Chicago Booth’s Martinelli On Leadership, Self-Awareness

Rose Martinelli, associate dean for student recruitment and admissions at Chicago Booth School of Business, tackles the topics of leadership and self-reflection this week on The Rose Report blog.

Lots of applicants may worry about how their leadership skills will be perceived by AdCom, especially if they’ve never actually held a management position. Not to worry, Martinelli says, urging applicants to think of times when they’ve lead ideas, sports teams, student groups, etc.

“Think about how you’ve impacted an organization or decision recently,” she writes. “It’s likely you did not have hierarchical authority, but you were successful because of your influence, effective communication skills, and your ability to motivate people toward a shared goal.”

When asked how Chicago Booth’s culture and curriculum help students develop self-awareness through the MBA experience, Martinelli had this to say:

Since Chicago’s curriculum is built around the recognition that we are each unique with different backgrounds, aspirations and at different stages in our personal  and professional development, Booth provides a choice-centric approach to education, putting you in the driver seat of selection across the full range of experiences (academics, career, people, etc.).

Another area of the curriculum that focuses on awareness building is our LEAD program.  The entire premise of this course is designed to help align awareness of yourself to how others perceive you.  There are modules in many different areas that help to develop this awareness.

Every part of the process, from research and applying, to studying for an MBA, is an ongoing exploration of self-reflection and growth. As Martinelli says, the path of self-awareness is your life’s journey.

(photo credit: Chicago Booth School of Business)

*
We are now on Facebook – please join the Stacy Blackman Consulting group, or become a friend of Stacy Blackman. I am posting news about MBA related events, job listings, and of course MBA news.

I am on Twitter too…click to follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/stacyblackman

For a concise, thoughtful guide that will help you navigate the MBA admissions process with greater success, order our NEW book, The MBA Application Roadmap.