information in SIS (search for the course code BU.003.893). Applications for the Intersession 2024 sessions of the LDE Belize course are now closed. Applications for 2025 sessions will be available in Summer 2024.
“Oftentimes, I found myself putting a label on my leadership style and focusing on operating in that one capacity. However, on the trip, I had to be adaptable. This trip gave me the opportunity to step into nearly every kind of leadership role and to practice balancing empathy, agility, and competence to best serve my team in that moment.”
Sydney Sanchez, MBA candidate ’24
People Team Manager at PwC
Executive LDE
How do you build the leadership skills needed to navigate your team through uncertainty and difficult situations? Put yourself in a controlled, high-stakes situation with Johns Hopkins leadership experts by your side. Whether as part of an open-enrollment Executive LDE course to Mt. Cotopaxi in Ecuador or as part of a custom program carefully crafted for the developmental needs of your organization, CIL's outdoor leadership experiences will help you develop the skills to succeed as a leader.