{"id":19777,"date":"2013-07-18T10:00:41","date_gmt":"2013-07-18T17:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=19777"},"modified":"2013-07-18T09:24:12","modified_gmt":"2013-07-18T16:24:12","slug":"the-habit-of-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/the-habit-of-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"The Habit of Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Harvard\"<\/a>Thank you, Harvard Business School. IMHO, that\u2019s what applicants should think when they visit the program\u2019s website and find \u201chabit of leadership\u201d on its \u201cWho are we looking for?<\/a>\u201d admissions page.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s common knowledge that HBS<\/a> values leadership, but with this phrase, the adcom succinctly expresses how they view leadership \u2013 dynamic, deep, intrinsic, long-term. It\u2019s something you<\/em> possess and bring to your experiences<\/em>, not something that happens to describe your involvement in a few isolated incidents (i.e., the proverbial \u201cleadership experience\u201d). Not just HBS applicants, but all b-school applicants can benefit from reflecting on the phrase \u2013 and then determining how they embody it in their actions.<\/p>\n

There are a gazillion excellent articles and treatises on the meaning of leadership<\/a>. And most of them are valid. I\u2019m focusing on the other word. The key to this message is habit<\/em>. First, it\u2019s active. It\u2019s something done<\/em>. It\u2019s not something bestowed upon you (like the title Team Lead) and it\u2019s not something ascended to (advanced to Project Manager). Whether good or bad, habits are something you do<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Second, a habit is reflexive, a part of you. You may think about it objectively in your mind, but it\u2019s also behavior. Yet that doesn\u2019t automatically mean it\u2019s innate \u2013 a habit may be learned (you probably know someone who trained herself to become more patient or more decisive or less defensive). Therefore, if you aren\u2019t a \u201cborn leader,\u201d you can still develop the habit of leadership.<\/p>\n

A habit knows no boundaries. You exercise the habit of leadership in school, in your family, with friends, at work, in your community. It means that when something needs doing or when you perceive an opportunity for positive impact<\/a>, you shift into gear to make it happen \u2013 even if it\u2019s hard, even if it\u2019s not your designated role, even if you\u2019re not sure exactly how<\/em> you\u2019ll do it. Simply, it\u2019s what you do<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Because it\u2019s action oriented, not title or ego oriented, the habit of leadership, ironically, may sometimes seem invisible, a hidden force. Routine and regular. Example: your friends, tired after a long day of canoeing on the Delaware River, squabble about where to go for dinner. You gently draw the group\u2019s focus to the two most feasible options, proposed by two different members of the group; everyone starts to feel enthusiastic again. They may not consciously recognize your leadership; in fact, the person who proposed the \u201cwinning\u201d idea might feel like the leader! (More irony: real leadership often allows others to feel like the top dog.) Of course, the opposite is also true sometimes: your leadership habit may require you to visibly assert an opposing vision or emphatically convince people to join you in taking a risk.<\/p>\n

While this quality is something HBS explicitly seeks, any b-school adcom will value it \u2013 after all, someone with \u201cleadership experience\u201d isn\u2019t necessarily a leader<\/em> fundamentally, but someone with the \u201chabit of leadership\u201d is. All b-schools want leaders.<\/p>\n

Having the habit of leadership is great, but it\u2019s only helpful to the application<\/a> if you express it effectively. That means \u2013 you\u2019ve heard it from us ad infinitum \u2013 use example and anecdote. Look for opportunities to weave in the message of your habit of leadership, even in essays on other topics. Also, try to bring it out in your resume and your interviews. Ask your recommenders to highlight it. It can only<\/em> enhance your application and your candidacy.<\/p>\n

\"AcceptedGuideHBS\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cindy<\/a> By Cindy Tokumitsu<\/a>, author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her fifteen years with Accepted. She can help you assess your strengths and weaknesses and develop a winning MBA admissions strategy. To learn more about Cindy and review client feedback, please see https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/aboutus\/CindyTokumitsu. She is a member of the Association of International Graduate Application Consultants.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

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Accepted.com's experienced admissions consultants<\/a> can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages<\/a>, <\/i><\/b>or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs<\/a> to designing a dazzling resume<\/a>, constructing engaging essays<\/a>, or preparing for intense interview<\/a>s<\/a>\u2026and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 \u2013 we know what works and what doesn't, so contact us<\/a> to get started now!
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This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog<\/a>, the official blog of Accepted.com.<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n


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Thank you, Harvard Business School. IMHO, that\u2019s what applicants should think when they visit the program\u2019s website and find \u201chabit of leadership\u201d on its \u201cWho are we looking for?\u201d admissions…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,6,1,939,775,113],"tags":[797,100,796,1234,802,801,1232,49,88,911,1070,1231,1230,910],"class_list":["post-19777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-current-events","category-uncategorized","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","tag-applying-to-harvard-business-school","tag-harvard","tag-harvard-business-school","tag-harvard-business-school-admission-essay","tag-harvard-business-school-admissions","tag-harvard-business-school-application","tag-harvard-business-school-mba-essay","tag-harvard-hbs","tag-leadership","tag-leadership-development","tag-leadership-essay","tag-leadership-essay-and-business-school-admissions","tag-leadership-essay-and-mba-admissions","tag-leadership-in-action","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t\n