How will you lead?

My idea of leadership involves the perfect combination of heart and mind. I aspire to be someone who is not afraid of making difficult decisions, but at the same time has a strong set of personal and social values to guide me through these decisions. I aspire to be someone who is willing to listen, sensitive to others' concerns, and open to the idea that I could be wrong. I aspire to be someone who will encourage the organization to embrace changes while helping everyone cope with the transition along the way. I will lead with passion—with a tough mind and a soft heart.

On changing personal priorities

My HBS experience has truly been a transformational one. I have learned to understand myself a lot better—my values, abilities, and knowledge. In this process, my life's priority has started gradually shifting from success to fulfillment. I realized that in the past I have over-emphasized success: how others perceive me. From school to work, I cared a lot about getting the best grades, achieving the highest bonus, or obtaining the quickest promotion—external measures of success. I was not very concerned about whether the work was making me happy, allowing me to realize my full potential, or strengthening my values. I was not so focused on fulfillment—the internal measures of success. Through various in-class discussions and out-of-classroom interactions with fellow students, I began to see the importance of fulfillment. To live life from inside out. To be who I am and express myself in that way. This transition from success to fulfillment has changed my life view in a profound way.

I will lead passionately, directly, and for a cause greater than my own. I will strive to lead in a very human way, understanding that what motivates people is ownership in a vision, and the knowledge that they are critical to the outcome. Leadership to me is more than incentive systems, management structure, and mission statements. While these are critical components of management, leadership in my view is inherently human, is intensely personal, and should ignite a fire in the soul—and ultimately touch the hearts and minds of those you lead. I believe in the ability of human beings to effect large-scale change by motivating and believing in others. With the proper mind-set, we can rise to and meet almost any challenge.
Most importantly, I will lead with integrity, and with respect for events and circumstances that are out of my control. I will think big, yet understand that I am fallible, and consistently prepare myself to lead when called to do so. Finally, I will always walk my own way, challenge the status quo, and stand tall in the face of adversity.

On the efficacy of the case method in career preparation
Assuming you are going to lead, you will be required to communicate your ideas clearly in public or in working groups. The case method allows you to utilize a familiar forum to practice asserting points in front of a group in a dynamic and constantly evolving environment—something that is very close to live professional situations

On the benefits of living on a residential campus
A separate residential campus is critical to the learning and community experience at HBS. Proximity to your classmates in both the academic and residential settings creates a valuable social and academic experience. Common bonds are forged through proximity and the intensity of the experience; bonds I expect to carry with me for the rest of my life

. Being among peers with strong voices and intellect, one cannot revert to hierarchy, and a different notion of leadership emerged. Not leadership through force, but through learning. And that learning evolves not only through my own academic training but also by taking time to understand the context and how my colleagues view the situation. Leadership becomes a far less instinctive and dictatorial process and instead slower, surer, and consensual. I intend above all to lead with integrity. I'm less concerned with being loved than I am with being true.


HBS gives you the opportunity not just to look inside yourself and think about what kind of person you want to be, but more importantly about what kind of world you want to live in. During the last term we discussed the merits of pirating AIDS drugs in India, the root cause of the Mexican debt crisis, and the implications of global warming. Instead of being cocooned in the First World, we embraced the complexity and confusion inherent in our global environment.

On personal change while at HBS
On the surface, I have certainly been enriched academically, as I entered HBS with a limited knowledge of business and I will leave with an in-depth, integrated perspective. While my pursuits of lifelong learning will always stir questions, I know now what types of questions to ask and how to approach conclusions using my general management toolkit. My professional transition has also been quite significant. Through listening to case protagonists, developing relationships with alumni mentors, and hearing about the professional adventures of my classmates, I have garnered a wealth of career advice and perspectives over the past two years. Finally, and most profoundly, I have transformed personally. HBS is a "safe" arena in which your classmates, professors, and friends encourage you to take risks. As a result, I have transformed into a businesswoman who is increasingly confident in less-than-certain situations. This risk taking has also helped me expand my perspective: I now examine problems and approach situations from multiple viewpoints.