Developing leadership skills is the most common answer to the question of Why MBA?.
Whether the goal is to start a start-up or get into the fortune 500, leadership skills are something that the companies inarguably search for in B School students. All the students who are getting into top management institutes know that it is important to demonstrate strong leadership ability.
Who is a leader?
A leader is someone who is an initiator, who lays the path of his group and make them walk through the path laid to achieve a single goal. The capacity to influence people and having strategic big-picture thinking is a common trait that a leader should have.
How important is leadership skill for the MBA program?
MBA focuses on enhancing the leadership skills of a student who has the potential to work in a team with integrity. The CAT exam already have chosen the best leaders among the two lakh candidates and now, they nurture the potential leader in them.
With the number of group cases and projects in an MBA program, the students are bound to inhibit the leadership traits of team handling, initiating innovation, being creative and most importantly working towards a definite goal.
From a large volume of applications each year, the top management schools go for the candidates who have demonstrated leadership in their career life. While applying you should ask yourself “Did I demonstrate leadership skills in my career?” and search for examples to highlight in your application.
What can you do to become a leader?
If you are still in a soup whether you have been able to demonstrate leadership skills or not, you can follow these steps.
- Take up outside projects or internships
Outside projects or internships offered by many start-up companies can be taken up while being in graduate school. Heading the graduate school clubs or organizing an event will also count. Risk-taking, dynamic, entrepreneurial qualities and effective time management are the traits they are going to be judged upon by the interviewer.
- Draw inspiration from your role model
It is important to follow a role model to motivate and inspire us every day. They help us unveil our true potential and overcome the barriers we have. Be it, Steve Jobs or Robin Sharma, it wasn’t enough for them to succeed, but to drive others to succeed in their life as well. It is important to see what is it that drives them to be your role model.
- Face your fear every day
“Do one thing every day that scares you” – Eleanor Roosevelt. By taking up the challenges of doing one thing that you are afraid of every day, you can reach new heights by overcoming your fear and risks and creating great opportunities. A lot of students out there might be shy to face a group and speak up; to overcome this fear and also the stage fright, we should do that one thing that we are scared to do.
- Volunteer
If you can find a local NGO or a virtual role in a Non-profit organization, then go for volunteering. Sites like “volunteer match” or “idealist” is a good way to find virtual opportunities.
It helps in building self-confidence while building skills and enhancing social ties. The organizations say that the skills students have can be used for the greater good and also they get a hands-on experience that will be counted.
Most of the students who get into the top b school have shown their passion. Refining and defining that passion is something they will learn during the MBA program. It is important for the candidates to demonstrate the true potential of a leader. Through the tasks listed above, they can always gain better experience and more chances to get that desired seat in a top B School. After all, A Leader is not born, but Made.
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