Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.

Sample One

I joined the United States Biodiesel Board (USBB) as a technical projects manager straight out of college. USBB had recently hired a consultant to bring financial discipline and project accountability to its independent project managers. Historically, our project managers were good at taking action, but poor at communicating deliverables and financial progress. As recommended by the consultant, USBB’s Operations team hired an IT firm to build a digital platform that could communicate project progress to ensure completion within budget. Unfortunately, our project managers preferred the freedom of the past and collectively blocked transition to the platform. I answered the challenge by using my leadership and collaborative skills to drive a solution that positively changed the way USBB operates.

Recognizing that a failure to implement the system would continue the cycle of incomplete projects and fiscal irresponsibility, I convinced Operations and the consultant that I could rally the program managers. As a young program manager, I commanded little influence over this freewheeling group. They perceived me as a tenderfoot, issuing directions with no real understanding of USBB’s workings. I approached the team as a respectful, technologically savvy co-worker who could assist in the transition. I hosted webinars, training our program managers and key contractors, and worked late, familiarizing the staff with the platform. I brought the consultant and managers together to share ideas about platform improvements. I even volunteered to manage others’ projects on the platform until they became comfortable using it. The transition went smoother than anticipated as the USBB staff rapidly grew comfortable with the communication platform. For the first time, project finances were under control, and now the platform is the backbone for USBB’s operations.

Project managers and Operations have thanked me for championing the platform, and the consultant highlighted my contributions to my boss. Recognizing and respecting the other side’s viewpoint is critical in working together to reach the best solution. This philosophy, coupled with my leadership skills, helped me pull USBB out of the digital Dark Ages.

Sample Two

When I was first hired as COO of Hobby Stop, a hobby supplies retailer with 50 employees and gross revenues of approximately $2.5M per year, our six-month-old flagship location was losing $35K per month. Because I had no prior operating or managerial experiences, I was quite apprehensive. I was given complete control over purchasing, marketing, payroll, and customer service, and I discovered that I have the ability to inspire and lead.

My first step was to rely on what I knew best – finance. Drawing on my experience as an investment banker, I identified the “low hanging fruit” through careful analysis of the stores’ financial statements. I developed two broad financial objectives: boost revenues by increasing store traffic and cut costs by reducing payroll, maintenance and merchandise expenditures. One of the first leadership lessons was that I couldn’t accomplish these goals by myself. I wanted to lead by example and inspire my employees by demonstrating that I was part of the team. So during the first few weeks, I rotated through the various jobs and learned the business from the ground up. I worked at the cashier’s station, cleaned the store, stocked the supply room, and composed ads for the newspaper. After my rotation through the operations, I took a leap of faith and promoted two young but motivated employees to be my assistant managers.

Another important lesson I learned about leadership was how crucial it is to earn my employees’ trust. Drawing from my experience on a management consulting assignment at Advent Games, I interviewed every employee and asked him or her the following four questions: “What is your role? What would you like to be doing? What can be improved? What do we do right that we shouldn’t change?” These one-on-one meetings encouraged a sense of ownership and signaled my willingness to listen and learn. By demonstrating an interest in every employee’s concerns and doing my best to accommodate them, I was able to earn their trust. At first, they were apprehensive. I collected the feedback, and I made concrete changes based on the suggestions I received: modifying the dress code, granting employees purchase discounts, and eliminating onerous operating policies.

Overall, I set expectations high with the Hobby Stop team and trusted that my employees could meet them. The most effective change I made was to focus my employees on common goals. I created employee incentives and rewards for key metrics like repeat customer purchases and inventory turns by category. I instituted new policies to improve customer service and the quality of the customer’s experience by designating specific employees to customer service issues while another group focused exclusively on sales. As a result, a customer-oriented culture developed, and I saw my employees bend over backwards to give the customer the most exceptional experience possible. The results were promising; we brought the flagship store to break even within three months.