MBA programs look for several key factors in applicants, but leadership is always a particularly important one. Why? The admissions committee knows that you will need leadership skills when working on team projects and in other experiential opportunities in its MBA program. The school also wants candidates who will be involved in leading student clubs. And if you already have leadership experience, you can share with your classmates what you have learned from it to help them develop as well. Finally, the admissions committee wants you to land a great job after you earn your MBA, and coming into the program with established leadership skills sets you up for success in that area as well.
If you do not have leadership experience, though, is that an automatic admissions deal-breaker? Thankfully not. Leading a team is certainly a great form of leadership, but do not worry if you have not done that specifically. Leadership can take many forms. You might not have officially managed others, but if you have mentored others and contributed to their development, that also counts as leadership. You might have also led a project, or even part of a project, where you set the vision, made key decisions, and solved problems, even if the others working on the project were not your direct reports. Perhaps, as another example, you championed an idea and solicited others’ buy-in, which shows initiative and a willingness to take risks—both undeniable leadership qualities.
You certainly want to share examples of leadership from your workplace, but you might have also exhibited leadership in other parts of your life, such as community service. For example, perhaps you sat on a committee, led a program or event, or served as a mentor through a nonprofit organization or professional association. You also might be heavily involved in organizations related to your personal interests, such as running; for instance, maybe you led or drove an initiative for your local running club. In your personal life, you might have stepped up to care for or support a family member or friend, or you overcame a significant personal challenge. These are all leadership examples. Offering the admissions committee a broad range of examples shows a depth of leadership throughout all aspects of your life.
As for how to craft your leadership story for your MBA application, start by brainstorming what you have done at work, in your community service, and in your personal life. Use a broad definition of leadership to identify a variety of examples, and write them all down, making sure to clarify exactly what you did that shows leadership and the impact you had on the person, project, or organization involved. Pinpoint the ones that are the most significant and demonstrate the depth of your leadership experience; consider requesting others’ input to get their objective viewpoints. Then, decide which examples fit best with your target school’s essay topics, and include your professional and community service on your resume. You should also discuss your primary leadership examples with your recommenders so they can include complementary leadership examples in their letters. Finally, when you are invited to interview, identify some more-recent examples of leadership that you can mention to build on the experiences you have already shared in your application. If you take this approach, you will be able to effectively convey your leadership story to your target MBA programs.
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