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Prompt: Describe the characteristics of an exceptional
manager by examining someone whom you have observed or with
whom you have worked. Illustrate how his or her management
style has influenced you.
In management consulting, strong analytical skills are valued
as much as, if not more than, effective managerial and leadership
skills. Unfortunately, for some consultants, these characteristics,
at times, are mutually exclusive. I was fortunate, however,
to work with [name] on my first major project at [consulting
firm]. As my project manager, he demonstrated a superior combination
of leadership, managerial, and communication skills. As a
result of our interaction, I learned several important lessons
and tools that I used on subsequent projects to improve my
effectiveness as a team leader.
To begin, [name] is a true leader who exhibits courage and
dedication. A powerful trait rarely found in the realm of
business, courage is unique in its ability to unify and motivate
people. Moreover, his courage is balanced appropriately with
professionalism, strong values, and humility. He is sensitive
to others’ feelings and recognizes that different people require
different types of direction and treatment. Although he often
works with diverse and difficult groups, he always seems able
to reach consensus and create a shared vision and purpose.
Furthermore, he excels at establishing priorities and proactively
setting direction.
As an effective manager, [name] also is able to translate
his broad direction into discrete, tangible tasks. Since consultants
often use difficult or creative analytical approaches, clearly
articulating tasks and defining outputs is very important.
In addition, he exercises the appropriate level of supervision.
Rather than micro-managing his team members, [name] establishes
clear accountabilities and expectations and pushes work down
to the correct level. As a result, he creates a strong sense
of ownership and leverages the skills of his team members.
Furthermore, he excels at creating a supportive environment
and, when necessary, coaching team members to help them develop
new skills.
Finally, [name] is a masterful communicator. He is the only
project manager I have had who gave me consistent and constructive
feedback, importantly, both positive and negative. Such feedback
not only provides clear developmental objectives, but also
signals to others that he values their contributions. This
type of balanced and open communication quickly forms the
foundation of mutual trust and respect. Furthermore, [name]
excels in the art of negotiation and debate. He states his
points with remarkable precision and is expert at remaining
objective and recognizing all sides of an argument. And, regardless
of the volatility of a situation or the strength of his feelings,
he always listens to all positions patiently and effectively
controls his demonstration of emotion, thereby gaining the
respect of others and lending additional credibility to his
positions.
Given my limited experience managing teams, my exposure to
[name] was central to my early success at [consulting firm].
For example, although I had considered myself a leader in
athletics, I had not learned to translate those skills into
the business arena. [Name] taught me several effective methods
to lead teams. Admittedly, as a highly motivated young analyst
with very high work standards, I also lacked many of the skills
required for effective team leadership. However, I quickly
learned the importance of flexibility and became more comfortable
providing feedback and directing the work of others. Furthermore,
through his example, [name] taught me the importance of objectivity
and the utility of several effective communication techniques.
For example, I learned to use my sense of humor as an effective
tool to persuade, disarm, or motivate others.
Early in my career at [consulting firm], I had several rare
opportunities to lead client teams. In part due to the lessons
I learned from [name], these projects were a great success.
As a result, I went on to manage a half dozen diverse and
difficult client teams that ranged in membership. With each
project, I further refined the lessons I learned from [name]
and developed new techniques for leading and managing teams.
Due to my rapid development, I was promoted to [position],
a managerial, post-M.B.A. position at [consulting firm], signifying
that I can progress to the partner level. Although I realize
my tool kit is far from complete, these skills will be invaluable
both in business school and beyond.
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** ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE COMMENTS: **
This is another essay that stands out because of its solid
writing and superior organization. It starts with a bold assertion
to catch the reader’ s attention and then uses the assertion
to introduce the mentor’ s most outstanding quality. Each
of the next three paragraphs clearly asserts and describes
an additional supporting quality. The essay concludes with
examples of how the mentor’ s influence has tangibly affected
the writer’ s actions and work performance, resulting in rapid
promotion.
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