SCMLD grooms its students to bring out the best in each one of them. As stated earlier it has several processes which are unique and special that are not available in any conventional system. You have to go through so many things you don't like.... SCMLD is not here to fulfil wishes but to create corporate commandos / warriors.

Intellectual inputs - a course curriculum delivered through class sessions, case studies, seminars, assignments, book reviews and so on-are available at most of the institutes. This leads to improvements in students at the knowing level. However leadership is vision, mission, competency, context and execution centric. To be competent one has to be physically fit & healthy, mentally alert, emotionally stable, intuitive, creative, positive, intellectually sharp, scientific, analytical, enthusiastic and risk taking with conviction. This calls for total development of the individual. A leader is the one who has a vision, can convert it into specific missions, objectives and action programmes and through people & processes make things happen the way it should happen and keep them happening the way they should be. This calls for total grooming rather than teaching and testing, knowledge alone. The process - from books to the teachers' head - over the heads of students - to answer sheets to marks - for nothing original, only produces unemployable job seekers.

The year(s) at SCMLD can make students shed inhibitions, accept realities as they are and get empowered to work effectively through teamwork and partnership, to make things happen / execute ideas. Delivering outcome through effective execution on time, in quality, at lowest cost, faster, and offering great value to customer is the essence of competitiveness. For this knowledge, skill, attitude, ability and capacity are required. That is called competency. Competency does not come by just knowing or saying. Therefore it is important that you come prepared to go through so many crucibles at SCMLD. We do not guarantee comforts at all. But we guarantee discomforts, deadlines, fines, penalties etc. if you do not work. No amount of excuses shall be of any help in shaping up. To build muscle and strength, heavyweight has to be lifted against gravity.

Holistic Health Workshop

Every batch will be put through a two / three day holistic health workshop conducted by qualified,experienced and accomplished medical practitioners who are also persons of high spiritual attainments working towards a better society.

The 10 Day Vipassana Camp

In the month of September/October, students will undergo an inner journey of 10 days Vipassana meditations to experience the true being of oneself and gain freedom from the fallacious past, illusions of the present and anxieties of the future. If one utilises these 10 days in silence with a childlike innocence, attentiveness and being non-judgemental but exploring oneself, it will be a rebirth towards enlightened leadership.

Dynamic Meditation, Art of Living, Siddha Samadhi Yoga and Kriya Yoga

Students may be exposed to these systems as well, for one to keep the one method which one likes most, to practice daily in life. Every system has its own benefits and advantages in addition to the universal benefit of being with oneself.
According to WHO “Health is more than absence of disease”. Health is a state of optimal well-being. Optimal well-being is a concept of health that goes beyond the curing of illness to one of achieving wellness.

Talent Displays

The third Saturday of every month is for students to express themselves. Winning is not important. It is contextual. But playing 100% and performing to one's best are more important. Seeking appreciation means one is slavish to someone else's approval. But if one does appreciable work, appreciation is spontaneous. Manufactured appreciation is not appreciation. Therefore if one keeps expressing oneself 100% in positive activities, what one deserves will come searching for him.

Out Bounds

On the fourth Saturday of every month, students will be taken to the lap of nature to facilitate connecting to it and learning from its perfection and mysteries. "Clean up your mirror and nature will reflect in full, for you to see. You don't see does not mean it is not there. Probably it did not appear to you". It is a real learning experience. Nature is 'Guru' to all of us.

Continuous Industry Interaction

As mentioned earlier, to develop reality orientation and practical insights it is important to learn from practitioners. Therefore SCMLD has the following.

· Mini Seminars: Scheduled for the first Saturday of every month, these expose the students to professionals from different organisations with years of diverse experience and expertise. Volunteer students take initiative on this.

· Entrepreneurs / CEOs Meet: Scheduled for 13th & 14th of January every year, it takes the students through the wisdom of entrepreneurs, to learn from successes and failures. This is also to develop an entrepreneurial perspective. Functional specialisations without fundamental business perspective will not make one sharp and wise.

· Pre-Convocation National Seminar on leadership: Scheduled from 8.30 AM on 13th April to 5.30 PM on 14th April every year and managed by the junior batch working together, it gives the students an opportunity to showcase their organisational skills and team work. Stalwarts and inspirational leaders of action reinforce that things are possible and one can chart one's future being absolutely ethical. It is a gift from the juniors to the senior students passing out.

· Foundation day & Functional Seminar: It is an industry - academic panel discussion. Scheduled for 13th & 14th of July every year, this brings around 30 - 35 industry experts from diverse fields - marketing, finance, systems, manufacturing, supply chain, etc. - to share their experience and insights. This is another great learning opportunity offered on a platter to the students.

· HR Meet: 13th & 14th of October every year wherein about 25-30 senior HR professionals from corporates are brought together to deliberate on. people related issues and share their experience. This is an intellectual treat for students. It is of great learning value.

· Ex-Students Mentoring: Through regular contact and small group activity, students will be encouraged to interact with former students (now corporate executives) of Prof. M. S. Pillai to learn from them. Ementoring through an interactive website and video conferencing are being planned.

· Workshops & Guest Sessions: This is an ongoing process. A total of 246 professionals in addition to 254 seminar speakers were brought to address and interact with the students during the last 55 months.

· Executive Development Programmes : SCMLD offers unique and customised EDPs for organisations. Interested students are actively involved in these for learning opportunities.

· Participation in Outside Seminars : Students are sent to participate in seminars and conferences organised by CII, NIPM, NHRD Network and other institutions, to gain applied insights by interacting with professionals. There are certain conditions to be fulfilled to get nominated.

Convocation

Scheduled from 6.15 PM to 8.30 PM on 14th of April every year, it is organised entirely by the junior students. This calls for trust, faith, accuracy, and extreme sense of responsibility. The last exam would have happened barely ten days before the convocation. The CGPA calculations, transparency of the process, handling queries, selecting awardees and prize winners, wording certificates, styling, presenting and organising the ceremony etc. will take the teams through the toughest challenges of maintaining accuracy, patience, perseverance, commitment, time management and all what it is to be, to be an effective and proactive executive / entrepreneurial leader. After 2007-09 batch the convocation will be on 14th of July every year.

Participation in Sports and Cultural activities

Participation in events hosted by other institutions and organisations is for broadening perspectives and to learn from peers and build relationships.

Placements

This is a very important, expensive and time consuming activity. A team of students will have to work hard under the overall supervision of the director and an officer in charge, to ensure that all students seeking final placements and summer training, secure it by January / February every year. A score of 3 out of 5 in each activity is required to be eligible for placement.

Ex-Students Association

More than 1000 of the 3000 plus ex-students of Prof. Pillai have come forward to support actively the cause of SCMLD. Lot of interactions can be organisedbetween these ex-students and the current students. Year 2009 is to consolidate this resource to the advantage of SCMLD's institution building.

Website Development and Updation

A student team looks after and manage this under the supervision of the director.

Management Journal & Publications

SCMLD Journal “Indian Excellence” will be a publication brought out by the students under the supervision of the director and faculty. Students will conduct research and source contents, edit, design, oversee the copyrights, publish and distribute it. This publication will feature innovative ideas, stories of achievers, processes, events and organizations of excellence to get them noticed. A few audio-visual case studies have already been completed for training / leadership development / paradigm shift. Journal is yet to be a reality. We need volunteers to take this project up.

Social and Community Work

Every student is expected to clock a minimum of 20 hours of community work approved and monitored by the institute, per trimester. This forms a two credit course and it is an essential part of learning. This is to develop responsible and responsive leadership, social sensitivity, awareness, humaneness and respect for life and the life sustaining environment. SCMLD students, staff and faculty together have taken up responsibility of maintaining the 1.5 kms stretch road passing by the SCMLD premises, clean. Every day between 2:00 and 2:30 pm all of them together sweep the road clean.

Knowledge Centre

A knowledge centre has already been setup to act as a repository of the wisdom gained from our valued workshop faculty, seminar speakers, book reviews, guest sessions, summer project reports etc. Question banks, essay topics, presentations etc. will also be included for students' benefit. It is only a partial success so far. It needs to be acted upon.

Involvement in Entrance Examination Process

Will expose students to the importance of trustworthiness, sense of responsibility and commitment to the organisational purpose. They will experience 'extreme transparency' being practiced. This is to embolden them to be so in life.

Surveys

Every student has to undertake surveys (Consumer, Household, Dealer & Retailer, Lifestyle, Consumption, Saving) etc. Discover India - Reality survey and Performing India surveys etc. are to be done during trimesters earlier to April.

Clean, Green Campus

Students will be assigned zones and areas in and around the campus, for maintaining those areas clean and green at all times, to make the campus one's own.

Celebration of Festivals

Students can organise region, state and theme specific festival celebrations. These expose students to the wonderful diversities of culture, tradition, taste and ethos of our country.Fellowship dinners, lunch / hi-tea etc. will also be organised periodically to celebrate individual or collective achievements or otherwise. 60% of the expenses are by contribution.

Open House System

This system for tackling issues is an example of our efforts on continuous improvement and collective responsibility. It promotes openness, transparency,
clarification and communication. It makes students assertive and expressive. It also solves issues on the spot. Nothing will be hidden from students at SCMLD. We believe "people" make the institution and not buildings.

Hurt / Feelings Management System

Gives an opportunity to students to express their feelings / hurt, if any. It clarifies and liberates students from carrying the burden of unclarified and unverified assumptions, judgements, beliefs and conclusions. Human beings keep hurting themselves because of words, deeds, events and behaviour of others, which are not as expected. We want our students to be free from resentment and re-cycling bad memories. Most often "one manufactures one's own miseries". One must throw that garbage out. Right or wrong is not the issue. Not carrying resentment and hurt is more important. Hence this system at SCMLD.

Gift Box / Criticism

It is kept at the office. It is to receive suggestions and criticisms. Anyone can, drop what one wants to express, in the box. We shall use it for our improvement. The institute belongs to all of us.

Compulsory Attendance system

Attendance requirement is 100%. (exemption up to 10% is given in case of severe illness, hospitalisation, bereavement of near / dear ones and marriage of siblings). But if one misses any test / exam / viva during this exemption it has to be accepted as there are no re-test for fortnightly tests, viva etc. It is to make the students responsible, punctual, focussed and utilize maximum time for the purpose of learning.

Transparency

Right from drafting of the advertisement, entrance process to merit preparation, CGPA, ECGPA, convocation, selecting students for awards and prizes and so on has students' involvement as partners. This gives a sense of ownership, develops trust and applied insights in students besides them experiencing responsibility and the 'truth' aspects of entrepreneurial and executive leadership. (See Students' Audit Board and its Charter)

Rapid and Proactive Changes

SCMLD will change curriculum and processes as and when required. This is to make the students face challenges of change and thrive in unstructured and unpredictable situations. This is also to keep re-inventing SCMLD to stay ahead and be a role model in its own unique way. Because of this students may feel that things are unpredictable at SCMLD. Yes it is true.

Out of box activities:

Being a street vendor, working with a vendor and studying his business plans & strategies, preparing business plans, working with entrepreneurs, selling in retail stores, finding employment for slum adults, earning by work minimum Rs.800/- for pocket money, various other exercises like communicating without language... simulation etc. are original innovations of SCMLD to be learning crucibles for students. Fines imposed for deviations also has to be earned. Parents are advised to not send more than Rs.500/- as pocket money per month.

Hospital Visits

Especially Govt. / Municipal hospitals, cancer wards / burn wards, OPDs, health centers etc. to realize realities.

Entrepreneurial Contacts

To understand how entrepreneurs started, gained / lost /growing and the lessons learned.
At SCMLD active learning is the core not passive knowing via information. Students are to come prepared for all these learning by doing activities.

Our Commitment: Dates of programmes / seminars etc. can change as required. Dates are not sacrosanct but the processes are. Every detail is given in prospectus so that if SCMLD Management fails to carry out these, students can demand for those. But we expect students to volunteer for all of them. If not we will force them to do / participate / take initiative.