Building the Next Generation of Leaders | Dasra Social Impact Leadership Program

This April marked the culmination of a meaningful six-month journey for Industree, as 11 of our

emerging leaders completed the Dasra Social Impact Leadership Catalyst Program (DSI LCP). What

began in December 2025 as a cohort-based learning experience, evolved into something far deeper: a

sustained journey of reflection, challenge, and transformation alongside peers from across 13

organisations.

From the outset, the program created a rare space: a space to pause from the demands of everyday

work. It invited leaders to look inward before looking outward, examining their own leadership styles,

behavioural patterns, and decision-making approaches. Through structured reflection and deep self-

awareness exercises, participants began to better understand not just how they lead, but why they

respond the way they do under pressure.

As the journey unfolded, one of the most powerful shifts came from engaging with complexity—not

as something to be solved quickly, but as something to be understood and navigated with intention.

Through sessions on adaptive leadership, decision-making in ambiguous environments, and systems

thinking, participants developed the ability to hold multiple perspectives, work through competing

priorities, and make thoughtful choices even when clarity was limited.

Equally significant was the program’s focus on the human side of leadership, particularly the ability to

build trust, hold accountability, and engage in honest, sometimes difficult conversations. In high-

pressure environments, giving and receiving feedback, addressing tensions within teams, and

fostering psychological safety are often the most challenging aspects of leadership. Through peer

exchanges and facilitated sessions, participants explored what it truly means to lead with trust —

learning how to navigate feedback with empathy, encourage ownership, and create spaces where

teams can speak openly without fear.

These conversations were grounded in lived experiences, shared openly within the cohort. Engaging

with leaders from across organisations not only brought diverse perspectives but also fostered a strong

sense of community — one where challenges, failures, and lessons could be discussed candidly. This

peer network continues beyond the programme as a valuable space for ongoing support and

collaboration.

Another key transformation was in how leaders communicate and influence. Through focused work

on storytelling and articulation, participants strengthened their ability to move beyond information-

sharing to meaning-making—articulating not just what they do, but why it matters — bringing

together data and narrative in more compelling ways.

The journey concluded in April with a graduation ceremony that marked both an ending and a

beginning. The ceremony was further enriched by a keynote address from Sheena Gandhi, Assistant

Vice President at BSE India, who spoke about the importance of purposeful leadership in driving

meaningful and sustained impact.

As these leaders step forward, they carry not just new tools, but a renewed way of thinking—one that

embraces reflection, values dialogue and leads with both clarity and empathy. This is not simply the

conclusion of a program, but the beginning of a longer shift in how we lead, learn, and grow together.

We look ahead with confidence, knowing that the impact of this journey will continue to shape

Industree’s work and the communities we serve in the months and years to come. Congrats to Vinod Valsalan, Kishore Urkude, Amruta Beluse, Sampada Bhusare, Sanjukta Sarkar, C Suresh, Samiksha Bhojraj, Navin Kumar, Suvish Sukumaran, Pragati Tripathi, Srishti Gupta