To recognize that effective managers are able to learn
from failure, describe a failure that you have experienced. What did you
learn from the experience? (Harvard)
Any applicant who tries to claim or assert perfection on the
application would, at best, be treated as a joke. No one is perfect, and
no admissions committee expects perfection. Yet, more than any other
question, this one strikes fear into the hearts of applicants. However,
answering this question does not need to be difficult. You must get past
the biggest hurdle-your own reticence.
Failure often results from good intentions and admirable qualities such
as initiative, leadership, and risk taking. Take advantage of the fact
that failure will sometimes result from our best qualities. Any leader who
has tried to forge a new path has made a mistake somewhere along the way.
If you are honest and forthright about the mistake you made, people will
remember the intention over the result. Besides, the committee is not
interested in judging you on your mistake, they simply want to know how
you dealt with it. The only real way to flunk this question is to dodge
it. If you choose a trite or irrelevant topic, the committee will either
question your honesty and your maturity or doubt your ability to lead,
take risks, and think outside the box.
If you are having trouble choosing a situation, consider the following
guidelines:
1. Choose something that has happened recently. Delving too far
into your past is an obvious cop-out.
2. Do not limit yourself to professional failures, but do not shy
away from them either. Admissions committees are aware of the risk
inherent in choosing job failures and will give you points for being
forthright.
3. Do not choose anything overly dramatic or that would call your
morals into question. The reader should be able to relate to your
failure, not be shocked by it.
If you cannot clearly state what you learned from the incident or the
actions that you took to amend it, then pick something else. When you are
writing, take a simple, straightforward, objective tone. Do not try to
excuse your actions. Let your story speak for itself. Keep your essay as
concise as possible.
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