Courage in Leadership (Example MBA Application Essay)

An average human makes 27 decisions per day, from selecting the tie, to choosing grocery, to making life-altering commitments. Decisions that demonstrate courage in leadership has one thing in common: lack of information. Decisions taken in wars are a classic example. Despite the state of the art spying devices, the go-ahead to attack or defend depends on the strength of the enemies, the capability of the team, the support from air troops, but most importantly, on your team’s courage.

Courage in Leadership (Example for MBA Application Essay)

An applicant was leading a campaign for a dying brand (less than 1% market share). The nostalgia associated with the brand was strong. Social Media users often shared how much they loved having the cereal when they were young, and to what extent they would go to get a taste of their favorite spherical cereal pieces. Unfortunately, the demand dipped in mid-2005 and never recovered. The company was forced to reduce production, and that limited the availability. The campaign was not just about keeping the brand alive. The applicant had to make recommendations on optimal production volumes based on the response of the campaign. Leadership in the campaign meant envisioning an ideal outcome (5% market share), pre-meditating the obstacles (competitor’s price wars, limited budget), and developing a comprehensive plan for handling the obstacles.

Within a week of the campaign, a video made by the applicant’s agency mixing an 80s Ad Video of the same brand went viral, and customers started scavenging the local stores for the limited supply of cereals. As store managers would attest, once customers find the product unavailable, they will stop searching, even if the products become available next week.

The parent company that produced the brand survived on the sales of a brown bread product. The applicant analyzed the response on social media, the visits to the brand’s new landing page, validated the feedback from Store Assistants, and then recommended an audacious move – reduce production of the brown bread by half, and upscale production for the Cereal by 500%. The owners of the company – a likable couple in their 70s could not support the recommendation.

To prove his point, the applicant set up a food truck with Cereals – an unlikely sight in the US, and started selling through four sections of the neighborhood, where the millennial density was high. Within an hour, the Cereals were sold out. There were no discount coupons or special offers. He used an Ad Jingle from the same video and plastered the truck with images of the lead characters in the Ad. A throwback to the 80s resurrected the sales for the dying brand. The owners agreed for a limited time (1 month) production hike. Within a month, the brand made a comeback and captured 7% of the market share.

How did the MBA Applicant demonstrate Courage in Leadership?

The company, its legacy and hundreds of employee’s livelihood were at stake. Despite excellent trial sales, studies have shown how sales dip in real markets, but the applicant saw the enthusiasm first hand and knew that the brand had a loyal following.

The risky recommendation would have potentially bankrupted the parent company. When the owners hesitated, he didn’t allow his ego to take over. Instead, he proved otherwise through market testing.

Do leaders make decisions on Intuition?

Despite the popular opinion that leaders make decisions based on intuition, studies have found that they have a secret weapon – multiperspective data on the latest trends. Leaders are good devil’s advocates and question their assumptions much more than anyone else. This tendency honed their intuitive capacity.

The applicant questioned the assumption that Nostalgia does not sell through market testing and stuck with the decision to roll out the phased out product.

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