Your Leadership Experience in Which You Have Positively Influenced Others (Essay Sample)

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Personal Statement
Please Describe How You Have Prepared for Your Intended Major, including Your Readiness to Succeed in Your Upper-Division Courses Once You Enroll at the University.
I remember the first time I developed a genuine interest in business. My cousin and I stood outside the Apoli Common Gallery, and he made me speculate on the intricacies of running such a business. I was captivated by the possibilities, the seemingly endless range of approaches that the manager or owner could adopt and to achieve success.
My experiences, both inside and outside the classroom, have been helpful in preparing for my pursuit of Business Administration as a university major. Moreover, as a student at De Anza College, I have repeatedly engaged in hypothetical problem solving for business cases. The cases offer a safe environment within which I can test my skills in management. The skills are an instrumental build up towards my success in upper-division courses at the university.
I have had preparations from experiences outside the classroom. Last summer, I held an internship position as a front desk receptionist at DeBang Securities Company, a bank in China. My role involved handling any complaints regarding service provision. The position ensured I acquired skills such as the drafting of lawful contracts and the assessment of accounting records. In addition, my preparation draws from my volunteering at the youth Olympics in Nanjing, China, where my work in the logistics department improved my attention to detail and skills in plan implementation. My current role as a restaurant manager has also been essential in the course of preparation for my major. In this position, I am in charge of handling the inventory and cash movement and training new employees. The two skills of the managerial position are critical areas of business and their practical application will ensure an easier time grasping the concepts theoretically.
Describe an Example of Your Leadership Experience in Which You Have Positively Influenced Others, Helped Resolve Disputes, or Contributed to Group Efforts over Time.
As I write this statement, the USA is gearing up for the November, 2016 Presidential elections. From the world of business, it is understood that leadership is critical for the achievement of effective change, at both organizational and national levels. Change is inevitable, and yet people will always resist it. The understanding was the basis for my most memorable experience in the exercise of leadership. A few weeks after beginning my current job as a restaurant manager, the hotel owner introduced a new staff management system. The system that required employee log-ins for all activities, including their arrival and departure time. The staff was vexed, feeling that the management deemed them untrustworthy.
Maneuvering the situation was difficult, as I could not take the side of the staff against the owners of the restaurant. However, the situation needed resolution as there had been a decrease in productivity since the system was introduced. Consequently, I individually invited some of the staff that I perceived as opinion leaders for a cup of coffee. The environment ensured they were free to voice their problems with the system, and I patiently listened to each complaint. Most of them complaints were emotional insecurities and were pacified by alluding to previous instances where management had demonstrated their trust in the staff. Additionally, I detailed plans to resolve any other valid concerns regarding the new system, such as training of the staff that lacked computer skills. At the end of the second week, the majority of the staff had been reassured. Furthermore, I installed a suggestion and a question box to allow more enquiries regarding the system in the future. I feel this was my most successful exercise of the leadership role.
Describe the Most Significant Challenge You Have Faced and the Steps You Have Taken to Overcome This Challenge. How Has This Challenge Affected Your Academic Achievement?
The most significant challenge I have faced was my moving to the USA when I was 15. I came from China, and despite being easygoing, the USA was completely different from my life at home. My parents were also no longer part of my daily life and the routine I had established to integrate school and social life had to change. Communication with people back home through phone calls was also immensely difficult due to differences in the time zone. The classes were dissimilar from what I was used to, and I had never had to accommodate such diversity before. For the first time in my life, I was among the minority, and everybody had questions about my life in China. While it was interesting to hear some of the expectations people have about my country, I spent a large portion of my 15th and 16th year getting exasperated.
However, I learned to deal with the challenge in the course of high school. I accepted that I was different, and welcomed any enquiries as the result of natural curiosity. I have also acquired the habit of clarifying suppositions with patience and humor, such as not being Korean. As I spend more time in this country, it has become easier to overc...