When applicants think about the different contexts of leadership potential, most will gravitate towards the extremes, like changing the culture or the scale of the achievement in a technical function. Apart from universally accepted traits that helps strong M7 MBA candidates stand out, this strategy works in some M7 schools, but if you want to increase your admission chances across multiple M7 schools, think about examples where you questioned the status quo.
With just one example of questioning the status quo, you are capturing three key leadership traits:
1) Courage
The power structure in most corporations or Fortune 500 companies is clearly defined. Any example where you brought to the notice or you communicated 3-4 steps above your supervisor will require courage. What you share should be important for the company. If the information you shared includes unethical practices, unaccounted expenses, or shortcuts that violate the integrity of the brand, escalating them to the management will demonstrate, in addition to your courage, your strategic understanding of the business, the market, or the brand.
2) Innovation
When applicants are asked to shortlist examples of innovation, they look for novelty. Most of the time, questioning the status quo involves incremental improvements that have the potential to transform the culture. These are processes and workflows that were developed to overcome the limitations of teams collaborating in a work-from-home environment. For some, it could be the restrictions imposed by the regulatory authorities that pushed the teams to find a cheaper, faster, or holistic solution. In consulting, it could be a market dynamic that requires the client to fasten product development. When you include a narrative, it should be clear that you were responsible for introducing the solution.
3) Consensus Building
The best case is when you have the courage to communicate directly with the management, but in most companies, such communications are not encouraged. In such scenarios, building consensus with your supervisor, the leadership team, peers, and even cross-functional teams will demonstrate your ability to customize communication in different functional vocabularies and perspectives.
I hope you understand the importance of using Questioning the Status Quo as a leadership example. If you need Samples of Essays where I have captured leadership potential, Download F1GMAT’s Winning MBA Essay Guide
