The best part about attending business school is hearing ideas from classmates who come from very diverse backgrounds. One of my squad members and I had a great conversation on our way back from LOE (Leadership Outdoor Experience) about the amazing people we have met and how enriching conversations with our classmates were during these past 3 days. He and I both met a very different set of students but our take away was similar: "Wow!"
One topic that we Booth students discussed in depth at LOE was leadership. I met up with some of my friends from Random Walk (10 days traveling in a foreign country with classmates before school starts) in a very casual setting and ended up talking about our thoughts on the qualities of a good leader. We were all from different industries: military, nonprofit and investment banking, but came to similar conclusions on what leadership means. The interesting part of this conversation was that we had very different experiences at our jobs but still managed to exercise some of the same skills like motivating people, deferring to expertise, maintaining integrity and listening to the ideas of others. However, our leadership styles were very different depending on the culture of our company or firm. For instance, assertiveness may be more valued in investment banking than in nonprofit but either way, you have to find a way to engage the people around you.
Another interesting thing I learned about leadership is how to leverage others' expertise or style. As an extrovert sometimes it is difficult to be quiet and just listen. As a former teacher, listening was very important for my job but a challenge for me. Thus far, I have found incredible leadership in my classmates, who may not be as talkative or outgoing as myself. I have worked in groups with less outgoing people, who have interesting backgrounds and so many brilliant ideas. I would like to continue to participate in discussions with these people and other outgoing people. Everyone in my class is at Chicago Booth because they are highly talented and intellectual so I am going to invest a lot of time listening to their perspectives in class, student activities and social settings.
In order to really enrich your perspective, it is important to learn from others. I want to challenge you to 2 things:
1) Reach out to people who are different from you. Remember, diversity is not just about race or ethnicity.
2) Engage people around you and really listen to what they have to say.
