What is your greatest example of leadership and what personal qualities helped you succeed in that role?

My greatest example of leadership was when I initiated a monthly volunteering event for my previous employer, at a nearby soup kitchen. After passing by the soup kitchen each day, I did some research and found they were in need of our assistance as the people who came for a meal were victims of the current economic crisis and simply could not afford dinner in New York City. I approached Human Resources at my company with my idea to launch a consistent volunteering program at the soup kitchen and offered to maintain responsibility for running it. I organized a kick off event with the soup kitchen as well as enlisting volunteers each month. Using my communication and persuasion skills, I encouraged all employees to volunteer at least once, especially my own account team. Launching this program was important to me because I wanted to show how much of a difference a few hours could make to those in need. A company like Mickey, with almost 1,000 employees in the New York office alone, can make a tremendous difference if each employee volunteered even once!

The success of this program was largely attributable to my organizational skills. This trait was essential when leading a project of this size and complexity, ensuring all dates had sufficient attendees. I over-communicated to the company making sure all volunteers attended on time and understood the project’s expectations. Another personal quality that helped was my strong people management skills, even to those not directly reporting to me. During this project, I successfully managed all levels of agency personnel treating all participants equally and was thrilled to see a strong showing of participation from all employees, regardless of their title. Lastly, I have found that being genuine and showing appreciation can go a long way to encourage involvement. By simply relaying the thanks from the soup kitchen, volunteers were eager to participate again, especially if I asked one of them to fill in last minute.

I look forward to continuing my involvement in community service events like this one, as it has always been important for me to give back to my local community that has given me so much and helped me become the person I am today. I believe through my MBA I will become a more successful leader, capable of managing even larger projects throughout my career.