About Leadership Potential

Some B Schools emphasize leadership potential, as you can see the top admission creteria of HBS:

http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/admissioncriteria.html

My question is, if we want to go back to B Schools after working for 2 years, we need to submit our applications 1 year after starting working and we seldom had any chance to perform as a "leader". How do you guys try to work out this problem???

12 Comments
 

If you're not born with the qualities of a good leader than you need to build those skills. In my experience, you build those through putting yourself into leadership positions.

If you're a trustworthy, intelligent, decently charismatic, like-able person than you shouldn't really have a problem growing comfortable and being successful in a leadership role.

[quote=patternfinder]Of course, I would just buy in scales. [/quote] See my WSO Blog | my AMA
 

Rent a police costume, get a whistle and go to time square and start ordering people around. Helps if you're > 400 pounds, Asian and have a dildo on your head.

 

A few days ago I had the opportunity to talk to a current HBS person about the MBA application process. She said that the primary thing that distinguished her was the things she did -outside- of work. Bottom line: She emphasized it. I would certainly not blow off this part of your resume.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

Don't do "leadership" to strengthen your application. You take leadership in things you give a sh*t about.

Figure out what moves you, what you have conviction for, and use your imagination and ingenuity to do something about it, and along the way you may attract others to what it is you conviction for - whether it's something related to politics, social issues, the arts, music, religion, etc.

Getting "leadership" isn't like buying some flat screen TV from the Best Buy where you can simply choose from a menu of options and features, rank order them, and voila! You get "Leadership in a Box" (tied up in a neat little package with a bow on top). There isn't some cookie cutter list of activities that adcoms have in mind.

Alex Chu

Alex Chu www.mbaapply.com
 

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