Lesson
Four: Leadership
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Leadership
Describe
a situation that tested your leadership skills. How did you
manage the situation? (Harvard)
Discuss
two situations in the past four years where you have taken an
active leadership role. How do these events demonstrate your
managerial potential? (Anderson)
This
question is similar to the accomplishment question. You can
employ similar tactics to answer it. Choose situations that are
real and meaningful to you, not what you think will impress the
committee the most. Do not limit yourself to using situations
from only your career, especially if the question asks you to
give more than one example.
This
question shares common ground, surprisingly, with the ethical
dilemma question because ethical dilemmas often call on
leadership abilities for resolution. Keep this in the back of
your mind so you can strategize if one of your applications asks
both questions. On the other hand, be careful not to bring
unnecessary attention to questionable situations when not
absolutely necessary. Ethical dilemma questions are notoriously
difficult, this question does not have to be.
SAMPLE
ESSAY:
Note: This
essay appears unedited for instructional purposes. Essays edited
by EssayEdge are substantially improved. For samples of
EssayEdge editing, please visit EssayEdge.com.
Discuss
two situations in the past four years where you have taken an
active leadership role. How do these events demonstrate your
managerial potential? (Anderson)
Wellwork
Action Team
After
working nearly a year as a production engineer, one morning I
experienced a kind of epiphany. I realized that our profit
center had effectively gained manpower and resources in the form
of increased attention from vendors with whom we had recently
formed strategic alliances. By improving communication between
these vendors as well as between our profit center and these
companies, I envisioned a unified approach that could improve
and expedite our production operations. With the encouragement
of the operations superintendent, I arranged a brainstorming
session for supervisory level personnel from our operations
staff and our new alliance partner’s companies. From that
session, a “Wellwork Action Team” was created with the
specific purpose of improving and streamlining our operations
procedures in order to reduce the cost of increase the quality
of our projects in the field.
After
being chosen facilitator for our Wellwork Action Team, I set for
myself two personal goals: first, to maintain enthusiasm among
team members and second, to implement the ideas and concepts
brought forth by our team into our everyday procedures. To
ensure continued involvement, I first convinced myself that the
potential benefits that might be gained from having this team
merited the time and energy of its participants. Next, I
personally committed myself to the project and firmly discussed
my commitment with each of team members. Third, I led the team
in drafting a mission statement and clearly defining our goals.
We identified measurements by which we could evaluate our
progress. Finally, I promised the team members that we would
keep meetings to a minimum and re-evaluate the usefulness of our
team in eight weeks.
From June
1995 to the present, our Wellwork Action Team has successfully
increased efficiency in our oil pumps, reduced electrical costs
by 6 percent, and nearly doubled the production of three oil
wells. As our team continues to evolve, we envision reducing our
wellwork budget from $5.0 million/year in 1995 to $4.6
million/year in 1996 while maintaining oil production and
reducing operating expenses. Our current challenges include
overcoming conflicts in the schedules of our team members and
providing for long-term oil recovery as well as short-term cost
reduction.
Applying
New Technologies
When most
people envision an oil well, they picture ten-foot-high rod
pumping units, the kind common to Los Angeles and West Texas
because of their durability, availability, and efficiency. With
300 wells on a mere 10 acre island, however, these units are
impractical for our use; a less efficient, higher cost and
lower-profile type of centrifugal pump is employed by our
company. Recently, a small L.A. firm invented a new method of
using common rod-type pumps without the bulky surface equipment.
This marriage of new technology with old rod-style pumping
appeared to have significant potential for reducing costs on our
island. Although I do not normally design our pumping equipment,
I assumed active project leadership when deciding to install the
first unit and apply the new technology.
Because
our operations personnel and vendor partners were unaccustomed
to handling hundreds of 30-foot long rods and putting them into
use, I met with the inventor of the new subsurface equipment and
two related vendors who would supply the rods. Rather than
provide specifications to each vendor for a bid as is customary,
I chose one vendor from the onset and entrusted him with the
project. I assigned him to work with the inventor of the new
equipment and asked them to together devise a low cost, high
quality engineering design for us. In doing so, the possibility
existed for them to overdesign and overprice the equipment,
reducing efficiency and thus defeating our purpose.
Nevertheless, a tremendous upside potential existed in allowing
the vendors to harmonize their efforts and experience. I hoped
to receive a superior product born from the sweat equity of
their two companies.
My
strategy was tested in November 1994 when two units were
installed. They have operated without failure since installation
and have reduced operating costs by 38 percent on those wells.
In this instance, my management challenge was to delegate
non-traditional responsibilities to our vendors. I feel that
this experience has improved our business process and taken us
further down the path towards mutually beneficial business
relationships with our vendors. I will continue to work in this
manner, keeping a careful eye out for the abuse potential
created when allowing a vendor to design and price their own
equipment for our applications.
COMMENTS:
These
two examples have several positive qualities. First, they are
concise and well structured. Second, although both situations
come from the professional sphere, they balance well with each
other. One focuses more on office policy and stresses the
applicant’s ability to see the big picture in management.
The other deals with an in-the-field hands-on engineering
solution and stresses his inventiveness, attention to detail,
and technological skills. Third, these examples stress unique
background-not many business school applicants would
understand how to design oil-pumping equipment. They show that
he is not afraid to get his hands dirty. Finally, the essayist
gives very detailed proof of tangible results.
From
ESSAYS THAT WILL GET YOU INTO BUSINESS SCHOOL, by Amy Burnham,
Daniel Kaufman, and Chris Dowhan. Copyright 1998 by Dan
Kaufman. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's
Educational Series, Inc.
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