How to Be a Leader at Work, Even When You’re Not “At Work”
Every MBA applicant must demonstrate leadership at work, regardless of title. A consistent “habit of leadership” differentiates top candidates. Remote work has reduced traditional opportunities like elevator pitches and spontaneous meetings. But clear ways to stand out still exist. Here’s how to demonstrate leadership during crisis—no matter where you work.
Why You Must Step Up Now
MBA applications will spike this fall. The economy drives this. Don’t wait for normal to return. Your team needs a leader at work now. Senior leaders may not ask. They have no time. Step up anyway. Lead from home. Here’s how.
- Raise Your Hand. Raise Your Hand. I once had a boss who gave this advice: don’t leave work until you’ve asked each senior person if they need anything else. This applies even when you’re junior at your firm. You might consider that system antiquated today (I’m not that old, by the way), but it’s a good practice in the current environment.
Your director can’t step outside their office and physically see you. Remember that you do good work. So you should reach out to them proactively. Ask if there’s anything you can do to help. Ask if there are special projects you can lead a part of or help with. - Be Visible and Vocal. Most likely, your senior leaders are in Zoom meetings all…day…long. Stay visible with status updates. Send frequent emails giving overviews of what you’re doing and where it stands. Ensure the senior people on your team hear from you every day. Do this as long as it fits your team’s culture.
For example, nearly all of us work in industries impacted by the current economic shock. Stay on top of current events and developments. Share relevant insights with your team as appropriate. And, continue to offer to take on more and be proactive. Be specific if you have a recommendation for something you can do proactively like “I saw that we’ll need x analysis – I was going to start working on that – does that work for you?” Emails like that are gold to a senior leader right now: you can be a hero. - Be Positive. I know it’s been a hard few weeks and months for many.
If you are finding yourself starting every meeting with “did you read the news last night about…”, then you need to find a way to hit pause on that; and try not to enable others to go down dark paths either. Be someone who listens to others – let them vent and genuinely listen to what they have to say. And then bring light to the conversation. Whether that’s comic relief in the form of a joke or offering to “host” a happy hour for the team and get everyone to play Pictionary, be the person who helps redirect people into a positive space as often as possible. The people who can do this well are truly the team players and leaders that everyone wants and needs, in a crisis or otherwise. - Be a Do-er. Maybe you’re the youngest, most junior person on your team and you’re not used to making decisions or running with an idea. Well, this is your moment because there are a lot of seemingly little ways you can act right now that may help everyone around you.
If appropriate, this a good time to decide to do something that you know is productive, even if no one told you to. Create a trivia question of the week, send your hilarious jokes every Monday to your team, create a Google sheet to help people get organized: whatever you see that could be helpful, if appropriate within your organization and team (or with appropriate approval if needed), make your bias towards action. A lot of people are panicking right now – we need do-ers who are putting one foot in front of the other and acting. - Focus People on What They Can Control. There are a number of ways to support those in need right now. Most cities are organizing meal drives to feed healthcare workers and other similar things that you can do from home at your computer.
Find and share those opportunities with your colleagues – help give people a feeling of power, even if small, to make a difference in this time.
These strategies apply to anyone, but they are especially important for MBA applicants. Admissions committees value real examples of leadership. Focus on actions you can clearly describe and quantify in your application.
Current times are turbulent and how you navigate them are where real leaders emerge.
After embarking on my own MBA journey, I founded Vantage Point MBA Admissions Consulting to help aspiring business school students get accepted to the top MBA programs in the U.S. and Europe. As President, I currently lead a team of over 25 superstar consultants to give our clients an unmatched experience, with a focus on white glove, personalized collaboration and mentorship.
