Leadership Experience Reflection

"I wanted to challenge myself and overcome my fears." I had a pivotal learning experience from my first leadership role, which not only helped me lead teams better in my work but will also be significant when I lead in the future. It's not a formula that instantly delivers results but a framework that can be applied regardless of the background of the individuals working in the team.

Back in my junior year of undergraduate, my then-club head entrusted me with the responsibility of leading three 2-day technical workshops. Even though I had been a core member of the club for over 2 years, I had never managed people. Suddenly, I found myself responsible for managing the finances, marketing, and the operations of the workshops, and I had to start from scratch. The goal was to maximize participation and profits, which could be used for funding technical projects by the club. From the very beginning, all I, as an introvert, could hear were different stories of how technical workshops had been canceled in the past because people were more interested in non-technical events. For example, during a 3-day university fest, all 9 technical workshops were canceled since only one person registered. Given the crowd turnover, none of the core committees believed we could successfully organize even one technical workshop.

I was initially frightened, facing the mammoth task ahead of me. I had no idea where to start, and I lacked any past leadership experience. However, I knew I wanted to challenge myself and overcome my fears. The first step I took was to break the entire task into multiple stages and approach each step with a different strategy. I realized that if I could reduce the operating expenses, the chances of making the three workshops profitable would increase significantly. After extensive searching, I finally found a vendor with expertise in the three technical workshops we wanted to organize, and I promised the vendor to guarantee payment for at least 60 students for two workshops and 45 students for one workshop, regardless of the turnout. This helped minimize the cost of each workshop compared to the market rate. I also ensured that the certifications were from renowned institutes in India, which would attract a larger audience. Following this, I assembled a team of volunteers to assist me at various stages.

Initially, I had a tough time communicating with my teammates as an introvert, but I constantly motivated them and ensured that everyone was on the same page. I received limited help and had to learn how to become a better communicator. I gradually began to understand how people function in a team and how to treat each person as an individual with distinct abilities based on their experience. This individualized approach allowed me to assign specific tasks and targets based on their abilities, which boosted their confidence, fostered healthy competition, and indirectly benefited the team. It also helped me improve my communication skills as I engaged with every member individually on a regular basis. I learned the importance of delegating my work and believing in my team. This enabled me to manage my time better, especially with a heavy workload from my classes. I've an introvert all my life and these learnings play a key role in making me realizing I can come out of my comfort zone and lead people efficiently. This experience is my first step in my leadership journey.

I then implemented strategies to increase the sales of the three workshops. We secured 169 registrations and generated a profit of $285 with an entry fee of $7.27. One mistake I made was not organizing the finances properly; everything was on paper, making my job much harder. This experience made me realize the importance of Excel, and I made sure to use it to my advantage going forward. This leadership experience is significant because it helped me step out of my comfort zone and demonstrated that I have the potential to be a good leader.