Breakthrough’s offsite programs

Breakthrough currently has three campuses one in Bangalore, a campus in Coimbatore in Partnership with the PRR Training Centre and the third campus in Hosur which is a partnership with Esther Enterprises. The three centres have enabled Breakthrough to provide Outbound Training services for leading corporate organizations and educational institutions in South India.

However, Breakthrough has been able to provide a similar quality of program in different parts of the country and around the world. We have conducted programs in the US, Srilanka and several other countries. This is possible because of the uniquely developed offsite kit which has enabled Breakthrough to create an impact in the offices and campuses of our clients.

One of the top priorities for organizers of Outbound training programs in organizations is the location. The offsite kit constituting of activity equipment, welcome kit, writing and presentation materials etc has made offsite training programs conducted by Breakthrough uniquely engaging. Based on the training needs of the clients the materials can be customized as well.

As Breakthrough looks to expand in different locations our capacity to conduct training programs in varied locations through our offsite kit has enabled us to be dynamic in our vision of impacting lives. 

Strategic Transformational Training Methodology

Robin Paul and Timmy Connors from Breakthrough, participated in a three day Program on Strategic Transformational Training Methodology organized by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, which featured the Strategic Development of managerial capability being the key element in strategic survival and growth.

The program focused on developing a methodology for putting together strategic transformational training by examining pre-training, through training and post training variables and addressed the following:

• Criteria for identifying partner organizations/trainers for delivering training

• The importance of pre-training diagnostics for capturing organizational felt and unfelt needs to steer the design and delivery as close to the reality confronting managers in fulfilling roles and responsibilities and in producing the desired results

• Review of various approaches to gaining training organization/ trainer sensitization to the client organization’s ecosystem

• Identifying ingredients of training content design which can be re configured into various permutations and combinations to produce the desired learning impact from a strategic transformational perspective

• Gaining understanding of premium training delivery ingredients to enhance training engagement value for participant development as well as to achieve the strategic transformational purpose of the delivery in an integrated flow of the content

• A comprehensive framework for assessing training impact

• A methodology for assessing long term impact and long haul achievement both at the individual level as well as at the organizational level

 

Breakthrough @Camp Revive the first Outbound training and Camp Centre inaugurated in Hosur

 

Breakthrough, in partnership with Esther Enterprises, a renowned property development firm inaugurated an Outbound training and camp centre called Breakthrough @Camp Revive in Hosur.

Krish Dhanam, Global Ambassador, Ziglar Group was part of the inaugural event and addressed members of the NHRD, Hosur Chapter and Junior Chamber International on the topic “The Art of Top Performance”. This was based on the book “Top Performance” by Zig Ziglar which he had co-authored. It was a fitting topic to the inauguration of the centre that will strive to bring the best from teams in corporates, colleges, schools and NGOs.

Hosur is the third Breakthrough centre to be opened. The centre houses challenge courses including Low ropes and a High ropes course and camping facilities which will be used for Outbound training for corporates, colleges, schools and NGO’s. Speaking on the inauguration, Robin Paul, CEO, Breakthrough said “We are excited in entering into the Hosur market. We hope Breakthrough @ camp revive will open doors for corporates, colleges, schools and other groups to experience Outbound training and camping in a fun and impactful way”.

 Camping which is also a key focus of the facility includes a variety of outdoor games like football, Volley ball, paint ball, along with an amphi-theatre and other camping facilities. Speaking on the opening, Francis Selvaraj, CEO, Esther Enterprises, said “The project began with a vision to provide an opportunity for people of all ages to build character through sports and to be better citizens of our nation.  We hope to give opportunities for people to revive, rejoice and rejuvenate”

Breakthrough @Camp Revive will promote a balanced lifestyle at a time when 24/7 work places have invaded the Indian Economic Scene. Due to target oriented work places, people in general have slipped into a highly depressed and inactive lifestyle. Hence, everybody needs a Revival mentally and physically.

Breakthrough affiliated as a Community College

 

Breakthrough is excited to announce its affiliation as a Community College to Martin Luther Christian University, Shillong, Meghalaya. As a Community College, Breakthrough will provide University Certification for its Outbound training programs. Facilitative Learning and Development, Leadership Enhancement, Alignment, Paradigm Shift, Faculty Development Program, The Art of Project Planning are some of the programs offered to colleges, that have been accredited by the University.

Speaking on the affiliation Dr. Vijila Kennedy, Director, KCT Business School who is one of the clients of Breakthrough said, "I have been associated with Breakthrough for over 10 years and every batch of my students have immensely benefited through their powerful and dynamic training. I am delighted that they will be offering University certifications. This is an ideal association since like Breakthrough, MLCU emphasizes Skills and Experiential Learning and real-life expertise needed to pursue gainful and fulfilling careers. I am sure that the certified programs will be a big boon to students and corporate employees”. 

Some of the objectives of the affiliation include enhancing the University’s outreach of its unique educational philosophy and academic objectives and combine the dissemination of academic knowledge and practical training. Commenting on the affiliation, Dr. Glenn C Kharkongor, Pro Chancellor of Martin Luther Christian University said “The collaboration between MLCU and Breakthrough will strengthen both institutions in our joint endeavour to provide relevant and meaningful life learning experiences to the youth we serve.”

 

Robin Paul, CEO Breakthrough said, “Experiential learning is a crucial connect between self, academic and vocational learning. It promotes meaningful and engaged learning by helping students to connect self- understanding to academics and vocational skills”.

 

 

The focus of the community college movement in India was to develop courses that may be offered in collaboration with industrial, commercial and professional service sectors for the promotion of employment and business development. Enhancing Employability and Life-skill development being the key focus of the programs at Breakthrough, will further be structured with the accreditation of its courses.

The Vision of Impacting Lives

Breakthrough’s vision is impacting lives. This vision guides us in our recruitment, facilitation, relationships and even in our day-to-day decision making. Outbound training is the means for us to impact lives. The stories of impact that we hear from our participants is what keeps us going day after day.  

We believe a warm smile translates to create many more smiles. Hence, we practice welcoming each participant with a smile and sweets.

We strive to have one-on-one conversations with participants which builds lasting relationships.  Appreciating participants for each step of involvement during activities is where our ‘connect’ begins when we observe and appreciate.

In addition, to corporate organizations and educational institutions we deem it a privilege to impact the lives of the underprivileged and the differently abled.  This brings us joy that cannot be expressed in words but etched in our memories as days we cherish.

We have seen lives been impacted in the last 14 years. College students have given up drugs to focus on what is most important in life. School children have built their confidence and have grown to be leaders. Corporate organizations have transformed their culture and built teams that work together guided by organizational values and objectives. This is what the Breakthrough team works towards each day, one life and one team at a time. We hope to build that impact in the coming years spreading across the country and abroad.

Breakthrough approved for Podio Sponsorship.

 Breakthrough thanks www.podio.com   for sponsoring us and enhancing the way business at Breakthrough works by giving us easy access to your premium features.

 How Podio is making work easy and productive for team Breakthrough.
 
Podio definitely is the best web-based management platform we've come across so far. It offers anything you would expect from a Project management tool. It has helped us  a great deal in streamlining and tracking important tasks and processes like approvals, discussions and projects while keeping our internal business information secure and preventing things from falling in the cracks. The interface is particularly clean and visually appealing.

Its ability to define workspace with its own set of collaborators and functionalities is particularly valuable to get things done. Podio is also a great tool to share ideas within teams and collect feedback.

Worth mentioning that an impressive amount of apps is available on the Podio app store, that makes Podio even more useful and collaborative.

In all the Breakthrough team is all excited about it and we are sure your team will love to use it also.

Sabanaaz Bali

The Value of Ethical Leadership





Competency Iceberg Model (Spencer & Spencer, 1993)



The word 'ethics' in the business world in India has become increasingly important with leaders from large corporations being seen following short of set societal standards. Studies done by Den Hartog and De Hoogh, 2009 have shown the impact of Ethical leadership on Leadership effectiveness. The impact further trickles down to the rest of the employees in organizations, wherein employees are stimulated to display ethical behaviors. Ethical Leadership is also positively correlated with job satisfaction. Since, ethical leadership in organization involves a number a behaviors researchers have chosen a few behaviors such as transparency, fairness, integrity, role sharing and role clarification in their research.

The Centre for Ethical Leadership, USA defines “Ethical leadership, as knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good.” As individuals core values are based on either religious, cultural or individual orientation. Personal ethics may differ from person to person however, a few behaviours are widely accepted norms.

As the above definition mentions, the difficulty for most people is to have the courage to display ethical behavior when societal or organizational cultures are different. The value in ethical leadership is the legacy one lives and leaves behind for people they interact and work with.  

Ethical character and values are focused largely in training programs held at Breakthrough. Just as the Competency Iceberg model (Spencer & Spencer, 1993) suggests, the part of the iceberg that sinks the ship is the part underneath. Similarly, the aspects within a person, like his values and character is what will help one grow or drag one down.

First Aid Training for the Breakthrough Team

Safety is one the core operating values of Breakthrough and we have focused extensively on certifications and training programs for the team and the organization to maintain high safety standards. 

Breakthrough is also the first Outbound training organization to be certified in the Occupational Health and Safety management system, OHSAS 18001: 2007. It was recently certified in the quality management system ISO 9001: 2008.

Recently, a first aid training workshop was conducted for the team at Breakthrough. A few members have already been certified in first aid. It was a refresher to all the facilitators from both the Bangalore and Coimbatore centers on various aspects of First Aid like CPR, handling injuries, burns, shock etc. 

The program was conducted by the Indian Red Cross Society. First aid is an important safety practice for organizations to have in place. The team at Breakthrough would like to ensure safety for all visiting our campuses and in the society, practicing the Breakthrough policy of SAFETY FIRST, SAFETY LAST and SAFETY INBETWEEN.

Lean-In Circles come alive through experiential learning activities at Breakthrough

Breakthrough, organized a special Women’s day event “Lean-In circle” participated by women from a number of organizations like VMware, Tesco, William Penn and SAP. The program was based on the book, ‘Lean-In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead’, written by Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook. Some of the key aspects of Lean-In like having a growth mindset, taking initiatives, and the power of peers were brought alive through the experiential learning activities. One of the powerful questions discussed was “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” quoted by Spencer Johnson, also mentioned in the book.

Sharon Andrew, Happiness Evangelist, Happiest Minds and Jayashree Augustine, Executive Assistant to MD, Britannia Industries shared their perspective of the need to Lean-In with the women present. Speaking about the experience at Breakthrough, Ridha Tazeen, Sr. Manager – HR, William Penn said “Apart from the various other reasons that I’m proud to be a woman. I feel blessed today because of this program which was planned for us“.

The vision of Breakthrough is to impact lives. Each part of the program was carefully designed to bring the impact. At the end of the event, the women were encouraged to create and be part of Lean-In circles which are peers groups which meet regularly to share and learn together. There was a surprise offer in-store for the women at the end of the program. Each participant was given one-year of free access to on-line business study materials sponsored by ‘My B-Skool’ which is a Chennai based On-line B-School.  

Breakthrough, becomes the first Outbound training service provider in India to be certified in OHSAS 18001:2007 and ISO 9001:2008

Breakthrough, has announced its certification in the safety management system, OHSAS 18001:2007 and quality management system, ISO 9001:2008. It is the only Outbound Training center in India to be certified in OHSAS 18001:2007 standard and this is the second term for which the certification has been renewed. The standards are widely seen as the world’s most recognized Management Systems standards.

The scope of the certification includes the design and delivery of training programs for corporate organizations, educational institutions and others. OHSAS 18001:2007 certified by Global Safety Services specifies requirements for an Occupational Health and Safety Management System. ISO 9001: 2008 calls for a stringent quality management process. Timothy Connors, Program Director and Vivian Angelo, Centre Director, Coimbatore from Breakthrough are one of the few practitioners in India to be awarded with Level 1 and 2 Inspector and Supervisor Endorsement by the Association of Challenge Course Technology (ACCT).

Commenting on the certification Robin Paul, CEO, Breakthrough said, “Safety and Excellence is the core value of Breakthrough. The certifications reinstate our dedication to enhancing safety methods and internal controls. It signifies our commitment to the security of our employees, clients and service providers and reaffirms our position as an industry leader”.

Breakthrough being one of the pioneers using ropes courses in Outbound Training for more than a decade, underwent a comprehensive audit of its processes. OHSAS: 18001 enables organizations to have control over and knowledge of all relevant hazardous situations, and improve its performance.

To be certified in ISO 9001: 2008 Breakthrough demonstrated its ability to consistently meets applicable statutory and regulatory requirements of customers, and enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system. Through such certifications Breakthrough consistently strives to meet industry demands and develop processes of excellence.

A Message of Caution

Safety being one of the key values of Breakthrough, we would everyone reading this article to be safe and to safeguard your belongings. The following incident has been reported on our blog because we would like you to be cautious while travelling on city roads. Our very own Anil, part of the Breakthrough family lost his phone while travelling by car in Bangalore.

Here is an account of the event by Anil:

I was driving back to Breakthrough in the car after I dropped my friends at their place. On the way as the weather was good I decided to have the windows open a little. At the Double road signal in Bangalore at 8.30 PM, two men attached the car knowing I could not open the door as I was close to a bus. One of the men tried to break the back window on the right. As I was trying to stop him, the other man put his hand through the small gap of the left window and stole my phone, which was on the seat on the left. They soon disappeared as the signal hit green. I parked the car on the side because of the traffic behind. I searched all around but could not find them.

Stay cautious, stay safe!

Studies: Adventure Education / Outbound programmes foster resilience

In the changing business world, Resilience as a characteristic is considered as an essential element. So much so, that the 2013 World Economic Forum was titled “Resilient Dynamism”. Building this characteristic cannot be done by a mere presentation alone but involves being able to learn it in an experiential platform.

A study done in December 2013 by the Unversity of Otago in New Zealand proved that adventure programs foster youth resilience. When participants undergo such programs it results in a certain immunization and an ability to overcome. This means the ability of people to face adversity grows after an adventure based outbound training experience.

There are numerous such studies that prove that controlled exposure to challenges can enhance resilience. In the year 2001, James Neill and Katica Dias did a study that supported this claim, demonstrating significantly greater gains in psychological resilience for 41 young adults participating in 22-day Outward Bound programs.

Over the years Breakthrough has seen the effectiveness of adventure based Outbound training programs that has enabled participants from corporates and colleges to foster key characteristics like resilience. Using lead-up activities physically and emotionally prepare participants for the difficult activity that they will experience. The methodology is effective because of the experiential base that has been proven factual through similar studies. 

Do share the impact of Outbound training on our blog or our facebook page - www.facebook.com/breakthrough.india