"It's about teams, conflicts, goals, and resilience."

"There are two kinds of people in the world: those who have walked the Gobi and those who haven't."

"The Gobi Desert is the setting, action is the method, and leadership is the goal."

The Global EMBA programme at CEIBS requires its students to frequently look beyond the classroom and test their leadership capabilities in challenging practical environments. Few places on Earth are more demanding than the Gobi Desert, a vast region sweeping over Southern Mongolia and Northwestern China that promises its visitors untamed beauty couple with unrelentingly harsh conditions.

CEIBS’ Professor of Management Jean Lee has developed one of the most rigorously challenging, and highly anticipated, modules of this academic year – Leadership in Action. Every year, CEIBS GEMBA invites teams to undertake an 88km trek through the desert, enhancing their physical and mental strength. More than just a grueling hike, the journey is structured to include a wide range of challenges that enhance the participants’ crisis management skills, as well as their ability to plan, bond, and operate as a team.

This is “leadership in action”, an exercise that tests GEMBA students and alumni in the one of the harshest laboratories in the world. The following testimonies delivered by successful entrants from the most recent Gobi Module highlight its ability to push people past their supposed limits, allowing them to achieve deeper self-awareness, heightened resilience, and a stronger grasp on effective leadership in times of crisis.

01 Build a Resilient Team

You can’t leave anyone lagging. A resilient team is one where everyone cares for every other member as well as themselves. Motivating lagging members gives everyone a greater sense of belonging, encouraging them to strive for both collective and individual goals, knowing that the rest of the team has their back.

My view is that confronting conflicts head-on is the right approach. On the first day, when deciding which team member to vote out, we openly stated the criteria and reasons behind each person's choice. This transparent communication led to disagreements but also revealed everyone's true desires and thoughts.

If we pursue superficial harmony and avoid conflict, "muddling through" different opinions, we only bury our problems deep down, laying the foundations for larger conflicts in the future. We also miss the opportunity to dig into the essence of our current problems and address them directly, an approach that can enhance the team's overall effectiveness and sense of purpose.

Conflicts, therefore, should be seized upon as opportunities to allow everyone to fully express themselves, think deeply, review problems from multiple angles, and find effective solutions as a team.

02 From Self-Discovery to Team Integration

When I set foot onto the sands of the Gobi, I thought it would be a challenge to my physical limits, but I never expected it to be a transformative experience. In the scorching sun and sandstorms of the Gobi, I not only pushed myself but also unexpectedly discovered a profound connection between myself and the team.

This experience has changed my perception of leadership. In the past, I believed it was mainly about taking the initiative, setting directions, and controlling the overall situation. But in the Gobi, leadership took on a completely different context. Sometimes it entailed silently accompanying struggling teammates, sometimes it was about stepping back to let others take the lead. Frequently, it meant fully committing oneself to overcoming adversity – for the team and for oneself. The Gobi experience made me realise that true leadership is not just about setting directions – it’s about team members inspiring each other to keep moving forward, together.

You don’t need to be Superman to be an effective leader. Admitting "I need help" requires more courage than always trying to be strong alone.

03 Turning a "Group" into a "Team"

The essence of leadership lies in people, in understanding them and subsequently improving them. It's not just about uniting individuals into a team; you must build resilience in both individuals and the team through a shared mission and goals.

Resolving conflicts through action, inspiring individuals to break through their self-imposed limits, and transforming "I" into "we" is what ultimately turns a group into a cohesive, effective team.

We established our shared vision of success, employed our respective strengths, shared our collective burden, and consistently made the right choices despite limited resources and time constraints. Working through these goals together, rather than simply shouldering everything alone, is what allowed us to go faster and farther, all the way to the end.

04 Sacrificing Control to Gain Trust

In the past, I understood "leadership" as the ability to achieve goals and set directions. Now, I realise that “leadership in action” is the ability to maintain awareness, inspire the team, and achieve mutual success in a complex, uncertain environment. True leadership is about creating the right conditions so that the team can instinctively work together to achieve shared success, even in your absence.

I’ve taken what I learned in the desert back with me. Now, at work, I focus less on trying to control and correct every detail, instead focusing on inspiring team consensus and fostering genuine dialogue.

05 Reshaping Leadership

The Gobi Leadership in Action module is not merely about hiking from dawn until dusk; it’s a profound journey of reflection, team bonding, and personal growth. From enduring extreme conditions and physical strain to overcoming language barriers and confronting personal doubts, each moment serves as a test.

In a world defined by rapidly changing realities, excellent managers must respond swiftly to new circumstances. Maintaining flexibility in analysis and decision-making is key to achieving goals while minimizing setbacks. In the Gobi, each day’s challenges required us to think critically, solve problems quickly, and collaborate under pressure. It was not just about moving forward—it was about how we navigated difficulties, made tough calls, and balanced strategic thinking with empathy. 

This experience has strengthened my ability to lead with clarity, agility, and composure in the face of adversity.

06 Listen, Include, Empower

A drop of water can only avoid drying up by merging into the sea. Similarly, without a team to lead, leadership has no foundation.

Our team was incredibly diverse in age, culture and background, presenting a challenge for me to lead them effectively.

During the 88km hike, I gradually realised that I had to let go of my ego and fully immerse myself in the team. I needed to be inclusive of the differences among team members and allow trial and error to lead to better outcomes by alloying our diverse strengths.

I now understand that the essence of leadership is not just in giving orders but also making members understand "why we do this." True leadership lies in empowering team members, enabling them to explore themselves and realise their inherent value across all manner of circumstances and challenges.

07 Walk Bravely into the Unknown

The Gobi module helped me break through my own limits and taught me an invaluable lesson: Don't be afraid to extend your personal and professional goals into the unknown. As long as you are well-prepared and rely on solid teamwork, you are fully capable of achieving your goals.

Whether it's task-oriented leadership or relationship-oriented leadership, neither is as important as the ability to flexibly adjust leadership styles according to specific situations. Every member of your team holds immense potential – it’s your job as a leader to discover it, and actively bring it out into the open for the good of the individual and the wider team.

"Everyone should experience the Gobi because it’s an unforgettable journey that will change your life."

"It challenges your limits, rewires your mindset, and leaves you stronger - inside and out."

"Only when there is no way back do we truly confront ourselves, understand others, and experience the power of collaboration."

Each of these GEMBA students and alumni have walked into the Gobi, completed an incredible journey alongside their teammates, and walked out again, stronger and more capable because of the challenges they overcame.

By testing their leadership capabilities in a relentless, high-stakes physical environment, they have all learned the lessons necessary to deeply evaluate their overall leadership style. In the desert, there is no room for doubt, deception or selfishness – every decision must be grounded in reality, and focused on an optimal outcome for the good of the team.

This year’s participants have tested themselves and proved their worth. Will you follow in their footsteps? Look out for details of the Gobi Desert Module 2026, and perhaps you too can see if your leadership style is suited to succeed in the harshest of environments.