Leadership Essay

It is often said that some people are born leaders. However, I believe that my leadership skills have not necessarily been innate, but one that I have gradually learned and developed.

My first lessons on leadership were taken during my childhood days. I grew up observing my best friend’s mother effortlessly multi task her role of a CEO, a wife, a daughter-in-law and a mother - with a smile that ceased to leave her face and a personality that earned respect. I looked for nuances that set her apart and in the process, I learned many valuable lessons.

These childhood notes came in handy during the course of my personal, academic and professional life. Born as the elder of the two daughters to a single father, responsibility became second nature to me. I worked hard academically, led many group assignments during my post graduation studies in travel and tourism, received a scholarship and eventually took charge of the family business at a young age. I faced many personal setbacks during this course, but eventually discovered ways to overcome them.

My career as a travel professional had only just begun when I realized that working for the environment was in fact a natural calling that I was destined to follow. I took what many considered to be a professional risk, but it paid off eventually and I was offered the position of Project Manager at Mountain Cleaners, an NGO working for a cleaner India. This has been one of the best decisions of my life, but also one where my true leadership skills were put to test.

Soon after joining the organization, the founder and I decided to scale our operations and a fully funded project in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand was in the pipeline. However, in a trice the challenges of worki...

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...ble to my needs as it not only offers valuable knowledge in my chosen field of interest, but will also help me sharpen my management and leadership skills and improve my capacity as a social entrepreneur in the field of environment.

Learning a new language is more satisfying when you have the chance to practice it. Therefore, I am also looking forward to learning German and intend to start my practise from India itself.

After working non-stop for seven years, I value academics a lot more today than I did as a student. The biggest motivation for my application is a genuine interest to learn the studies offered by TU Bergakademie Freiberg. I like taking initiatives and foresee myself as a pro-active student, prepared to ask questions and also put in the hard work necessary, not just to excel in academic, but to make the most of what is offered by the program.