What do others admire about you?

Sample One

For this question, I talked to two people who know me well – my best friend, X, and my coworker, Y. I asked what they admire about me.

X: “I remember how you introduced yourself to me, ‘I am an African born, Indian raised, American citizen’. I believe your multi-cultural upbringing has shaped your personality and communication style. You quickly adapt to any situation and are able to interact comfortably with a range of people. Whether it is being a buddy for Japanese exchange students or going on a euro-trip with fifty strangers or working with all those nerdy engineers, you are able to connect with everyone personally and appreciate different points of view. You make everyone around you feel they can be themselves. That’s what I admire about you the most.”

Y: “I admire the kid in you. You are such a ‘kid-at-heart’. I remember that Friday night when our team was wrestling with a nasty bug in a computer model. After hours of frustration, you said, “three is to five, five is to four and four is a cosmic number.” We were totally confused at first, and then I figured out you were engaging us in a game to stir up our creative juices. The numbers had to be looked at in terms of letters – ‘three’ has 5 letters in it, therefore the phrase “three is to five…” I admire your curiosity, enthusiasm and playful approach. You can make even the most stressful environment light and enjoyable.”

Sample Two

I believe others admire my integrity and ethics. Nearly every decision that I encounter at work demonstrates my integrity. An example I often encounter at work is negotiating large contracts which can prove to be difficult with the aggressive subcontractors. I am able to remain impartial by following my values and instilling a policy of zero tolerance with my team, thus eliminating any hint of impropriety. These occurrences are much more definitive than the challenges I face in managing the occasional competing interests of homeowners and shareholders. There is a fine line in making tradeoffs between my responsibilities to a client’s home quality and my responsibilities to my company’s profitability. Understanding the perspectives of each stakeholder has allowed me to successfully navigate the balancing act between the two. I believe my ability to remain objective is appreciated by both parties as I have consistently produced high quality homes while also providing my company with a profitable project.

Moreover, I encountered an integrity check one day when I discovered an employee was embezzling from our company. I faced the ethical dilemma of either reporting my boss to the ethics committee or turning a blind-eye to a situation that several more tenured employees had. In following my ethical compass, I knew I made the right decision to report this transgression because the ethics I showed permeated through the whole division. Often resolutions to ethical dilemmas are not always clear or one-dimensional, but approaching each decision as objectively as possible has proven to be the most effective means of conducting myself professionally. When faced with situations of a similar degree, my team pauses to consider the circumstances. During a budget review my project administrator recognized completed work that was unbilled by the subcontractor. She took the opportunity to notify the subcontractor of his oversight and allow him to submit an invoice. This type of conduct has allowed my team to establish trust with both our vendors and clients. By leading by example, I have influenced others to solve issues in an ethical manner. As a future leader, I will rely on these past experiences, as well as lessons learned at Kellogg, to instill ethics and integrity in my company.