describe leadership experience essay

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How to Write the UC Essay on Leadership Experience

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Vinay Bhaskara in a CollegeVine Livestream. You can watch the full Livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

What exactly is leadership, consider different types of leadership, mistakes to avoid.

The first of the University of California’s essay prompts states: 

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

This prompt is all about conveying your leadership experience. However, keep in mind that your essay does not need to be limited to an example of school-based leadership. Many of the better versions of this essay convey leadership in ways that are about neither academic leadership nor direct or positional extracurricular leadership.

It’s really easy to get lost in a definition of what leadership means with this prompt. Remember that leadership has a very expansive definition. What leadership looks like to each student will vary drastically, but, in other words, the prompt is asking you to describe how you have utilized your personal experience for the betterment of yourself and others. 

This prompt focuses on concrete actions that create tangible benefits for members of an organization, or even for an individual within the organization. Many students focus on how they have inspired their classmates or helped to resolve a conflict. While these are good examples of being a leader, try not to limit yourself to formal leadership positions and actions when brainstorming your response.

Leadership can range from formal leadership positions, such as being president of a club, to informal positions, such as mentoring a younger peer. Some examples of more formal leadership would be leadership positions in extracurricular activities including athletics , academics, and even work with non-profit organizations. Informal leadership, on the other hand, is leading in any capacity that is out of the ordinary, specifically when you do not have an official title.These are events or instances that you may not think of as leadership, but discussing such examples may actually help your essay stand out even more. 

A really powerful example of this could be a student helping peers deal with and overcome mental health struggles. Another example could be a student taking on more responsibility within their family by helping a sibling with their homework. The most compelling essays tend to be about informal examples of leadership, which are then supplemented by the formal leadership positions on your resume . 

Though there is no right or wrong answer for this essay prompt, here are a few things that you should avoid in your response.

Cliche Responses

A cliche essay response is any topic that reviewers may see repeatedly, and therefore is something you want to try and avoid in order to stand out among the applicant pool. Cliche responses for this essay prompt generally include examples about a club, such as a sports team, orchestra, or group, failing at something initially, and then the student helping the group succeed. It is possible to tackle such topics if you are an incredible writer, but if you aren’t then it may be hard for your essay to really make a lasting impact.

Restating Your Resume

Always avoid using the leadership experience prompt to restate your resume! It often seems that the most direct way to complete this essay is to speak about the leadership that can be found in your Activities section. Remember, however, that colleges already can see what’s on your resume. Therefore if you’re only expanding on the information in your application and using your essay to further list the clubs you led or your accomplishments, you’re not conveying anything new. You are missing an opportunity to add additional context to your application by doing this.

What the schools are really looking for are the qualities of leadership demonstrated through your experience – not the accomplishments or awards that you’ve accumulated from leadership positions. Instead of focusing on a title, focus on the impact of your leadership on others or on the approach used to build personal dynamics and relationships in leadership. Remember you want your essay to show which of your concrete actions have driven tangible benefits for others.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Leadership Essay

27 August, 2020

12 minutes read

Author:  Richard Pircher

As a college student, you must write essays on a regular basis since the latter is one of the most common types of home assignments. All this means is that in order to get good grades and be successful with writing the papers, you need to have a sound understanding of the structure. Additionally, what you should never neglect is the variety of essay types. Indeed, your essay will significantly differ from one type to another: description essay will most likely have a structure that is slightly different from an argumentative one.

What you may have already encountered in your academic life is the work on a leadership essay. Although it sounds pretty complicated and vague, it is mostly possible to master an essay on leadership. Below is a guide for you to get an insight into this particular essay type.

What is a good leadership essay?

A good leadership essay is the one in which the essay writer has fully covered the topic of leadership and understood its core ideas. More specifically, to end up with a flawless leadership essay, you will need to indicate what makes a person a good leader. For achieving the latter, you will most likely need to conduct research and trace how a particular person reaches his or her goals. In other words, the task is to discover which actions the person undertakes, what their followers say about him or her, and how the person organizes the work. So, a leadership essay implies providing real-life success examples and further revealing them.

Above all, a good leadership essay is the one that follows a precise, clear, comprehensive structure. Structuring your essay about leadership in the most coherent way leads to a win-win situation: you have fewer troubles and barriers to writing a brilliant essay, and your teacher is able to comprehend the essay easily. This guide is what you will need to refer to to get an insight into how the flawless structure for a leadership essay looks like and how it will let you take a benefit.

How to write a Leadership essay?

To write a leadership essay that stands out, you first need to brainstorm all the ideas that you have and come up with a topic for your essay. If you are struggling with this step, you may think of some of the most influential people, read about them, and find out what makes them unique. Or, you can pick any topic which is mentioned at the end of this article. After you have chosen an issue, it is time to structure your essay appropriately.

As you already know, an essay constitutes three essential sections: introduction, main body, and conclusion. Below is the more detailed description of each of the parts.

Introduction

Of course, your leadership essay introduction will always vary depending on the topic of the essay. However, you can always begin by stating your vision of leadership regardless of the topic. Additionally, to motivate the reader and instantly catch his or her attention, you may use a quote of a famous leader, or simply a quote which you find relevant to the topic. Be aware that you should avoid outlining the essence and the role of the leadership in your introduction; leave it for the body paragraphs.

What you may also do in your leadership essay is ask a question, which will most likely intrigue the leader. Or it will at least give your reader an overview of what you will dwell on  in your essay.

Body Paragraphs

You will need to divide the main body into 3-5 paragraphs to make the structure more comprehensive. What you have to do at this point  is  give your reader a sound understanding of your ideas. Therefore, try to fit each idea in a single body paragraph so that you do not confuse your reader. Do not hesitate to indicate your examples to strengthen your arguments. For instance, you may explain a fact that makes a particular person you are writing about a real leader.

Also, always stick to your thesis statement and don’t forget that the body paragraphs should reveal the parts of your thesis statement.

As you may already know, you need to restate your opinion and briefly summarize all the points from the main body in conclusion. For instance, if you wrote your essay on qualities of an effective leader, state the most fundamental qualities and indicate why they matter the most. Besides, try not to copy what you have already written in the body – it is better to restate your opinion using different words. And, of course, beware adding any new and extra information; indicate only those points that you have already outlined in the text. Finally, keep in mind that it is always favorable to keep your concluding remarks short.

Leadership Essay Examples

Writing a leadership essay requires some research and time. In case you feel the necessity to go through an essay example, below is a leadership essay sample you can refer to.

Is leadership an inborn or an acquired feature?

Is everyone capable of becoming a leader, or is this ability innate? A lot of researchers have been struggling to answer this question. One assumption about leadership implies that the leader is the person who possesses particular characteristics. Another assumption claims that leaders are capable of acquiring specific features over their life span. As the evidence shows, leaders own many features that distinguish them among others and make more and more people become their followers. These might be cognitive abilities, psychological traits, professional qualities, and a lot more, and all of them will be either acquired or innate. Based on the importance of leadership qualities, such as commitment, stress resistance, and the ability to make quality decisions, it is reasonable to claim that leaders are made, not born. 

One can deem commitment as one of the top fundamental qualities of the leader. In essence, such a feature indicates that a person is passionate about the common goal, strives to be a team player, and makes every effort to reach a shared goal. As the history shows, none of the successful companies was uncoordinated by an influential, committed leader: Apple, Amazon, Microsoft – all of these companies are examples of dominant teams led by a dedicated leader. A committed leader also inspires his or her team to achieve common goals and put more effort into the shared activity. Besides, commitment is unlikely to be an innate feature; it instead comes with experience. This is so, since commitment implies dedicating oneself to the shared task, and one can reach it only via learning and continuous self-improvement.

Stress resistance is another incredibly important feature that every good leader should possess. This is because only a stress-resistant leader has sufficient capabilities to overcome any complexity and not let the anxiety and stress prevent him or her from making proper decisions. Besides, such a leader will most likely have a positive influence on the team, as long as leading by example will motivate the team members to attain the same emotional stability. What is so far familiar about stress resistance as an effective leader’s feature is that it can be either innate or attained. However, although some researchers admit that emotional stability is something one is born with, it is not entirely true; many people still put a great effort into self-improvement, changing the attitude to unfortunate situations, and so on. Therefore, being resistant to stress can be mostly attributed to a personality.

An ability to make high-quality decisions most likely determines the chances for an enterprise’s success. In particular, such quality is incredibly fundamental for a company of any size and professional orientation. Additionally, it is one of the top tasks of a good leader to make final decisions. What he or she should do implies brainstorming, discussing various opinions in the group, making forecasts, analyzing all the pros and cons. However, the leader is the one to make a final decision. Thereby, he is in charge of researching the market, discovering all the hidden truths, and analyzing the organization’s potential and capabilities to result in the most effective decision. As it flows logically from the latter, an ability to make sound quality decisions is purely a professional quality. This leads to the conclusion that one has to work hard to become a genuine leader and master the skill of making effective decisions. 

Overall, the leader may possess a multitude of different skills and master them perfectly. However, what has so far become transparent is that any leader, regardless of which team he leads, must possess three essential qualities. These qualities are commitment to the common goal, ability to handle and resist stress, and, finally, an ability to make effective decisions. All of the three qualities are most likely to be acquired over a lifetime. The statement below leads to the conclusion that even though some qualities can be innate, most are not the ones that leaders are born with. Hence, this answers an essential question: leadership feature is acquired, and not necessarily inborn.  

20 leadership essay topics

When coming up with your next leadership essay topic, it is imperative to brainstorm ideas and think of what leadership might be related to. If you are struggling with a topic of the importance of leadership essay or any relevant type of essay, you may quickly take a look at some of the possible topics we prepared for you:

• What are the main qualities of the leader?
• Successful Time Management as a feature of an effective leader
• The role that rhetoric plays in leadership
• The most exceptional leader in the history of the 20-th century
• The role of female leadership
• What are the challenges of the leader of the 21-st century?
• How college helps students develop leadership skills?
• Qualities of the leader that motivate people to follow them 
• Top things to avoid doing to become a team leader
• Examples of effective and ineffective leadership in the history
• Top techniques for developing leadership skills
• The interconnection of creativity and leadership 
• Is a university’s role fundamental in developing leadership skills?
• Dictatorship as an anti-example of leadership
• Liberal vs Authoritative leadership: which one works better?
• The influence of the leader’s role model on the followers’ mindset
• Main difficulties that the new leader may face in a new team
• Leadership of today vs leadership of the past: what has changed?
• Reasons why I want to become a member if the leadership program
• The role of cognitive abilities for the leader 

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UC Essay Prompt 1: Leadership Experience

by j9robinson | Mar 29, 2016

University of California Essay Prompts for Fall 2017 (Ideas for Answering Personal Insight Question No. 1)

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.  .

UC Essay Prompt 1 is the first of eight essay prompts for the University of California application that you can choose to answer if you are an incoming freshman.

Of the eight Personal Insight Questions , you only need to answer four.

If you consider leadership one of your defining qualities, or have had an interesting experience as a leader in some capacity, you might want to consider this essay.

Overall, leadership is a terrific quality to showcase to the UC.

And you don’t need to have held a specific “leadership” role, such as Student Body President or scoutmaster, to write about this skill.

Just make sure you share “an example” of a time you used your leadership skills in a way that is specific, interesting and unique to you.

Brainstorm First to Learn What the UC Wants to See About Leadership

The UC admissions department has provided helpful brainstorming questions both with this prompt and in a worksheet guide they offer on their web site.

You should definitely check out both before you start—since there’s no better way to learn exactly what they want to hear from you.

It can be a lot to take in. (Don’t sweat these short essays! Just read up on them and then crank them out!)

The upshot of their suggestions, in my opinion, is that they want to make sure that you don’t write a generic answer about how you are a skilled leader unless you support your point with  specific examples .

To write an effective UC Prompt 1 essay, especially since it’s relatively short (no more than 350 words), it’s critical to have a sharp focus.

That means you narrow down what you want to say about your leadership abilities.

Instead of listing all the places and experiences you have been a leader, it’s more effective to think of ONE TIME you had that role.

Another way to focus your UC Essay Prompt 1 would be to narrow down what type of leader you are, and try to define your leadership style.

Do you lead by example and use your sense of humor?

Do you lead because you are confident, disciplined and have an air of authority?

Do you lead by building a consensus and getting everyone on board with your group goals?

Once you decide what specific type of leader you are, try to think of A TIME that illustrated that style.

It doesn’t have to be an impressive time; just a moment or experience where you demonstrated your leadership ability.

You don’t have to have been an Eagle Scout, president of the chemistry club or band major to be a leader. It’s more about finding “a time” you played the role of leader, and why that mattered.

If “something happened” during that time, all the better. That will make your essay more interesting.

(Hint: To find something that happened, think about “a time” you were in a group and faced some type of problem.)

If you include a problem (obstacle/challenge/mistake/accident/mix-up/set-back…), it will be easy to go on to explain how you dealt with it—using your leadership qualities or abilities.

Here’s a Short Sample Outline for UC Essay Prompt 1

• Start by describing “a time” you faced some type of problem in a group
• Explain how you handled it (the steps you took and your inspiration) and felt
• Share why you think you were effective and why
• Reflect on what you learned about yourself
• Conclude with why your leadership style or ability will help you in future goals (personal and academic.)

(Write a couple sentences about each number and you will have a rough draft!)

Here is the complete Personal Insight Question (UC essay Prompt 1) (Notice how it’s trying to get you to find “a time” and be specific, too.)

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or a taking lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about your accomplishments and what you learned from the experience.  What were your responsibilities?

Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities.  For example, do you help out or take care of your family?

From the brainstorm Worksheet provided by UC admissions to further help with UC Essay Prompt 1:

How do you define “leader”? List three words that you think describe what a leader is:

Do any of these words apply to you? How? Is there a time in your life when you displayed any of these traits?

Back to my advice:

So remember these main points regarding UC Essay Prompt 1:

• Leadership is a role, and can apply to any group (no title needed!)
• It’s best to start with a specific example or “time” you were a leader
• Describe of what specific type of leader you are (What qualities you used)
• Include how you think about leading and what you learned

If you decide to write about UC Essay Prompt 1 as one of your four required for the UC application, write it up and see if you like it.

If not, consider one of the other prompts.

You might want to learn How to Answer UC Essay Prompt 8 as well and write about what sets you apart from other students.

RELATED: Check out my 21 Tips for UC Personal Insight Questions to get more ideas on how to select what four prompts to write about, and avoid common pitfalls.

If you need more help with these, I offer tutoring and editing services. Learn more on my SERVICES page.

Check Out These Related Posts!

I’m considering writing about my role as a foreign language teacher for young children and was wondering whether this would count as a valid leadership position/allow for me to write a unique essay that separates me from other candidates.

Hi Manjot, This sounds like a leadership experience to me. The way to make your essay stand out depends on what you have to say about your role, especially what you learned. Look for something challenging that happened and share that, and then you can explain how you thought about it and what you learned. Good luck! Janine Robinson

How could I use this format to show how helping my younger brother with his homework helped me realize I am a leader?

Hi! I wish to write about my role as the school stage lighting technician and how I prepared a junior with this skill once I graduate from school

Hi! I was considering writing about my position as a the editor of a magazine. Could this be a unique experience and how can I make myself stand out?

Hi there, Since I have already mentioned that I co-founded the Animal Volunteer Club when I answered the question about making the school a better place, I am wondering whether it will be overlap if I mentioned it again for the question of leadership? though the contents are not exactly the same. I am confused now:/ thank you

This was so helpful! I had been struggling with answering this question for a while. When I was going through your tips I got a sudden idea and I answered all the questions you provided. Now, I know what to write and how to write it.

Hello, I determined my topic for the leadership prompt to be about my experience as an older sibling. Is it a strong way to express how I left a positive impact on others (younger brother)?

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Writing a Powerful Leadership/Achievement Essay [Sample Essay]

Essays that ask you to write about significant achievements fall under the category of

what are known as behavioral or experiential questions . The basic assumption behind these questions is that past behavior is a great predictor of future behavior . They are all varieties on the theme of “Tell us about a time when you…” These questions are meant to take the measure of your managerial potential.

Let’s look at how one candidate effectively addressed this essay question from  Stanford GSB  (*this question is not from the current application):

Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.

This writer avoids writing about leadership in any generic way and zeroes in on the specific aspects of his contributions and their impact:

Leadership essay example: The Change Agent

When I was invited to become the Vice President and General Manager at Third Way Associates (TWA)* two years ago, the company was in financial and administrative disorder. Employee retention was poor, and TWA took too long to pay vendors because of poor communication and accounting processes. Cash flow was managed based on immediate needs rather than by the logic of budgets planned by project and city. Sloppy expense reports that were turned in with no receipts were reimbursed to employees.

TWA founders Scott W ____ and Glenn L ____ had good intentions, but spent most of their time selling sponsorships and getting new clients rather than directing and managing the company. As we begin 20XX, TWA is much healthier in every way. Under my direction, vendors are paid in an average of 20 days from date of invoice, instead of 60 days or more. Our cash flow is better administered since I introduced very specific detailed area budgets with over 125 budget lines per city. Because I can give the company founders much better stability and macromanagement vision, the three of us are able to look more to the future rather than simply put out fires.

Despite the difficult economy in 20XX, we not only retained our same clients but also signed several new client agreements for three years or more, including a two-year contract with Big Shoe Company worth $1.3 million. I’ve brought fresh accounts and industries into TWA, including ____ Airlines and Drink Y, among others. Combined, these accounts generated more than $500,000 in 20XX, and we estimate close to $1 million dollars in the following year.

Since my arrival, we have a much wider and broader sales menu which has been crucial to generate more revenue. I’ve expanded our most popular sports events to 25 cities, giving our clients new investment opportunities. These events range from recreational soccer clinic tours to professional soccer games broadcast on TV.

I also expanded our field staff, and at present we have 25 strong and reliable managers who report directly to me from each city. Despite the economy, 20XX was not a bad year for TWA, and this year promises to be even better if we continue our current strategy and continue to work as a team.

Leadership essay analysis

In every paragraph, this writer mentions concrete measures he took to introduce order to a chaotic company that was trying to grow. From instituting budgets with line items, an improved accounts payable system, and recruiting additional big-name accounts, the writer proves how his efforts strengthened the organization.

How can you maximize on your thought leadership experiences?

As you choose among your own experiences as essay material, think about these questions to help you frame answers of substance:

• What was the obstacle, challenge, or problem that you solved in this accomplishment? A tight client deadline? A complex merger transaction? A new product launch amidst fierce competition?
• What did you do to rise to the challenge you are writing about? Motivate your team to work overtime? Sell senior management on the deal’s long-term upside? Identify a marketing profile for your product that no competitor can match?
• What facts demonstrate that your intervention created a happy ending? Did your team submit the project deliverables three days early despite being 20% understaffed? Your client approved the $500 million merger, the largest ever in its industry? Your new product has 20% market share after only one year? What was the impact of your leadership?

Don’t forget about your people leadership skills

What we’ve spoken about until this point revolves mostly on skilled problem-solving, or “thought leadership.” But respected businesspeople need to be equally or even more talented at something we didn’t have a formal name for: people leadership. By effectively leading the thinking of client firms’ problems as well as motivating them to work long hours to develop solutions to these problems and collaborate with clients on implementing them, these businesspeople prove to have what it takes to be exemplary leaders.

So don’t forget to include strong elements of people leadership in your essays. Here are several to keep in mind:

• Rallying others around a vision. Did you convince your team or group to follow a specific path/solution? How did you do it? Successful clients have talked about handling dissenting opinions diplomatically or presenting their teams’ detailed quantitative evidence for a recommendation. The more you can show that you understood your audience and tailored the content and form of your message to them, the better.
• Harnessing others’ strengths – and expanding them. Did you provide team members tasks they could handle comfortably based on their capabilities, as well as opportunities to broaden their skills? For example, you may have handed your quant jock teammate the most complicated operations analysis as well as responsibility for leading a key client meeting. In this way, you leverage teammates’ strengths while helping them develop new ones.
• Getting through tough times. Did you model for your team enviable cool in pressure-cooker situations, maybe helping them keep the big-picture goal in mind or lightening the mood with humor? Did you reward teammates with praise, pizza, or both for working long into the night? Did you pitch in on others’ responsibilities as deadlines loomed? Helping your team handle stress while managing your own is a cornerstone of strong leadership.

Use your words

Another tip: Look for opportunities to incorporate strong verbs that illustrate your strengths in these areas. Good examples of leadership might incorporate several of the following:

• Establishing a goal or vision
• Obtaining buy-in
• Taking responsibility

The old adage, “Show, don’t tell,” remains a classic bit of wisdom in the writing process. Make that a guiding principle not only in your leadership/achievement essays, but throughout your application.

For personalized advice tailored just for you, check out our MBA Admissions Consulting & Editing services and work one-on-one with a pro who will help you discover your competitive advantage and use it to get accepted.

Related Resources:

• School-Specific MBA Application Essay Tips • Tone Up Your Writing: Confidence vs Arrogance • “I’m Smart, Really I Am!” Proving Character Traits in Your Essays

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How to write an essay about leadership

Leadership essays, or essays where you are asked about your work as a leader in your school or community, are not as common as you might imagine. Given all of the emphasis schools and clubs put on leadership roles and titles, essays asking students to dive deeply into this work are actually pretty rare in college applications. That said, it is important to consider leadership very broadly! You do not need to be the President or Founder of a club to write an effective essay for one of these prompts. In fact, sometimes the less common considerations and definitions of “leadership” can make for more compelling essays.

Example Leadership Essay Questions:

• U of California: Describe an example of your leadership and a way that you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
• U of Texas: How do you show leadership in your life? How do you see yourself being a leader at UT Austin?

LET'S BREAK DOWN THE ESSENTIAL POINTS YOU NEED TO HIT WHEN RESPONDING TO THIS SUPPLEMENT:

Leadership is more than titles – it is important, when you consider questions like these, that you reflect on activities where you have contributed to an accomplishment and learned something (about yourself, about your community). In fact, it would be a more powerful essay to reflect on a leadership contribution that was not connected to a title of leadership, but where you learned something important, than to reflect upon your activity where your leadership title is big “in name only.”

Sometimes leadership happens within your family – you do not need to limit your focus to leadership that happens during your school day.

You can consider this essay happening in two distinct ways: narrative structure – where you present a challenge you faced in a leadership role, actions you did that had an impact, and lessons you learned (skills you gained); OR montage structure – where you take on two different activities that both taught you a common lesson about leadership. Don’t muddle these together! Decide whether you want to write linearly (and chronologically in time) about one activity or if you want to write non-linearly about one leadership lesson.

THINGS TO AVOID:

Try to stay away from topics where your leadership takes the reader on a familiar journey. If you want to write about your leadership on an athletic team, that is wonderful, but try to avoid an essay about how your leadership of your team during The Big Game contributed to (winning/losing) The Big Game and the team becoming closer and being “one-strong-team.” Does that feel familiar to you? That’s because college admissions folks will have read thousands of essays that tell this type of story. If you select a common team to lead, take your essay in an uncommon direction.

Avoid lengthy introductions that take away from your word count and don’t actually support your essay response.

Avoid overemphasis on one aspect that detracts from your ability to talk about the other aspects of your story. In other words, if you spend half of your words outlining the challenge you faced, you only have ¼ of the remaining words to discuss your actions and ¼ to discuss the lessons you learned. This is not a good balance!

ADDITIONAL TIPS AND TRICKS:

• What did you do?
• What problems did you solve?
• What lessons did you learn?
• What impact did you have?
• How have you applied these lessons?

Answering these questions (and in this order) actually builds you an outline for this essay!

Do you have an extracurricular activity where the character count really limits you in terms of describing your work and impact? Consider using this essay to further highlight your contributions!

Do you have an extracurricular activity that speaks directly toward your intended major or field of study? This might be a great time to make your application stand out by sharing your leadership and contributions to this field! What problems have you solved? How can you use this prompt to share these solutions?

Elise holds a BA in Political Philosophy from Williams College and an MEd in Administration & Social Policy from Harvard. She has spent the past twenty years working in top-tier independent schools.

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How to Describe Leadership Experience in an Interview

Are you applying for a job that will involve managing other people? If so, there’s a high chance that you will be asked to describe your leadership experience in your job interview.

Questions about your prior leadership experience help interviewers to learn how you have acted in past situations where you had to take charge. While you may not have a lot of professional leadership experience, such as expertise in managing large teams, you’ll likely have a few examples that you can mention.

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In this guide, we’re going to discuss four ways to describe your leadership experience in an  interview . We’ll also walk through three examples that you can use to get a better sense of how you can describe this experience.

Why Am I Being Asked About Leadership Experience?

If you are applying for a leadership position, employers often ask about your past leadership roles or experience.

For instance, if you are applying for a job as a senior  full-stack web developer , you may be asked about a time when you led a project. This is because being a senior developer involves managing projects and taking lead on new initiatives.

Team members who have leadership abilities are more likely to stay committed to a task. They also develop better relationships with their team members and co-workers.

When you are asked to describe your leadership experience, you should be able to mention an example or two of when you exercised your leadership or management skills. For instance, you may want to discuss a time when you led a big project at your last job. You can also mention a time when you managed a few employees and what type of leadership you practiced. These will give the interviewer a better sense of how you have responded to situations that require good leadership in the past.

How to Describe Your Leadership Experience

There are a few ways that an employer could ask about your leadership skills.

They may ask you to “Describe your leadership experience.” Or, they could be more specific and ask you to “Give an example of a time when you demonstrated leadership to navigate a conflict in the workplace.” However the question is phrased, the interviewer wants to hear more about your experience exercising leadership skills.

Here are five tips that you can use to strategize your answer to this common interview question: 

• Reflect on your past leadership experiences 
• Use the STAR technique
• Explain how you have worked well with others 
• Describe a time you went above and beyond
• Mention statistics

Now that you know the five tips, let’s take a closer look at how you can implement each one in your next interview. 

#1: Reflect on your past leadership opportunities

Before you go into the interview, take some time to think about when you have exercised leadership skills in the past.

Have you taken lead over a project at work? Have you had to step up to ensure a project stays on track? Have you managed other people in the workplace? These situations would all involve some degree of leadership.

When you are asked this question, there is no need to discuss an example from the workplace. If you have practiced leadership through a volunteer project or through a hobby, then you could mention an example from that project. Suppose you are part of your local Rotary club. You could talk about how you took leadership over a fundraising initiative.

Some other leadership roles and experiences that you can mention include: 

• Travel abroad 
• Social activities and groups (book clubs, theater, dinner groups) 
• Volunteer/nonprofit leadership roles 
• Student government and organizations 
• Passion projects 

#2: Use the STAR technique

The STAR interview technique is a structured process used to answer  behavioral interview questions . STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. You can use this framework to phrase your past work experiences in a way that adequately demonstrates your skills and how you helped solve a particular problem.

Here are the main components of the STAR framework:

• S ituation: Explain the context of a problem.
• T ask: How were you involved in solving a problem? If you worked on a team, talk about your specific contributions to the team.
• A ction: What action did you take to solve the problem?
• R esult: What was the outcome of the action you took?

Using the STAR framework will help you better structure your answers, and it will ensure that you give clear and specific examples in your answers.

#3: Explain how you have worked well with others

One core aspect of leadership is being able to work well with others. Without good relationships with team members and co-workers, you cannot be an effective leader.

In your interview, you may want to spend some time discussing an example of when you worked well in a team. This example should include some mention of how you took a leadership or management role in that team.

Suppose you were responsible for leading a project at your last job. You could explain how you kept the project on track and developed closer relationships with teammates by evaluating which tasks they would be best qualified for. 

In addition, good leaders know when to acknowledge team effort. An interviewer will not just want to hear about how you succeeded, but also how you helped other people succeed in their roles.

#4: Describe a time you went above and beyond 

Keep in mind that leadership can be exhibited in something as simple as spotting a problem at work and finding a solution. Employers will appreciate any time that you went above and beyond the basic requirements of your job. You don’t have to have served as a project manager to describe a time that you were a leader. If you found a way to make workflow more efficient, better execute a task, or help new members of the team, employers will love to hear these examples of leadership.

#5: Mention statistics

There is no better way to exemplify your leadership skills than to mention statistics or other quantifiable outputs. Statistics give you the ability to clearly show how your leadership skills have had a direct impact on a business.

Suppose you were in charge of boosting retention rates on a consumer application. You could talk about how your leadership led to a specific percentage-point increase in retention over a given time frame. 

Examples of Leadership Experience in a Job Interview

Describing your leadership roles can be difficult, especially if you are applying for your first job that involves managing people. To help you discuss your leadership experience, we have prepared a few sample answers you can use to prepare for your interview.

“In my last job, I was a marketing associate for a consumer company. After noticing poor performance on one of our social media marketing campaigns, I was asked to help coordinate the creation of a new social media campaign.

"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"

Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot

To respond to this task, I first met with everyone I would be working with to hear their ideas and facilitate an open discussion on how we should move forward. Then, I worked with those people to assign tasks relevant to their interests and expertise. My manager liked my approach to this project and gave me full authority over designing and launching the new campaign.

My approach to leadership made other people feel confident sharing ideas, and as a result many team members stepped up and outlined great ideas that we implemented. In the end, the marketing campaign led to a 15% increase in web page views when the quarter ended.”

“In my role as an accounts manager at Henderson & Peters, I was responsible for managing a number of clients’ accounts and overseeing the rest of our accounts team.

I used my experience as an accounts associate to determine which methods of managing accounts work effectively. Then, I explained these methods in a handbook that I shared with my team members. I then facilitated feedback from those team members, which helped me make a number of improvements and expand the list of best practices in the handbook.

Upon receiving the handbook, a number of our accounts associates reached out to say they appreciated the ability to share their thoughts. In addition, a number of associates scheduled calls with me later on to discuss how they could implement the techniques I shared. After two quarters, our account retention rate had been boosted by 10%.”

“In my spare time, I have been volunteering for a local non-profit that builds websites for candidates for local government positions. When I joined as a volunteer, I was put in charge of improving the speed of a core project.

To tackle this challenge, I conducted research into different ways to optimize the speeds of a website using the technologies in which the project had been built. I then discussed my findings with the head developer, who approved a few of my suggestions. The head developer asked if I could take the lead on implementing a few of the optimizations I suggested.

This led to me working with other developers to make enhancements to the site. To start, I scheduled a meeting to get the broader team’s thoughts on my plans and to create a timeline. Then, we implemented my suggestions as a team, which took a total of three days.

After the project was over, rendering speeds on the project improved by 10%.”

Even if you are not applying for a management position, having leadership skills is important. Whether you want to be an accounts manager or an  entry-level accountant , leadership skills will come up on your job at some point. 

If you are asked to discuss past leadership opportunities, think back to a time when you had to step up as a leader and work with others. Then, you can use the STAR framework to help you think through the situation, how you responded, and evaluate the result of your work.

Being able to effectively discuss your leadership experience is a good way to set yourself apart from other candidates in a job interview process. This will help you move one step closer to getting hired!

About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication .

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Leadership Experience For Graduate Business Degrees

Demonstrating leadership potential is crucial to many grad programs

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If you're planning to apply to a graduate-level business program, you're going to need to be able to demonstrate that you've got leadership experience, or at a minimum, leadership potential. Many business schools, especially schools with top MBA programs , are focused on churning out leaders, so they look for MBA candidates who fit that mold. Leadership prowess is also important if you want to get a job in the business world after graduation. Read on to learn how to put your leadership skills in the best possible light.

What Is Leadership Experience?

Leadership experience is a general term used to describe your exposure to leading other people in various settings. If you've ever supervised others as part of your job, you have leadership experience. Leadership can occur outside of work as well. Maybe you helped to organize a food drive or another community-based project, or perhaps you've served as the captain of a sports team or academic group? These are examples of valuable leadership experience and are worth mentioning in an interview.

It's important to note that management and leadership are two different things. You don't have to be a manager to be a leader. You may have led other people on a work project or a team-based endeavor, even if you weren't technically in charge.

The flip side of that coin is that some managers are very poor leaders. If you've ever had to report to a manager who lacked leadership skills, a helpful exercise is to think of actionable ways you might have improved the situation because, at some point, you may be faced with a hypothetical question—in class or even on a job interview—describing a similar scenario and asked how you would have handled things differently. Teachers and employers use such questions as a measure of your problem-solving skills since they're are an essential component of being an effective leader.

Leadership Experience and Business School Applications

You already know that leadership is a quality most business schools are looking for in potential students, but nowhere is this truer than if you're applying to an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program. Unlike standard MBA programs, whose students are mostly full-time, EMBA programs are typically filled with mid-career professionals and executives. 

The opportunity to highlight your leadership experience can come up in several ways during the business school application process , so how do you demonstrate you're the kind of leader who's ready for the challenges of business school? Here are a few examples that can help you shine.

• Resumé : Many graduate programs ask you to submit a resumé with your application, and it's a great place to highlight your leadership skills and experience—but don't simply list your experiences. Detail the concrete ways in which your leadership made a difference. Did sales go up? Did employee retention rise? Did your leadership improve the general work environment, streamline workflow, increase brand recognition, and so forth? (Be sure to include things such as dollar amounts, percentage rises, and any other measurable data to support your claims.)
• Essay : Many business schools require candidates to write an application essay as part of the admissions process. In some cases, you'll be given an essay prompt related to leadership experience. Even if you're allowed to choose your own essay topic, discussing your experience is a good way to show that you have leadership potential and the ability to bring something to class that may benefit your peers. Again, don't just supply a list of your accomplishments, cite concrete detailed examples.
• Interview : Not every business school requires candidates to take part in an admissions interview , but some do. If you're asked to participate in an interview, you should expect at least one question will be about your leadership experience or leadership potential. Be prepared. Think about your responses in advance. You might want to try your answers out on parent, peer, or friend in a mock interview to make sure you're on the mark.

10 Leadership Experience Questions to Ask Yourself

Before you begin detailing your leadership experience to others, you need to make sure you're giving the best examples. These 10 self-assessment questions will get you started. Just be sure to give examples that specifically describe the ways in which you accomplished these goals.

• How have I motivated others?
• Have I ever improved the performance of others?
• Have I been able to make use of other people's talents and skills?
• How have I addressed or helped other people to address their mistakes?
• Have I ever marshaled resources to overcome a problem I discovered?
• In what way have I built on an organization's success?
• Have I ever helped a team to articulate a vision?
• How have I helped other people adapt to a new situation?
• What methods have I used to boost morale within an organization?
• How have I helped others overcome challenges in their personal or professional life?

Remember, leadership experience isn't always necessarily about what you've done—it's about what you've helped other people do. 

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A Full Guide On How To Create Good Leadership Essay

Attempting a leadership essay isn’t such a daunting task, provided you have a grasp of the necessary information needed for a leadership paper. To write this special essay, you’ll need to redefine what exactly an essay on leadership is, how to choose the perfect topic, what should be in the content, and how to organize and structure the paper. Let’s delve deeper!

What Is A Leadership Essay?

A leadership essay is a well-formatted, organized and specialized type of formal writing which elaborates on a generic leadership topic or a superior human figure exercising a great influence on people and transmitting desire and optimism to achieve goals.

What Makes A Good Leader Essay?

There are some peculiarities needed to infuse in your write-up if, for example, you’re trying to learn how to write a leadership essay about yourself.

Also, if you’re just trying to produce leadership essays for college, then you’d first and foremost, learn  how to structure an essay , among other skills needed for this type of essay. Here are some qualities which can be found in a good essay about leadership.

• Choose a creative topic
• Avoid the passive voice (the active voice sounds stronger)
• Search for and study leadership essay examples
• Follow the appropriate essay style
• Focus on the essay structure
• Review the essay

How To Choose A Topic And Make A Great Title?

To choose a topic for a paper on leadership, you need to do some research on the concept of a leader (whether in the corporate industry, political society or even in the criminal world). You have to know the current leadership tendencies in organizational groups or society. You can choose to make a leader the point of your reference by explaining the consequences of their leadership abilities or inabilities.

In the body of your essay, don’t forget to mention several types of leadership styles and point out which one the subject portrays. Finally, you should not rule out making comparisons of famous leaders in the modern world or in history. An example of a great prompt for a leadership essay that deploys the comparison technique would be the leadership styles of President Trump and The Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte as both leadership styles have been subjected to political reviews in recent times since their emergence as president of their respective countries.

Outline For A Leadership Essay

When writing a college or professional essay such as -long and short essays on leadership, planning is the key to perfection. The general outline for any essay, including leadership papers, include an introduction, the body paragraphs (which must be properly linked with transition words and/or phrases) and a recapitulating or finding-based conclusions. Here’s what your outline should look like:

Introduction

Knowing how to start a leadership essay depends on your introduction writing ability. The introduction is the gateway to the essay. Aided by punchy opening words, which are the hook, the purpose of the introduction is to draw the reader’s attention. The introduction presents the thesis statement and leaves the body paragraphs to sustain the reader’s interest.

Body Paragraphs

Having informed the readers of the topic of the essay in the introductory paragraph(s), the body paragraphs follow immediately.

Here, you can elaborate on the concept of leadership and do a meaningful interpretation of the subject – the topic or the thesis statement. Don’t forget to talk about your leadership philosophies and leadership experience in whatever capacity you might have found yourself in. Remember, people are more interested in personal experiences. They are great in helping to sustain readers’ attention.

Remember to state a thesis or hypothesis in the opening paragraphs – which is the intro. In each of the body paragraphs of the essay, try to relate your points to the thesis and use each point to prove its validity.

The conclusion is the end part of any well-structured essay. Its purpose is a no-brainer. You don’t want to leave your reader hanging by ending the essay cold turkey. Any standard essay without a conclusion is just as useless as an essay with no purpose. However, be careful not to present new ideas not mentioned in the body.

As mentioned, the conclusion serves to summarize the developed points, restate the thesis and/or present the findings. It is your last opportunity to create an impression on the reader, and this is where they take the message away. If your conclusion is weak, then we might say the essay’s objectives are not achieved.

What To Include In A Leadership Essay?

Here are some tips on what your leadership essay should include.

Your Definition Of A Good Leader And Why He Or She Is Important

Since your essay revolves around leadership and the traits of a good leader, you’ll need to define what it takes to be one. You may also take this opportunity to trash some common myths on what a leader is (i.e., a manager being confused for a leader).

For reference purposes, the concepts of leadership and being a good leader are explained:

Leadership is the quality of a leader and is that person capable of exercising a great influence on people and transmitting desire and optimism to achieve goals. A leader is a guide; someone with ideas and goals that can spread to a large group of people who still believe he or she can lead them in the right direction.

There are many types of leaders and therefore, of leadership since people generally always look for a person or group that shows them a direction to follow. You can find religious, political, social, or philosophical leadership. Leadership can be exercised in a traditional way. In many countries, there is a monarchy. The king or queen is a leader with limited political power, at least in western democracies, but still have the respect and consideration of the people. Their words continue to be heard and taken into account, especially in problematic times. There are other types of leadership that are not given by birth, such as legitimate leadership exercised by, for example, political leaders freely chosen by their people, or charismatic leaders.

In a way, charismatic leaders are what many understand as leaders since they are people who, by their way of behavior and characteristics, get many people to follow and adhere to their ideas. Some charismatic leaders can become legitimate leaders if they choose the path of politics. A traditional leader can also be charismatic. There have always been kings loved by his people more than others. But it can also be a person who prefers independent movements outside of power.

Charisma is the personal magnetism a person has. It is something very difficult to define but makes one capable of convincing others without too much effort, making people follow and trust the leading figure. Charisma can be used positively or negatively. The leaders of the most destructive sects are very charismatic people that are capable of convincing their followers of the eeriest ideas, including donating all their belongings or committing collective suicide.

Examples Of Your Leadership Style

In the content of your essay, you may consider giving an interpretation to your (or your chosen leader’s) leadership traits. Below are some examples of leadership qualities that separate a good leader from a bad leader.

What qualities are necessary for leadership

• Communication
• Emotional intelligence
• Strategic thinking
• Commitment and passion
• Knowledge and experience
• Leading by example
• Active listening
• Ability to enhance talent
• Setting goals and expectations
• People investment
• Discernment
• Concentration
• Positive attitude
• Problem-solving
• Self-discipline

Leadership Essay Example

To know how to do essay fast, you’ll need some ready-made essay examples for the sake of guidance and inspiration. You may find below a leadership essay written by Oliver Smith useful in your leadership paper.

Writing a leadership essay should be easy. A good essay on leadership starts from the hook, and the thesis statement in the introduction. The points developed in the body paragraphs help affirm the hypothesis. Finally, the conclusion offers the reader a summary through the restatement of the essay’s main idea.

As required for every essay type, your essay on leadership has to follow a definite style and format. Examples are MLA, APA, Chicago and AP styles. Take your time in choosing a creative but new topic and also in writing the content. By following this guide, everything should be as perfect as possible.

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A number of national scholarships and fellowships ask applicants to write about their leadership experiences.  Here are a few prominent examples:

• Truman Scholarship - “Describe a particular example of your leadership.” 
• Marshall Scholarship - “Describe a situation in which you recognized and responded to a need for leadership.
• Udall Scholarship - “Describe a leadership experience in which you made a difference on your campus or in your community.” 

The most extensive prompt comes from the Schwarzman Scholars Program and could be used as a guide to reflection for leadership essays for many other scholarships:

• The intellectual/analytical abilities to identify and understand challenges and opportunities, and envision solutions
• The initiative to act and communicate why 
• Interpersonal skills to inspire a team effort 
• An ability to push through resistance and/or challenges to reach positive results/change for the better. 
• What was the problem or issue you identified, and why did you choose to act? 
• What was your plan of action? 
• What obstacles or challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
• What were the outcomes and impact on the community or purpose? 
• What did you learn and/or what lessons would you pass on to others? 
• How has this experience shaped you as a leader and how does it connect with your vision for future leadership aspirations?

The following suggestions are intended to help you reflect upon and express your own leadership experiences.

Answering the Prompt

Pay careful attention to what the prompt asks you to describe.  A common pitfall to avoid is explaining your “theory” of leadership.  It may be very helpful to articulate this in your preparatory work, but the final essay should directly address the information requested in the prompt.  To get started, ask yourself: what are the subtle differences in the above prompts?

Definitions of Leadership

What is leadership?  While there are lots of definitions out there, they tend to emphasize two main aspects: (a) the creation of shared vision and (b) collective motivation toward the achievement of this vision.  Here are two illustrative examples:

The process of “influencing the activities of an organized group toward goal-setting and goal-achievement” (Stogdill, 1950)

“A process of social influence in which a person can enlist the the aid and support of others to achieve a common goal” (Chemers, 1997)

The common thread here is that leadership is about accomplishing through a group what we could not have accomplished as individiduals.  For each of the various examples that you might choose to write about, ask yourself: What was your vision? How did this vision come about? In what context (e.g. needs, opportunities)?  How did you communicate this vision to others?  How did you invite them to identify their own interests/values with this vision? How did you inspire them to action?  How did you marshall the common resources necessary to make this vision a reality? How did you enlist the support of others inside or outside your organization?

Leadership vs. Authority

One of the most common mistakes is to conflate “leadership experiences” with “leadership positions” - i.e. positions of authority within an organization.  Merton (1969) defines authority as “the legitimate rights of a position that require others to obey.” It is an attribute of a social position.  Leadership, on the other hand, “is an interpersonal relation in which others comply because they want to, not because they have to” (Merton, 1969).  Leadership, as defined above, can be found at every level of an organization.  So expand your list of possible experiences beyond the list of executive positions you’ve held in organizations.

Some Common Functions of Leadership

How have your leadership experiences demonstrated one or more of these common functions (selected from Merton, 1969)?

Leaders facilitate the adaptive capacity of social systems to internal and external pressures and opportunities.  

Leaders are future-oriented as well as present-oriented.  In the context of student leadership, it is particularly important to institutionalize processes in ways that will outlive a particular student generation.

Leaders enunciate the values and ideals of the group. Whether assigned the task or not, leaders represent the group to the larger community.

Leaders evaluate available resources and cope with the problem of their allocation.

Leaders express aspirations that evoke resonance among members of the group (i.e. shared vision).

Leaders mobilize, guide, coordinate, and control the efforts of group members. When effective, they deepen the motivation and enlarge the output of members beyond what would be achieved without them.

Leaders arbitrate and mediate the inevitable conflicts that emerge in social interaction in such a fashion that most group members most of the time feel that justice has been done.

Maintaining Focus

The word limit for these essays is typically very short.  As with any personal statement, the particular experience you discuss should be an illustration of your abiding character traits.  Provide the essential information about the context, but keep the focus on examples of how your traits interacted with the context to produce a leadership experience.  It might be helpful to organize your notes for the essay under three headings:

• Problem (or Opportunity) - What is the essential problem or opportunity that your group's action sought to address?
• Action - What did you (as an individual and as a group) do to address this problem or capitalize on this opportunity?
• Results - What were the tangible results of your action? How did it solve the problem or benefit others?  Can you provide numbers to demonstrate the impact of the action?  Is the solution ongoing and sustainable?

Remember you don’t have include every detail.  In many cases, the example that you discuss should be coordinated with the writer of your “leadership” letter of recommendation who can provide additional information.  Suggested Reading

Robert K. Merton,  "The Social Nature of Leadership"  (1969)

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Valuable Leadership Experience Essay

Business managers are increasingly finding themselves being replaced by business leaders. The difference between a leader and a manager is that while a manager views the job as a career, a leader perceives it as a calling and a personal responsibility.

There are many traits that differentiate between a manager and a leader, but the most significant element is their role since the duty of a manager is to manage, while that of a leader is to lead. Unlike managers, leaders attract their follows by earning their trust and through motivation. In my professional career, I have had several opportunities not only to be a manager, but also to exercise my leadership skills. This essay endeavors to describe one such occasion.

Our company strategized to formulate a method through which our major clients would be transited for GAAP to IFSR. The company executives preferred internally bred solution. Thus, we were divided into teams, each with a leader and a mentor. The teams were to present their findings to the judges who were the company executives in a span of two weeks. Ken, an extremely respected business leader was my team leader.

However, his packed schedules did not allow him time to convene our group within the first week. Upon realizing that we were running out of time, I decide to convene our first meeting with our mentor to map the way forward. This first meeting was not very successful as my team members did not have the necessary knowledge on the case we were working on. This influenced our mentor to be very skeptical of our team’s ability.

That is when I decided to take full responsibility of the project. I rallied my team members and within a short time, we had a workable project plan, comfortable with all members. I then identified the special talents in each of my team members and assigned them responsibilities concurrent with those talents. This proved very useful in improving team efficiency.

Prior to every meeting, I did extensive research on the case and summarized my findings. These findings provided my team with necessary information it needed. I had to provide the general direction, thus giving each member space for creative involvement in the task.

The fact that we were short of time motivated team members to work diligently in their areas of responsibly and reporting to the group on the progress made. The task was not only completed in time, but was also voted as the best. It was a task accomplished successfully within limited time and under dedicated leadership and teamwork.

Our project provides several valuable lessons on leadership. Leaders must develop the trust of team members and their abilities to accomplish the task. Other than provide general direction, they should also provide the necessary resources to the team. In our case, knowledge was the resource the team members needed. They also recognize and allocate duties according to team member’s abilities, while letting them be creatively involved in the task. Generally, they make every member feel appreciated and valued by the team.

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Interview Questions

Comprehensive Interview Guide: 60+ Professions Explored in Detail

13 Leadership Experience Examples for Interviews

By Biron Clark

Published: November 20, 2023

You could hear this question in any interview… whether it’s an entry-level position or a Director job: “What are some of your leadership experiences?”

I’m going to give you the 3 steps to make sure you give a GREAT interview answer that stands out and makes them think “yes, this is the person we should hire!”

Then, we’ll look at 13 examples of leadership experience you can include on your resume or mention in interviews (including some you may not realize you have!)

Let’s get started…

Why Do Employers Ask About Your Prior Leadership Experience?

Employers will inquire about your prior leadership experience when you interview for a position as a supervisor or manager or when they anticipate that you’ll lead a team on specific projects. 

Even if you don’t have specific management experience in a prior role, you likely have experience leading a task to completion or organizing a project. Highlight your experience and the steps you took to manage your team successfully. Your example will give the interviewer a sense of what to expect if they hire you for the role.

What are Leadership Experience and Skills?

Leadership skills encompass several traits, including interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, strategic thinking, and negotiation. The right combination of leadership experience and skills allows managers to successfully motivate their teams and inspire them to work toward specific goals. Good leaders will also demonstrate accountability for their responsibilities and actions.

Watch: How to Answer “What Are Some of Your Leadership Experiences?”

How to answer “what are some of your leadership experiences”.

There are a couple of guidelines to keep in mind. You want to pick leadership examples that follow these 3 guidelines:

1. Choose an example that’s as relevant as possible

What does this mean? If you’re applying for a Customer Service Supervisor job, and you’ve had some leadership experience in other customer service roles , you should absolutely share that! That’s much more relevant than leadership on a sports team, in school, etc. So always go with what’s most relevant first!

2. Pick something that’s somewhat recent if you can

Recent experience beats older experience if everything else is equal. So when you share some of your leadership experiences, pick things that are recent whenever you have a choice.

3. And finally, choose an example that’s impressive overall

Along with thinking about which of your experiences are most relevant and recent, you need to think about how impressive something is overall. Leading a large number of people is impressive. Managing people directly is more impressive than just leading people on a quick project (especially if you’re interviewing for a job where you’ll be managing more people directly – this goes back to what’s relevant!) Leading a complex project is impressive. Handling multiple projects is impressive. You get the point. So also think about the scale of your past leadership, and the challenges involved, and try to share examples that are most challenging and have a “wow” factor.

Best Interview Answers for “What Are Some of Your Leadership Experiences?”

So to give the best answer possible, you want to combine the three points above, and then be specific. If you have previous work experience, use the STAR method – Situation, Task, Action, Result. What was the situation you were in? Was it school, a recent job, or something else? How many people did you lead, and who were they? Next, what was the task? What did you need to accomplish or what problem did you face? After that, talk about the action you took and how you led. What were your options, which did you choose as a leader, and why?

And finally, conclude your leadership experiences by talking about the RESULT. That’s most important. How did things turn out? And what did you learn from it? How did you use this experience to improve and how will you use this knowledge to perform well in this job you’re interviewing for!

It’s Okay if You Don’t Have ‘Perfect’ Leadership Examples…

Maybe you just graduated from school, or you’re applying for your first job . You might not have work-related leadership experience. That’s okay. Just pick the most relevant leadership experiences that you can think of. Do the best you can with the example you prepare. Nobody’s perfect, and nobody has every single thing an employer wants in the interview, so you just need to prepare the best you can and give the best example you can when responding to the question. And if the STAR method isn’t working (I’ve seen people struggle to use it if your example of leadership experience is from sports, etc.), make it simpler and just focus on the situation, and what you learned from it. What was the goal, and how did you help accomplish it through leadership? And how did you improve and develop as a leader? Always show what you learned at the end! That’s one of the keys to answering this type of interview question. If you don’t have any formal leadership experience (like managing a team at work, or managing client projects), here are 13 examples of leadership experience to help you get ideas…

13 Leadership Experience Examples

1. leading a project or task in school.

This can be any level of school. Choose whatever you completed most recently. If you’re a college graduate, pick a project from the last one or two years of college. If you just graduated high school, choose something from your senior year.  Taking a lead role in a school project is a great example of leadership experience. If you delegated tasks, chose the overall strategy for the project, or anything like that, that’s leadership! Organizing a team presentation can also be considered leadership.

Example answer:

I was assigned to lead a team of three colleagues in my college marketing course. We had to develop a comprehensive digital marketing strategy for a hypothetical e-commerce company. I organized our group to work on different components of the plan, including our content, social media , and email strategy. We developed a 15-page report and earned an A+.

2. Organizing a study group

Maybe you didn’t lead projects in school, but you organized a study group after class. That’s still a great example of leadership and taking initiative. Any example of you taking initiative and doing something that wasn’t required, but helped you succeed, is a good leadership example.

A calculus course during college was extremely difficult, and I noticed several students were struggling with the assignments and tests. I organized a study group that met twice each week to discuss calculus concepts and work on our homework together. The group was highly beneficial; we all finished with As and Bs in the course. 

3. Spotting a problem at work and finding a solution

Maybe you spotted a potential problem in your most recent job and brought it to your boss’ attention, or better yet – fixed it yourself. This is a great leadership example. Any time you go above and beyond what your basic job requires and solve a problem or take the lead on something without being asked is great leadership.

In my previous job as a quality control engineer, I noticed that a part we manufactured often had a specific defect. I looked further into the issue and found that one of our machines didn’t have the proper calibrations, and this caused the defect. I alerted a manager and we fixed the machine. After that, we saw a 90% decrease in defects for that part.

4. Sports leadership experience

If you’ve played a lead role on any sports teams, this can certainly be used as a leadership example in job interviews.  So think back to your past, and whether you led any sports teams.

I was a cheerleader in high school, and we regularly competed against other teams in our city. I wanted our team to win before I graduated, so I designed a creative cheer that involved lots of stunts and dancing. We practiced hard, and our performance was rock solid at the competition. We won the event and took home several trophies.

5. Volunteer/non-profit leadership

If you’ve volunteered at a local foundation or non-profit and taken a leadership role – even in one task or for one day – you can mention this as leadership experience.  Some of the best leadership experience examples can be for one single day or one single moment; it doesn’t need to be something you did for years.

I volunteer at my local Animal Rescue and usually spend at least one or two days each month caring for the animals in the shelter. I wanted to see more animals go to good homes, so I contacted a pet store to organize adoptions for dogs and cats. We moved several animals to the store, and they were immediately adopted. 

6. Training/mentoring newer team members

You don’t need to have a Manager or Supervisor job title to play a lead role in a past job. If you were ever asked to help get a new team member up to speed, train them on the basics, or watch over them in their first few weeks, that’s a great example of leadership experience. This shows your past boss trusted you and knew they could rely on you. That’s one of the key things you want to try to do when sharing past leadership experiences – pick something that shows other people thought you were someone they could trust and rely on. In an interview, this will help convince the interviewer that they can also rely on you! That’ll help you get hired.

In my last role as an accountant , we expanded our department by ten new employees in six months. Most new workers were recent college graduates, so I became a mentor to help them adjust to the work environment. I introduced them to our accounting system and ensured they had the guidance to perform their tasks.

7. Managing clients/projects

Maybe you’ve never had people reporting directly to you, but you’ve managed projects or managed client accounts for your last company.  You can certainly mention that as one of your leadership examples in the interview.

In my last role as a sales director, I was in charge of several prolific clients who were a significant source of revenue for our company. I ensured that our services always met their needs and regularly checked in on them so we could immediately fix any issues they encountered. Every one of the clients I worked with renewed their contract with our company.

8. Direct reports

If you’ve ever had direct reports, this is the most powerful example you can give. If you hired people, did annual reviews, and had them report to you on a regular basis, this shows your employer trusted you at a very high level. While most people aren’t going to be able to give this as an example, if you can, you should!

In my last role as the human resources manager , I oversaw a team of six employees. I ensured they had all the resources needed to handle their responsibilities and was always there to guide them if questions arose. During my time, the company promoted two of my team members to supervisory positions, and they credited my mentorship as a significant reason for their success.

9. Leading a meeting or committee

This can be at school, at an after-school organization, any type of volunteer organization, a job, a club, etc. If you led a meeting or committee for even a short time period or one-time event, that’s still great leadership experience to put on a resume and then talk about in interviews if asked.  For example, if you were part of a club that needed to host an event, and they put you in charge of the committee responsible for finding a venue and calling different event halls to ask if they’re available – that’s something you led.

As the project manager for the compliance department, I led a weekly meeting with our legal, accounting, finance, and tax team members. Before the meeting, I organized all the topics to discuss and any current updates I had. I ensured that each session was smooth and productive and that every participant understood the responsibilities they needed to take care of in the next week.

10. Passion projects

Even if you took the lead on a project that wasn’t work-related and wasn’t for a non-profit, you can still share it as a leadership example.  Maybe you got three friends together to build an electric go-cart. This still shows the ability to manage and organize a highly-technical, time-consuming project. That’s a valuable trait for many jobs! So don’t be shy about sharing examples of leadership experience even if you weren’t paid for it, weren’t officially a “manager”, and weren’t doing it for an official organization or employer!

While in college, I decided to organize a group of people who enjoyed weekend hikes. I’m a regular hiker familiar with the nearby trails, so I led every trek, ensuring that everyone remained safe and enjoyed the time spent in nature. By the end of the first semester, over 100 students had joined the club. Even though it’s been a few years since my last college hike, we still keep in contact and share the hikes and nature adventures we embark on.

11. Conflict Resolution

Everyone experiences conflict at some point in their lives, both personally and professionally. However, not everyone can successfully resolve disputes. If you have a noteworthy example of conflict resolution, share it with the interviewer. For example, perhaps you stopped a disagreement between two colleagues and found a reasonable compromise that suited both parties.

In my last job as a pediatric nurse , I had a patient who broke their arm after falling during a baseball game. The family members were distraught, and the parents blamed one another for the accident. Their arguments upset the child, so I stepped in and asked them to calm down. I explained that it was an accident and there was no point in arguing. Instead, they should focus their energy on supporting their child. They stopped arguing and quickly understood that the cause of the tension came from worry. 

12. Family Responsibilities

If you have children, a spouse, or elderly parents you care for, you’ve likely encountered numerous scenarios when you needed to step in and take charge. For instance, maybe you noticed your child didn’t understand a schoolwork concept, so you helped them study for their test. If you have an aging parent, you might take a leadership role in their healthcare needs.

As the oldest child, I cared for my younger brother and sister since my parents both worked full-time. After I started driving, I took them to school and ensured they always got to their after-school activities. I was also responsible for making their school lunches and cooking dinner since my parents often didn’t get off work until 6 or 7 p.m..

13. Event Planning

Event planning is another area where leadership is crucial. Overseeing a significant event requires lots of planning, organization, and time management. If you’ve recently planned an event, such as a wedding or a networking activity, you could describe your work and how you ensured the event occurred without a hitch.

My best friend asked me to be her wedding planner. She knows how much I enjoy planning major events and expected I would do a great job catering to her tastes. I planned the entire wedding, including the after-party, for nearly 500 guests. The results were spectacular, and our friends and family still discuss it. Another friend is getting married next year, and she’s asked me to assist in the planning, too.

Full Example Answers for “What Are Your Leadership Experiences?”

Now that you know what to include in your answer, let’s look at a few examples. I’ll give an example for a recent graduate without work experience, and then for somebody who has work experience already.

Example answer if you have no work experience:

I just finished my degree in Finance , and most of my classes during my final year involved teamwork. I try to step up as a leader whenever possible, because it allows me to develop skills in communication, delegation, and managing multiple tasks and deadlines. In a senior-level Accounting class, we were broken off into teams of four and had to complete a large project throughout the entire semester. My team ended up getting the highest grade in the class because I set a schedule early in the project and delegated tasks to people based on their strengths. I enjoy leading and delegating, and I hope to continue leading in my professional career now.

Example answer if you have work experience:

In my last job, I was responsible for supervising a team of five, including managing their schedules, training them and mentoring them. I enjoy leadership and am proud to say that two of these five people were promoted while I was mentoring them. In my job before that, I supervised a team of three designers on certain projects. I wasn’t their direct manager but they reported to me for the projects I led. So I have a mix of project management experience from that role and direct management experience from my most recent job. I enjoy both.

What To Do Next:

Now you need to come up with your own examples of leadership experience to share in the interview. Think about where you’ve led, what you’ve learned, and which story will be most relevant to the employer. Remember the first thing we discussed: Your example of leadership experience should be as relevant as possible, somewhat recent, and impressive overall. If that doesn’t sound familiar, go back to the first half of the article where this is mentioned. And whatever example of past leadership experience you choose to share, be ready to get specific and share real results. What was the outcome and what did you learn? Any time an interviewer is asking this, there’s a good chance they want to hire a strong leader. So you need to sound like you enjoy leading and are comfortable doing more of this in the future!

About the Author

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Describe an Example of Your Leadership Experience

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Essay on Leadership: Samples in 100, 200, 300 Words

• Updated on  
• Oct 7, 2023

The concept of leadership has been known to us since ancient times, from Ashoka: The Great to modern-day democratic leaders. Whether it’s politics or business, sports or entertainment, leadership is an essential part of human society, Leadership is the art of inspiring and guiding people towards a common goal. 

Critics might argue that being a leader is just about holding a prestigious position and living a fancy life. That might be 1 in 1000 cases, as leaders across the globe work for the welfare and development of their people and country. Below we have discussed some essays on leadership where the multifaceted roles of this position are highlighted. 

This Blog Includes:

Essay on leadership in 100 words, essay on leadership in 200 words, essay on leadership in 300 words.

Also Read – Essay on Summer Vacation

Leadership involves a set of qualities, values and actions, which are focused on the benefit of people and their country. A person holding the position of a leader plays a pivotal role in every facet of life, influencing the direction and success of organizations, communities, and nations. To become a leader, one must have a clear vision to understand a future state that is better than the present and communicate that vision to their team or followers.

A leader’s actions should be aligned with their words, and they must demonstrate their honesty, transparency and ethical behaviour. Trust is the foundation for any successful leadership, and it is built through consistent ethical conduct. 

Leadership is a complex and multifaceted concept and is an essential part of developing a society or organisation. Leadership can involve various positions and types, from democratic to autocratic, where the leaders inspire and empower their teams, fostering an environment where individuals can thrive and achieve their fullest potential.

Effective leadership involves skilled communicators to can convey ideas, expectations, and feedback clearly and persuasively. They also listen actively to their team’s input and concerns. A great leader empowers a team of professionals by entrusting them with responsibilities and decision-making authority. With the formation of delegates, the power of leadership is divided among different authorities who are responsible for fostering growth and development among team members, making the organization more robust.

Some of the fundamentals of leadership are authenticity, integrity, ethical behaviour, a clear vision and other vital traits. Trust is the bedrock of leadership, and it is built through honesty, transparency, and consistency in actions and decisions. A leader who understands and cares about the needs and concerns of their team fosters strong relationships, promoting collaboration and cohesion.

At last, leadership is more than a title; it’s the embodiment of vision, integrity, empathy, communication and resilience. Effective leaders work to bring positive changes, inspire people around them and create a sense of purpose and direction in their terms and organizations.

Also Read – Essay on Cricket

Leadership is a vital concept for the welfare of a society, community or country, depending on what the leadership is about. A leader transcends boundaries and is fundamental to human endeavours in various domains. Their job involves the ability to influence and guide a group of individuals toward achieving a common objective. Effective leadership is characterized by a combination of qualities, skills, and behaviours that inspire, motivate, and empower a team.

The first and most important aspect of a successful leader is having a clear vision. A clear vision works as a guiding light, outlining the desired future and providing a sense of purpose and direction for the team. Leaders with a compelling vision can inspire and rally their followers, creating a shared sense of purpose. 

The other cornerstone of leadership is integrity. Leaders must demonstrate honesty, transparency, and ethical behaviour. Trust, which is essential in any team or organization, is built on the foundation of integrity. When people believe that their leader acts with integrity, they are more likely to follow willingly and commit to the cause. 

Another trait that is essential for effective leadership is empathy. Leaders with empathy understand and connect with the emotions, needs, and perspectives of their team members. By showing compassion and actively listening, they create a supportive and inclusive environment that fosters trust and collaboration.

Apart from these traits, other important qualities for effective leadership include effective communication and interpersonal skills. A leader must be able to articulate their vision, goals, and expectations clearly and persuasively. 

In conclusion, leadership is a multifaceted concept that plays a pivotal role towards the positive growth and development of organizations, communities, and societies. Effective leaders inspire their teams, create a sense of purpose, and drive positive change. Leadership is not merely a position; it is a journey of personal growth and a commitment to serving the greater good.

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Some of the synonyms for a leader are: Coach, Captain, Principal, Chairman, Kingpin, Boss, CEO, etc.

What makes a good leader is their ability to persuade people using their effective communication skills, having a clear vision working towards the welfare of society, and taking responsibility for their actions.

Writing an essay on leadership in 200 words must include the fundamental aspects of leadership and the qualities they must possess. Effective leaders around the world create a supportive and inclusive environment where people can thrive and contribute their best efforts. They inspire a shared sense of purpose, foster collaboration, and guide their teams toward achieving collective goals.

For more information about such informative articles, visit our essay writing page and make sure to follow Leverage Edu .

Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

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What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse?

It almost time! Millions of Americans across the country Monday are preparing to witness the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse as it passes over portions of Mexico, the United States and Canada.

It's a sight to behold and people have now long been eagerly awaiting what will be their only chance until 2044 to witness totality, whereby the moon will completely block the sun's disc, ushering in uncharacteristic darkness.

That being said, many are curious on what makes the solar eclipse special and how is it different from a lunar eclipse.

The total solar eclipse is today: Get the latest forecast and everything you need to know

What is an eclipse?

An eclipse occurs when any celestial object like a moon or a planet passes between two other bodies, obscuring the view of objects like the sun, according to NASA .

What is a solar eclipse?

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the Earth and the sun, blocking its light from reaching our planet, leading to a period of darkness lasting several minutes. The resulting "totality," whereby observers can see the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, known as the corona, presents a spectacular sight for viewers and confuses animals – causing nocturnal creatures to stir and bird and insects to fall silent.

Partial eclipses, when some part of the sun remains visible, are the most common, making total eclipses a rare sight.

What is a lunar eclipse?

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon and the sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth. When this happens, Earth blocks the sunlight that normally reaches the moon. Instead of that sunlight hitting the moon’s surface, Earth's shadow falls on it.

Lunar eclipses are often also referred to the "blood moon" because when the Earth's shadow covers the moon, it often produces a red color. The coloration happens because a bit of reddish sunlight still reaches the moon's surface, even though it's in Earth's shadow.

Difference between lunar eclipse and solar eclipse

The major difference between the two eclipses is in the positioning of the sun, the moon and the Earth and the longevity of the phenomenon, according to NASA.

A lunar eclipse can last for a few hours, while a solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes. Solar eclipses also rarely occur, while lunar eclipses are comparatively more frequent. While at least two partial lunar eclipses happen every year, total lunar eclipses are still rare, says NASA.

Another major difference between the two is that for lunar eclipses, no special glasses or gizmos are needed to view the spectacle and one can directly stare at the moon. However, for solar eclipses, it is pertinent to wear proper viewing glasses and take the necessary safety precautions because the powerful rays of the sun can burn and damage your retinas.

Contributing: Eric Lagatta, Doyle Rice, USA TODAY