Abstract
IOCL conducts a flagship Women Leadership Programme for Middle Managers called “Aarohi,” which means “One who ascends.” I have been fortunate to have undergone “Aarohi 6.0” at the IndianOil Institute of Petroleum Management. This program focuses on all-around grooming and developing Leadership Skills & EQ to not only deal with day-to-day challenges but also develop strategic thinking for future leadership positions.

There are engaging classroom sessions with many hands-on activities and Field trips to each Division and verticals of IOCL. The programme concludes with challenging projects and presentations on topics related to real challenges before IOCL analyses and proposes solutions and ways forward.

It provides unique opportunities for a group of 20 women executives from different Divisions and Geographies to come together to go through an intense process of Unlearning and learning and upgrading oneself in the process. Lifelong bonds are formed, leading to a network of strong like-minded women facing challenges with courage, pride, and joy.

I feel that this programme, Aarohi, reflects the commitment of IOCL towards promoting Diversity in a true sense. While going through the program, I was inspired to write a few lines in the form of poetry reflecting the very essence of it all.

Main Content- Poem
Watch out, behold, Admire, bequeath!
Here come the Arohians unstoppable, unsheathed!
While you hear our unbridled laughter and a lot of noise
And at the very next moment,
We display impeccable grace and poise;
Leaving far away our work teams & family
We get our finishing touches to lead naturally;
We may hold within a flood of emotion.
But when it means business,
You just can’t sense our internal commotion;
We have mingled and jingled, shared, and cared
Together, we have learnt to assess how we’ve fared;
At Mid rung of the corporate ladder,
Handling the experienced superior cadre;
We are performing the tightrope walk
Leading the Millennials & Gen Z by walking the talk;
Manoeuvring through the old ways of living,
“Aarohi” brings into our life a breath of fresh air;
Building tiny habits, Breathing, stretching, Coaching,
All nudged to jettison the mundane and update our flair.
As the details about transformational IOCL unfurl
Exploring this Ocean of Energy and finding its pearls
Ability, Agility, Adaptability, Acceptability, Accountability
The success Mantra of the 5As reinforced;
And the formula of being Power Women perfectly induced;
Our Power icon coaxes and convinces us
to let our Courage, Confidence and Conviction unbottle
And keep our engines running Full throttle;
As the flight leaves the Land towards dreams sublime
We Aarohians take off and fly high.
Leaving footprints on the sands of time.

I Declare that the content is original and unpublished/ or not under consideration for publication in other journals.

Aparna Bhargava