Describe a time where you worked with a team on a project. What did you learn from the experience and how might you approach it differently today? (up to 200 words)

1) Team Lead/Team Contributor

Ideally, include a team lead or team manager experience as the essay is expecting some form of perspective on team dynamics, leadership, and the challenges of implementing a solution.  
 

If you don’t have a leadership experience, professionally, include an experience from extra-curricular or volunteering. For those who have worked in a non-profit, including the organization’s unique power structures and the challenges of leading people who doesn’t have any financial incentives is another way to share your leadership experience.

For team contributors, the unique structure of the team, the ownership distribution, and narratives on conflict would be an interesting example.

Make sure that the example is devoid of any one-sided narrative structure. Fill in the shoes of all the stakeholders to create a balanced narrative.

2) A Setback/Compromise/Failure

The essay is an indirect team failure/setback essay. If you have one, share it by offering a balanced perspective – the constraints that led to the failure. You could also mention lack of exposure or the influence of power dynamics as the reason for the failure.

A better narrative instead of a failure/setback essay is to share a compromise that you had to make to achieve a strategic objective. With the new insights on leadership, share a corrective action you would have taken to handle the problem differently.

3) Review of the Event and Alternative Action

While reviewing the event, make sure that the reasoning is not trivial. Some of the common cliches and made-up narratives I have read are:

a) Facilitating a meeting that resolved conflicts (rarely happens in one shot)
b) Only the protagonist – you, understands or communicates the common goal
c) Any quick solution or philosophy that solves all the problem (again – rarely happens. It is a combination of philosophies and sometimes objective evaluation that helps solve tough leadership problems)

Also, as you progress in your career with experience and designation, you will be handed over more power. The power dynamics in an organization determines the autonomy to make major decisions.

The failure/setback might not be from not knowing what to do but because you didn’t have the power to make a decision, or your pitch couldn’t reach the right decision makers. Such example although truthful rarely works in an essay. Include  lessons learned narrative instead.

If you were in a flat organization, the channels to communicate or persuade would be much easier. Such examples would clearly demonstrate your skills in negotiations and taking initiative in escalating the issue or communicating strategic opportunities.

4) Technical/Industry/Interpersonal Knowledge

Another corrective step narrative can be a technical or an interpersonal perspective that can come only through experience. If you are using such an example, make sure that the jargon is removed, and the narrative is simplified for a general audience.

Some of the ideal examples are related to interpersonal dynamics in an organization.

For example, in Business development for Enterprise technology, there is a tested path to persuasion and communicating with decision makers in the hierarchy. The pitches vary. If as a newbie if you approached aggressively or reached out to the person who had limited say in the decision, you can share the example to show that with experience you could understand the delicate power plays and the right time to introduce a sales conversation. It could be a specific strategy.

For Samples on Team Leadership, Download F1GMAT's Cambridge MBA Essay Guide