Leadership Potential vs Leadership: 7 traits that proves Leadership Potential in MBA Applicants

Most MBA Applicants will have little experience managing at mid or senior level. The only opportunity that they get is through project level management, independent consulting, and other start-up roles. Although start-up roles offer a wide range of responsibilities, the experiences in itself are not proof of leadership skills.

Full-time MBA applicant does not have to worry about writing like executive MBA Applicants, where they have to quantify the targets reached through their leadership initiatives. MBA Adcom is looking for Leadership Potential. They are aware of the responsibilities that 3-5 years’ experienced applicant face in one to two jobs.

We have listed the top 7 traits that might not directly show leadership skills but proves leadership potential in an MBA Applicant.

1) Information Ninja

The information that we process on a daily basis has increased by several folds in post-2000 era. However, a leader understands that information is just the first step. How you translate information to guidelines for decision making is what separates a Leader from a follower.

Question for MBA Applicants: Even if you were part of a team, how did you process vast information and find relevant one for your project? Were you fast with summarizing the information? Did you find the right information to make an effective decision?

2) Impact Oriented

A clear giveaway that an Applicant is a potential leader is the emphasis on impact and bigger picture of her contribution. Even if the applicant has worked as one of the team members, how she inter-relates her work with project goals shows that the applicant is motivated by team goals, more than personal goals.

Question for MBA Applicants: Did you understand the impact that you were creating with your contribution?

3) Creative Problem Solving

Another sign of leadership is the ability to adapt to a challenging environment especially when resources are limited. Most common resource constraints seen in projects are with team, expertise, and implementation time. Applicants with Creative Problem solving skills are good at coming up with ideas to overcome limitations in their team.

Question for MBA Applicants: What were the creative solutions that you came up when faced with resource constraints?

4) Fast Learning

There is a difference between learning for exams and learning in leadership development. To excel in exams - understanding the rules, techniques, and the right amount of studying would be enough to get good scores. But in leadership development, understanding people, their motivations, and group dynamics is essential to work well in a team. A lot of the learning happens through peers and AdCom would like to see how you have learned from your colleagues.

Question for MBA Applicants: What are some of the positive traits that you have picked up from your team?

5) Play by the Rules

One reason why AdCom often ask about conflicts within a team is to learn about your values. When faced with challenges, do you play by the rules or do you bend it for your advantage?

Recently, Business Schools have been the target of media attacks for creating unethical MBAs. Schools cannot afford to lose credibility again and would prefer leaders with ethics, than leaders who are narrowly focused on wining, at all costs. AdCom would prefer a candidate who stuck by the truth, and failed rather than someone who was creative and gamed the system.

Question for MBA Applicants: Do you have examples where you had to take an unpopular decision?

6) Zero Tolerance for Low Performance

Leaders have a distinct trait that separates them from others – they have zero tolerance for poor performance, including that from themselves. If leaders were not good at one skill, they would prefer delegation of the task than owning it.

Question for MBA Applicants: Have you asked help from someone to overcome your weakness?

7) Collaboration

An extension of delegation is collaboration. It is unlikely that MBA Applicant would be directly responsible for recruitment but if they played an integral in building the team, and collaborated with team members with complementary skills, it shows self-awareness - another trait shown by leaders.

Questions for MBA Applicants: How has been you experience collaborating with your colleagues? Did you solve complex Business problems with your solution?