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Essay 1.Please describe three different leadership
experiences that have been significant for you. (600 words)
The best leadership that I want to point out as a primary
one is the leadership without any price and the leadership of pure service. In
fact, I personally exercised this sort of leadership in the small island to the
northern part of Korean peninsula, xxx. The island, where I was supposed to serve
as of May 19xx according to the regulation of Korean government as an
alternative to a military service, was a traditional society stuck in the
traditional sense of value and ruled by the senior citizen apart from the
modernized urban life. As far as I am concerned, it was a backwater duty for
the first time in my life. My original mission in this island in the first
place was to cure light diseases or injuries and prevent epidemics in the
region. I came to be, however, one of leaders in the community regardless of my
intention over time. As a matter of fact, it was a relatively small community
where the number of college graduates was nothing but ten personnel and small
office was supposed to take care of almost all the affairs happening in the
community.
Just because I graduated from the xxx, made a good reason
for being classified into a celebrity or considered as some kind of genius.
Apart from the medical treatment, I played a vital role of a consultant with
regard to a variety of personal problems as well as the community matters in
the island. In effect, I was cordially invited to every single event happening
in the community such as Korean traditional Thanksgiving Day and collective
conference in the village. After 6 months of residence in the island, I came to
be one of the best consultants who are supposed to give advice or make comments
on a wide range of matters that inhabitants in the island might have. What was
the primary reason the residents in the island put me up to the position of a leader
accepting most of advice from me almost one hundred percent? To the best of my
belief and knowledge, I guess I took a part of a volunteer providing service,
not seeking any price for the service at all. In other words, my position and
my behavior that required disinterestedness and neutral attitude towards the
residents in the island basically enabled me to become a leader of them. As a
result, I was able to learn a significant lesson that 'The real leader should
be generous about the members of the team' and 'The leader should be
impartial.' from the experience in the island for about a year.
The second lesson that I learned from my own experience in
terms of leadership was 'The leader should be humanitarian enough to embrace
the subordinates.' In particular, I have realized that it is critically
necessary for the leader to control the older person who is under his or her
supervision. When I work as a medical director in the xxx Korea for x
years, I worked with eight fellow workers under my control as a team. Among
them, there were three personnel older than I in the light of age including a
research fellow even older than me by 15 years. In fact, they were highly
qualified experts in their field. No wonder each and every one of them obtained
at least master's degree in the field of medicine or basic science with a high
self-esteem although they were relatively late for the promotion compared to my
case. After I was appointed as a medical director, I absorbed myself in the
studies on their inclination in the first place. As a result, I was able to
come to the concrete conclusion that I need to employ a humane interaction and
conversation with them rather than a unilateral command.
According to the conclusion, the first policy that I
exercised was to hold a regular meeting in the restaurant near the company
every Friday night. In the meeting for two or three hours along with dinner, we
were able to have a conversation over everything including our privacy, let
alone the topic related to the company. In particular, the senior staffs were
somewhat skeptical about the outcome of this meeting in the beginning. My
recommendation and serious attitude towards the meeting, however, increased the
number of members in the meeting on a gradual basis. The existence of the
regular meeting served as the main source of maintaining good atmosphere of our
team, eliminating every possible conflict within members and compromising our
interests in the team. With reference to the complaints and the policy of the
company, I made vigorous efforts to the implementation of agreements made in
the meeting. Accordingly, the team members were generally favorable to my
endeavor and enforcement in most cases.
On the other hand, the president of xxx Korea from
overseas did not seem to understand my attitude from time to time. For example,
I took myself to the rural area through 10 hours of driving in order to visit
the funeral of the father of one of my colleagues and got back to the work even
at dawn. As such, I was able to lead the team without any big trouble through
the efforts to understand the counterpart on a humanitarian basis. I have
realized the third pillar of the leadership through the ordinary philosophy
that 'The leader should take the initiative.' When I applied for the position
of salesperson in xxx Korea
February 19xx, most of the personnel in the company including the president
were casting doubts on my success as a salesperson. More than that, even my
colleagues tried to leave me left out because I used to be a medical doctor,
which didn't fit for the position. The principle that I chose during that time
was ' Set a good example for others. Try my best twice as hard as others do.'
Based on this principle, I firmly set my working hours from seven to nine on a
daily basis. Accordingly, I kept my hands full for 14 hours a day for six
months.
In return, I achieved the 210% of accomplishment compared to
the original objective and eventually received a promotion as a reward for my
achievement. In this regard, I was able to realize the fact that I should work
twice as much as others do in order to be a real leader. Unlike the supervisor
checking in the office later than the subordinates or the leader just pushing
their proteges to work hard, I believe that the virtue of the leader is to set
a good example for the subordinates in order to obtain heart-felt trust from
the proteges.
2. Recognizing that successful leaders are able to learn
from failure, describe a situation in which you failed. (300 words)
"Respect what others did." This is the conclusion
I made after I wrapped up one of the most regrettable strategic meetings that I
had in my job career. One of the basic qualities of the leader is to respect
the accomplishment of the precedent person and even the achievement of
subordinates. I am confident that it will function as a solid basis for the
career development of a skillful leader. September 10, 19xx. It was the day
when I stepped in the office as a product manager in charge of the marketing of
cozaar which was one of the most important products in xxx Korea, the
current working place 7 months after I had joined the company. In the first
strategic meeting after I became a product manager, I firstly made a comment
starting "We should modify the goal in the annual sales from 11 million
dollars up to 17 million dollars in the future." After I made my short
presentation, one of district managers suggested in jest saying, "Why
don't you accomplish 6 million dollar worth of return on sale at the extra goal."
Awkward laughter came out in the conference for a while. It was just a joke
that he cynically implied a record-breaking sales achievement that I made for 6
months. Yet, it stroked my heart like a stab in my back. I might not get a full
credit from the staff because of the makeshift remark without any consideration
two months ago.
Since then, I happened to learn three major lessons. First
of all, I should not change or ignore the time-honored agreement based on the
consultation of the members initiated by the precedent person. In case of
modification of the previous plan, it is critically necessary to have a through
market research and collection of the opinions of every team member in advance
so that I could enhance the cooperation among team members. Secondly, it is
essential for the leader to obtain the credibility from the subordinates in
order for the project to make it. If I had been an employee, I could not have
been able to trust the leader who modified the previous plan without any
sufficient data. Finally, every single word that the leader spit out should be
more prudent. My remark during that time was not necessarily the effect that we
should increase the sales as much as I added up to. My instant remark that we
should increase the sales compared to the previous year eventually put me in
line because most of employees took it very seriously. Since then, I was more
than careful about the official remark and drew a clear line between the joke
and serious comment.
3. Describe a situation when your value and belief were
challenged. What did you do, and why? (300 words)
In May 15 19xx, I couldn't leave the harbor of this deserted
island, xxx, populated xxxx people and located at the tip of the Korean
peninsula. More than anything else, waiving hands and tears of almost one
hundred local people were the source of dragging my feet. I could have been the
last time I saw them in person. When I was given a humble certificate of
achievement in my hand made by pupil's small hands in local primary school, I
was able to realize the ontological value that I should cherish in my heart for
the rest of my life. In addition, I could catch a glimpse of the way my life
should pursue in the long term. This value and belief was totally different
from the past life in which symbolized as the comfort and wealth. In this
context, I am confident that the value and belief will serve as a great
momentum for the rest of my life. The reason why I went to xxx in April 19xx is
due to the Korean government's regulation, which led me to finish the military
service as a doctor in underdeveloped island. I arrived in this island
accepting the backwater duty like other military doctors with open-minded. Yet,
xxx was unbelievably an area equipped with no medical care in the perspective
of those who were accustomed to the urban life. In small makeshift medical
facility where I should offer medical service to local people with an assistant
nurse, there was no surgical equipment anywhere in the hospital. All I got for
the sick was aspirin and simple digestion pill.
Local people's concern for the medical treatment was close
to the level of self-abandonment. For instance, when having stomachache, their
best medical care alternative was to take a simple digestion pill or to lie on
the floor without eating. On top of that, when the children had slight injury,
they were asked to stop bleeding by applying pressure on the wounded part with
a cloth. In most cases, most of senior citizens that had not received any
preventive medical care at all were suffering from the symptoms such as
degenerative arthritis, repetitive gastritis, and hypertension. Nevertheless,
they had no choice but to accept the reality like their fate without any doubt.
What they needed during that time was not a grand operation of modern hospital
and even expensive medicine but the medicines such as anti-hypertensive drugs,
anti-inflammatory drugs, and insulin that could be easily bought in the urban
area. They could easily relieve the pain with simple medication. As a matter of
fact, they could not afford to cover the medical cost due to low income.
Inevitably, they tend to accept the diseases as their fate. It serves as a big
burden for them to purchase the drug on their own other than the basic medicine
such as aspirin provided by the government free of charge. Furthermore, it was
a bigger burden for the aged without any income to buy the medicines in case of
the diabetes or dislocation of joint. In two months in the island, the first
effort I made was to persuade the pharmaceutical companies and charity
organizations to provide medical equipment and medicines necessary for the
people in the island on a complementary basis by sending letters.
Therefore, I was able to accumulate the available drugs
provided without any cost. For example, I received the anti-hypertensive drug
from xxx pharmaceutical company as much amount as the people in the island
could utilize for about a year. This kind of efforts that I initiated might
relieve the pain of disease to some degree. All the same, it was not enough to
liberate them from the disease in an ultimate sense. As a result, I realized
that we should develop the medicine to terminate the disease and produce
effective drugs substantially in order for everyone to get benefits in terms of
medical care. Besides, I want to dedicate myself to the improvement on the
public health system in order those who are financially inviable to get medical
support whenever they want. This is one of my objectives that I would like to
accomplish as long as I am involved in the pharmaceutical company. I still make
dear the certificate of achievement made by pupil's small hands in the local
primary school in xxx.
Although it is made of rugged wood, it reminds me of the
best memory for one year and two months when I spent in the island. Sometimes,
it makes me feel proud of myself in that I dedicated myself to the honorable
service such as medical treatment and operation. I will never and ever forget
the royal summon that I felt from the bottom of my heart when I arrive in the
island after xx hours of sailing in the rough sea in order to make a surgery of
the finger which cut in half. When I followed a little girl who called me for
her mother who passed out at dawn in the nippy winter as cold as 10 degree
centigrade below zero, I felt the same fate deep inside of my heart, as well.
The experience in the island, xxx, serves as the momentum for my lifetime goal
- to contribute to the harmonious society as a doctor, researcher in medicine,
and the leader of public health and pharmaceutical field in the long term. Now
that I look upon the experience in xxx as the most valuable career in my whole
life, I will keep addressing this experience to my next generation over and
over again in the rest of my life.
4.Describe your three most substantial accomplishments and
explain why you view them as such. (600 words)
My first accomplishment was the establishment of 129
Emergency Calling System on a full scale when I worked for the xxx. At first,
the emergency center had nothing but the name when I was transferred from xxx
the late May 19xx. Most of citizens were not aware of the existence of the
center. In addition, the rate of utilization was nothing but 10 cases a day.
During two years since 19xx, I made several attempts-to publicize the center in
the local newspaper, make advertisements to the public, publish brochures, and
visit the nursing home-in order to establish the solid foundation for this
center. As a result, the rate of utilization rose up to 200 cases a day including
medical consultation in the late of 19xx. In return for my efforts, I was
granted the certificate of achievement from xxx Headquarters in 19xx.
The decision to make this center flourished was primarily
derived from the assessment over the poor condition of local medical attention.
As a matter of fact, there are few systems efficient for the emergency and
relatively small scale of medical benefit in the local area. For example, I
have been able to witness the lack of emergent treatment led to the aggravation
of the disease or even to a death several times since I worked for the xxx.
Among them, I cannot forget the case of a farmer who died of excessive bleeding
due to late arrival of medical staff. As a matter of fact, the people around
the farmer didn't know what to do when the emergency came up. The farmer could
have survived if one of his acquaintances had known the number of 129 Emergency
Calling System, that is to say, 129.
Ever since, I realized from the bottom of my heart the need
for the PR of 129 Emergency Calling System to the public on a large scale. My
efforts to the PR and medical consultation worked so well that I could be
welcomed and supported by the community. I believe that it is worthwhile to
save people's lives with the help of every single effort that I made. My second
accomplishment is surely the Ph.D. dissertation approved in September 19xx. On
top of that, I am supposed to obtain the Ph.D. degree in xxx in February 20xx.
Although this Ph.D. degree is my personal accomplishment, it is closely related
to my lifetime goal - to contribute to the harmonious society as a doctor,
researcher in medicine, and the leader of public health and pharmaceutical
field in the long term.
The reason for studying pharmacology for six years and
obtaining a Ph.D. degree is to dedicate myself to the reform of Korean
phamaceutical industry in order to contribute to the majority of the community.
Based on the firm conviction that the studies on pharmacology is critically
necessary to achieve my goal, I have so far kept on the studies along with the
work leaving the award ceremony of Ph.D. degree behind. With this Ph.D. degree,
I am now qualified for an expert in the pharmaceutical field. If I add up the
advanced knowledge and skill on business management and the leadership that I
will learn from Harvard Business School,
it is certain that I will be able to become one of the greatest managers in the
pharmaceutical field in Korea.
More specifically, the Ph.D. degree will be a great asset in achieving my goal-
to create the cure-all, make a mass-production of drugs with good quality,
provide medical attention for the financially inviable, and improve the public
health system. In this context, the Ph.D. degree is one of the most important
accomplishments that I have made up to now.
My third accomplishment lies in the sales achievement and
various experiences for about six months. The experience enabled me to confirm
the potential of being a capable manager in a pharmaceutical company in the
future. In addition, I inspired the product team members of the company,
addressing"Just do it."in order to solidify their confidence.
When the article covering my story was introduced in the
title of 'xxx' in xxx,19xx, most of my acquaintances including my relatives and
friends of mine were casting doubts on my decision with cynical voices. They
didn't seem to understand my decision to go for a salesperson instead of being
a medical director of pharmaceutical company or a professor in medical school.
As a matter of fact, I was able to understand their doubts and concerns because
I myself was afraid of my adventure more than anyone else. I, however,
accomplished the return on sales as much as 210% of sales objective only after
I had been involved in sales with local hospitals for about six months.
As a result, I was appointed as a product manager in cozaar,
an anti-hypertensive drug which came as the most important product of xxx Korea. It was
the time when I was confident that my challenge will be carried out in the
future. This experience, I certify, was more valuable accomplishment than the
admission to medical school in xxx and the license of medical doctor as well as
the Ph.D degree that I will be conferred in February, 20xx. That's because I
confirmed the chance of success in terms of my career development in the
challenge that I took loyal pains during my life.
5. What are your career aspirations and why? How will you
get there? (300 words)
Upon graduation from Medical School
in 19xx, I have consistently served in the pharmaceutical industry for the past
10 years on a continual basis, 3 years of military service since 19xx as a
doctoral officer excluded. As soon as I graduated from the Medical School,
I entered the course of Clinical Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine in
the graduate school. After that, I served in the military as an officer in
order to complete the Master's degree and review medical practices. When I made
it into the Ph.D. program, I was able to get a job in a pharmaceutical company.
I started my first job career as the manager in the Clinical Research Team, xxx
pharmaceutical Co. in Korea.
In fact, I was disappointed with the obsolete management system of Korean
pharmaceutical companies and the passive attitude toward the development of
brand-new medicine. As a result, I decided to transfer myself to the local
subsidiary of overseas pharmaceutical company called xxx Korea in
November 1996.
Ever since, I have worked as a medical director for the
field of drug development for about 2 years. After that, I applied for the xxx Korea, the
current work, and got a job as a sales representative in February 19xx. Only 6
months later, I was able to get promoted to a product manager in recognition of
the outcome of sales. The primary reason why I chose the sales and marketing
department in xxx Korea
is based on the fact that I came to the conclusion that obsolete and dogmatic
management of Korean pharmaceutical companies and hospitals would undermine the
development of medical industry. As far as my personal experience goes, the
owners of Korean pharmaceutical companies are by no means specialists in this
field. On top of that, most of them didn't seem to have a rational and
efficient management skill. In particular, the lack of clinical research and
backwardness of marketing management skill is the main obstacles that Korean
pharmaceutical companies should tackle in the long term.
Secondly, I have so far recognized the limitation of drug
development in domestic pharmaceutical companies as well as overseas
pharmaceutical companies located in Korea. Third, I wanted to
experience the essence of sales and marketing in person as a sales
representative in xxx Korea
in order to strengthen the basis for the business management. Fourth, I was
deeply moved by the ethical sales practice of xxx Korea that had been recognized as
one of the most prestigious companies. Finally, I wanted to acquire the
custom-oriented mind like 'Customer is the basis for sales and marketing'. As a
matter of fact, xxx, the president of xxx Korea, was sort of skeptical about
my career since I had been basically involved in the drug development for 3
years. None the less, I was able to become a product manager as a medical
doctor for the first time in Korea
by eliminating every single doubt. Personally, I believe the success in life
lies in a series of ordeal from bottom to top. In other words, success stems
from the process from the salesperson to the C.E.O of the company. Even though
I may learn the advanced management skill of pharmaceutical company through on
the job training as product manager in xxx Korea, it is certain that I will be
able to obtain the necessary capability of manager in pharmaceutical company
through systematic approach and studies in the MBA program.
Like Korean saying "Even the finest building built on the sand is
bound to collapse in no time", I believe the MBA program in the U.S.A will
provide me with a solid basis to grow up as a business manager in the future.
To the best of belief and knowledge, now is the best time for me to obtain MBA
degree in the light of my life goal now that I have so far experienced the
field of research as well as sales, not to mention my career. The knowledge of
medicine, basic science, and drug development as well as the understanding of
pharmaceutical industries will serve as great asset in completing the MBA
program at HBS. I would like to devote myself to the reform of Korean
pharmaceutical industry with the advanced knowledge and skill on business
management and the leadership that I will learn from your business school.
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