Leadership can be difficult to understand from a textbook alone. You can study decision-making, communication and organisational behaviour, but seeing those ideas play out in a real workplace offers a different kind of learning. This is where experiential leadership learning becomes meaningful at the Vedica Scholars Programme, particularly through the Shadow a Woman Leader module. As part of its women leadership programme approach, the module gives Scholars an opportunity to experience leadership beyond the classroom.
The module gives Scholars an opportunity to work alongside experienced women leaders and see how leadership takes shape in real professional settings. Over five weeks, Scholars are paired with senior leaders from fields including business, government, development, media and the arts. They can attend meetings, contribute to projects and observe how their mentors approach decisions, communication and complex situations.
Why a Women Leadership Programme Needs Experiential Learning
Leadership rarely happens in perfectly structured situations. Decisions have to be made with incomplete information, priorities can compete and communication can become difficult. These are situations that are difficult to fully recreate in a classroom.
Shadow a Woman Leader gives Scholars an opportunity to see these realities up close. Instead of learning about leadership only as a concept, they can observe how an experienced leader approaches the situations that come with responsibility. A textbook can explain a leadership principle, but being present when that principle is put into practice gives it context.
How Leadership Development for Women Takes Shape Through Experience
The word “shadow” might suggest simply following someone around. The experience at the Vedica Scholars Programme goes further.
Scholars become part of their mentor’s professional environment, attending meetings and contributing to projects. The experience can be thought of through three stages:
- Observe: See how experienced leaders approach their work.
- Engage: Take part in the professional environment around the leader.
- Reflect: Consider what these experiences reveal about the kind of leader you want to become.
Two Scholars could shadow two very different leaders and come away with entirely different lessons. That individual experience is an important part of leadership development for women, rather than a one-size-fits-all exercise.
Mrinalika’s Experience: A Leadership Mentorship Programme in Practice
Mrinalika Vats, a Vedica Scholar from the Class of 2019, offers a real example of what this kind of exposure can lead to.
Through the Global Programme for Women Leaders (GPWL), where accomplished women leaders from across the world engage closely with Scholars, Mrinalika was paired with Stacey Ann Pillay, CEO of Africa Health Placements in Johannesburg. What began as a networking conversation turned into an invitation to shadow her.
Mrinalika described the experience as offering a “great level of mentorship”, saying Stacey knew exactly how to guide a 21-year-old into exploring what she wanted to do in life. As she put it: “When I came back from my shadow programme, I was 100% sure as to what I wanted to do.”
She has also spoken about the Vedica Scholars Programme’s focus on personality and potential rather than marksheets alone, as well as its emphasis on collaboration with people from different ethnicities and educational backgrounds. Mrinalika is currently a Senior Product Manager at a payments bank.
Her experience illustrates how mentorship and real-world exposure became part of her journey towards greater clarity about what she wanted to do.
Learning Leadership Through People, Not Just Principles
There is no single way to lead well.
The Vedica Scholars Programme has had accomplished women across business, media, development, policy and entrepreneurship mentor Scholars. These leadership mentors bring different experiences, perspectives and leadership styles to the learning environment.
One leader may demonstrate the importance of collaboration. Another may show how decisiveness, strategic thinking or execution can shape outcomes. Seeing these differences helps Scholars understand that leadership is not about copying someone else’s personality. It is about discovering an approach that feels authentic while remaining effective. That is an important part of women’s leadership development at the Vedica Scholars Programme.
From Classroom Concepts to Workplace Situations
The Shadow a Woman Leader module also connects with the wider learning experience at the Vedica Scholars Programme. Scholars learn through management practice alongside liberal arts, communication and personal growth. The Management Practice Track covers areas such as strategy, finance, marketing, operations and decision-making. Shadowing a leader gives these ideas another context: a discussion about decision-making looks different when a real team has to navigate competing priorities, while organisational behaviour becomes more tangible when you see how people communicate and collaborate at work.
What Scholars Can Take Away
The purpose of Shadow a Woman Leader is not to produce identical leaders. It is to help Scholars develop a clearer understanding of their own leadership potential, including the ability to:
- Understand how experienced leaders approach decisions
- Discover different leadership styles
- Apply classroom learning in professional settings
- Develop greater confidence and clarity
- Build meaningful professional relationships
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the Shadow a Woman Leader module?
A five-week immersive experience in which Scholars work alongside senior women leaders and gain first-hand exposure to leadership in professional settings.
2. Do Scholars only observe their mentors?
No. The experience involves engaging with the professional environment around their mentors rather than simply observing from a distance.
3. Who can mentor Scholars through Shadow a Woman Leader?
Mentors come from diverse fields, including business, government, development, media and the arts.
4. How does Shadow a Woman Leader connect with classroom learning?
It gives Scholars an opportunity to see how management, communication and leadership concepts apply in real professional situations.
5. What can Scholars gain from working with a mentor?
The experience can offer exposure to different leadership approaches, professional environments and perspectives that complement classroom learning.
Conclusion
The strongest lesson from Shadow a Woman Leader may be that leadership is not a performance to imitate. It is a practice to understand and eventually make your own.
By placing Scholars alongside experienced leaders, the Vedica Scholars Programme turns leadership from an abstract idea into lived experience. For Mrinalika, that experience ended with a clear sense of what she wanted to do.
