“The best leader I ever had.” That is a phrase many of us have voiced or heard at some stage in our life. Ever since I have been of an age to take instructions from others, I ponder what this statement truly implies. What distinguishes exceptional leaders from ordinary ones? What do extraordinary leaders genuinely accomplish?
Most of us can readily identify the responsibilities that top supervisors in a specific department of an organisation must undertake. These may include coaching team members, evaluating the success of a strategy, allocating resources, and more. These responsibilities, while appearing straightforward, are significantly more challenging to execute in reality, and extraordinary leaders must do even more.
Ordinary leaders play checkers, while extraordinary leaders play chess. In other words, while ordinary leaders strive to ensure that all team members are uniform and move in the same direction, extraordinary leaders recognize the unique abilities of each team member and work to incorporate them into a unified strategy. One of the most vital tasks that extraordinary leaders perform is building their company’s vision. They maintain the core values and invigorate progress so that their company can withstand rapidly changing environments.
I have witnessed considerable changes in the Eastland markets in recent years. I find the influence of online influencer marketing, or “KOL marketing,” on Eastland markets fascinating. A study by Streamline Consulting revealed that 70% of Eastland youth born after 1995 prefer to make direct purchases via social media, a figure significantly higher than the global average of 44% (Media Research Centre, 2017). I have always aspired to be a marketing leader. It appears essential for me to guide the entire team towards achieving the company’s vision in Eastland’s hyper-competitive internet business environment. Specifically, I need to develop the most effective and efficient strategies within the budget to raise public awareness of our products or services. This includes finding and connecting with suitable KOLs.
Marketing leaders are primarily responsible for the communication between a company and its customers. However, if internal communication is not comprehensive and smooth, information cannot reach the external environment in the first place. Effective management is the foundation for every function of the organization to work. Only when both external and internal communication are effective can the company’s intended message be successfully conveyed to its target customers.
Aside from developing sound marketing strategies, marketing leaders need to invest equal effort in managing internal teams to create promotional messages. They should ensure that employees can comprehend and embrace the vision of the entire company. Also, executing market research and campaigns requires good teamwork from the entire marketing department. Appropriate management skills can aid in efficient and effective task completion.
Management theories have always intrigued and guided me. While some leadership-related management skills are inherent, many more can be developed and improved. These theories, even if they may not apply to all situations and modern scenarios, still inform my understanding of management. As a senior student, I have worked in many student associations and led team members to complete tasks. However, managing students in a single activity is vastly different from managing employees in a real work environment. The gap between my role as a student leader and a real marketing leader can be bridged by learning more about management theories.
For instance, strategic management theory will be beneficial as it assesses external and internal opportunities, considering the organization’s strengths and weaknesses. The theory’s four basic components: environmental scanning, strategic formulation, strategy implementation, and evaluation and control (Pindur et al., 1995) provide me with insight into how to implement a new strategy in chronological order. The theory also suggests that a strategy statement can be formulated based on the organization’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives. This knowledge will motivate me to create such a statement to promote the company’s vision and mission among all employees. However, the ‘research-practice gap’ coined by Rousseau (2006), cannot be ignored, as relying solely on past managerial knowledge could lead to failure in addressing organizational problems.
While conducting research for my master’s, my interest was piqued by GMiM, as it offers unique features such as international exchanges with an impressive roster of leading global business schools and the chance to earn a CEMS double degree. It seemed like the perfect program for me.
Studying abroad has always been a part of my career development plan. Given the pervasive nature of globalization and the omnipresence of multinational corporations, understanding international markets and management styles is essential. For me, the best way to learn has always been through direct experience and practice.
The compulsory Marketing Management course in the first year of the program would equip me with key analytical frameworks and essential concepts needed to build an effective marketing strategy. The Foundations of Management course would provide me with an overview of the evolution of management, thus enhancing my understanding of the disciplinary foundations in sociology, psychology, and economics. The program’s most appealing aspect is the array of international options available to students in the second year. I intend to undertake the CEMS program and graduate with two degrees. The impressive network comprising alumni, corporates, and social partners that CEMS students are exposed to, as described by Dr. Cote, left a deep impression on me. I believe this is of immense importance in various aspects of the globalized market.
I eagerly anticipate joining the exceptional students from a diverse range of academic backgrounds at EBS University. The university’s research and teaching, grounded in real-world contexts across social, economic, and political environments worldwide, will broaden my understanding of people, organizations, and markets globally and aid in achieving my career goal of becoming one of ‘the best leaders.’ I am also excited to share my perspective as an Eastland native with my peers. I would be grateful for the opportunity to exchange ideas with the extraordinary students and professors at EBS University who share my passion for management.
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