ISB Online Leadership With AI Programme Review: A Principal’s Journey into AI and Leadership
“You cannot be in today’s business with yesterday’s tools,” states Dr Vasudha Neel Mani, principal of Udaipur’s Rookwoods International School. And she certainly knows more than a thing or two about the need to change with changing times. Vasudha stepped into her profession as a special educator over three decades ago, when teaching aids were handmade and photocopiers, a rare species: “I remember creating a lot of things on OHP sheets.” Even then, it was her goal to make learning accessible, whether as a special educator or when she migrated into mainstream international education.
Now, this maxim holds truer than ever. Accessible learning is, in fact, the cornerstone of upskilling and continuous learning. And this time, Vasudha was in the learner’s seat. She knew the importance of learning about artificial intelligence, and found the best way to acquire real-world knowledge: the ISB Online Leadership with AI programme. This is her personal ISB Online Leadership with AI Programme review, based on her first-hand experience as a passionate educator and curious learner.
The Push to Learn
The germ of the idea to do so, she concedes, came from her husband when she visited him and her daughter in Gurgaon during Diwali. He told her about a programme that combined AI and leadership. He thought it was just right for her because he believed the future of education was tilting towards technology, and she had the mindset to lead the shift. She laughs as she recalls his words: He said, “Do it for yourself. Don’t buy jewellery for six months. Do this programme and invest in your future.”
Vasudha, convinced, took the plunge into unfamiliar waters. Apart from her husband’s words, her own instincts told her that understanding and learning to use AI was becoming essential. Furthermore, it would provide an opportunity to think about the future of education in a new way. Her perspective on the topic was rather unconventional for a member of her profession, many of whom harboured a certain apprehension about AI. “I had seen teachers thinking that AI would replace us. Or principals saying that if it is AI, it means that we are taking away the power of thinking from the children.” She wanted to challenge that narrative. And the programme offered a great platform to do so—one she now reflects on in this ISB Online Leadership with AI Programme review.
The Lone Academic in an Executives’ Class
As confident and curious as she was, her first introduction to her batch did inspire a momentary pang of hesitation. Out of a cohort of 70 participants, “I was the only one from the K12 education sector. The rest came from finance, insurance, HR and other sectors.” Her worry, however, was more about keeping up with the syllabus. “The only fear was that I’m not a science student. How will I be able to do justice to it?” she wondered.
On the upside, technology had always intrigued her. And the structure of the programme also helped to allay her anxiety. “It is a very self-paced programme,” she explains. “If you are up to it, if you crave learning, it works.” This flexibility is a key highlight in her ISB Online Leadership with AI Programme review.
Getting Into Learning Mode
The programme ran alongside her full-time job, which revolved around admissions, meetings and other responsibilities. But Vasudha made it work. “I used to come back home by 4.30–5 pm. I would then go through the videos. By Sunday, my assignments were done,” she says. “Tuesday was our deadline to submit them.” She structured her week around the programme and sacrificed some recreation and relaxation time. “I had to miss a few outings with friends, not watch TV.”
It didn’t feel much like a sacrifice, though, because the studies were exciting enough to hold her attention. “If you enjoy what you’re learning, it becomes very easy,” she states. Vasudha also happened to be a model student, never cutting corners or rushing through assignments at the eleventh hour. “If I’ve been given a deadline, I’ll complete it two days before. But here, I’d have to call out the support I got from my School Director, Dr Deepak Sharma, who understood and encouraged my learning choice.” Her consistent dedication adds great value to this ISB Online Leadership with AI Programme review.
Finding the Right Mentor
The weekly assignments were practical and grounded in real-world use cases. “Of the seventeen assignments, sixteen were related to implementing and integrating AI in your field.” While she found the assignments to be a “cakewalk”, the capstone project was a terrifying prospect, and completely out of her comfort zone. She had to take on the role of a CTO of an insurance company. “I actually told Milind Sir, ‘I will not be able to do this. I’ve never done this. How will I do this?’”
However, Milind Naik, the programme leader, supported her at every stage. He walked Vasudha through the brief, explained the tools and encouraged her to speak with friends in the insurance sector. “He truly took that time out for a learner,” she says, still grateful. The outcome was successful. She scored a 54/55, with just a mark lost because, Naik said, she didn’t write out the timelines. It was the kind of accountability and push for excellence that she appreciated.
“It is just because of him that I was able to come out of that comfort zone,” she says. His mentorship was pivotal to her growth, and is a standout element in this ISB Online Leadership with AI Programme review.
From AI Assignments to Real-World Impact
Vasudha’s motive to understand all about AI is not limited just to the programme or a theoretical future application. She’s making sure she leverages her learning immediately, beginning with creating blogs, one of which was on emotional intelligence. It impressed Naik (her programme mentor) enough that he further encouraged her to explore sentiment analysis.
Now, she’s working on a project to use AI to track teacher and student well-being. “I’m trying to develop something where we are able to create metrics to record the students’ progression, and link emotional intelligence and well-being to it,” she says. And the best part is that it is not just for schools. “It can be transferred to other sectors to track performance, burnout, motivation,” she explains. For Vasudha, it all comes down to integration—human, artificial intelligence and emotional intelligence all working together. “Then you can have the best of the world,” she says.
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Clearly, as Vasudha’s story shows, the ISB Online Leadership with AI programme, delivered in collaboration with Emeritus, is not just about upskilling. It is equally about shifting perspectives, growing in confidence and leading from a point of strength and knowledge.
As the only educator in the programme panicked at the thought of role-playing as a CTO for her capstone, Vasudha is bitten by the learning bug. Even as she builds sentiment analysis tools for emotional well-being, she’s wondering, “What else can I learn?”
This inspiring journey stands as a compelling ISB Online Leadership with AI Programme review for anyone considering the course.
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