• Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)
Background Information: A unique challenge that applicants whose parents are public figures or CXOs of businesses or entrepreneurs are the pressure to live up to the parent’s standards or milestones. For the leadership narrative, the burden of legacy is established before the narrative addresses his leadership principles.
Leadership Traits: Customer-Centric, Authenticity
Leadership Trait (Explained): For the applicant, the greatest blessing is to received advice that are authentic. He acknowledges one such advice he received from his entrepreneur father and the importance of surrounding himself with people who communicate authentically.
Theme: Customer-Centric
Theme (Explained): The leadership narrative is around focus and prioritization. When entrepreneurs are surrounded by ‘yes men’ the tendency to chase the next shining object is high. The applicant acknowledges the importance of a team who grounds him and keeps his focus on the customer.
Profile: Entrepreneur
Industry: Technology, Advertising
MBA Essay Strategy: For the essay, I want to capture an entrepreneur’s journey to rise above his entrepreneur father’s image. But I didn’t want to make the entire essay about this complex dynamics. The narrative is around the applicant’s focus on customers and surrounding with teams who keeps him grounded.
Opener: Dialogues might be overused as an opener, but it is a great tool if the opener captures the secondary aspect of the narrative – 2nd generation entrepreneurs.
Sample Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Breaking Away from Family Business (247 Words)
“Will you succeed, Papa?”
I still remember his sincere smile. At one time, I saw him sleeping on the floor. In his mind, he was not worthy of any comfort without reaching a milestone.
The Hyundai deal closed. I saw him slowly & successfully build the auto parts brand ..
