Business Leaders Have to Carry More Than

¶ … business leaders have to carry more than just the responsibility of delivering shareholder value. They must also ensure excellent corporate governance, if they are to leave a valuable legacy of honest and responsible business ethics for future generations. The last is key, since it is 'the organization,' which impacts hundreds of thousands of lives, offering as it does, the prospect of achieving economic security. After all, both office politics as well as many a petty and big crime has its roots in economic motivation! Thus, organizations play virtually a central role in molding business and human values, which is why it is vital for successful business leaders to also lead the way to increasing community involvement, especially in securing the welfare of the weaker segments of society.

In practice, however, for business leaders to deliver on the corporate governance and community involvement fronts, it is vital that they possess the vision and courage to build and maintain a corporation that has an effective structure, culture, and business model in an increasingly competitive environment. For it is only then that they will have the requisite resources and be able to inspire the necessary confidence and respect to effect change, both within their organization as well as in society. This is a self-evident truth reflected in the biographies of virtually all great leaders in the history of humanity.

The above profile of a successful business leader forms the introduction to my admission essay as it matches my personal vision and ambition, which I have every confidence that I will, one day, achieve. For not only do I possess a drive to succeed, I have experiential knowledge of just what Joseph Kennedy meant when he said, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." I am not using Kennedy's words lightly, as I am a person who has been through the rigors of U.S. Navy Seal training, which typically sees an 80% attrition rate even before the commencement of the sixth or 'hell' week that is designed to test an individual's physical and mental motivation to the maximum.

Though I made it through 'hell' week, an unfortunate and untimely physical injury prevented me from graduating and from achieving my earlier ambition of a career as a U.S. Navy Seal. However, I have absolutely no regrets, as the Seal training helped me realize my untapped potential and capabilities. I also learned certain key management concepts such as the importance of objectives, teamwork, and rationality. In fact, I firmly believe that the grounding I received during my Seal training helped in my being able to so quickly swallow my disappointment at not making the grade, and in setting about reformulating my objectives and career plans. Today, I am happy to say that I am well on the way to achieving my new goal of growing into one of America's successful business leaders who also contribute to civic society.