Leadership

Great leaders assume since the beginning the risk of encountering challenges and doing most of the work. I had the opportunity to coordinate an international team at the X-Culture Global Competition. Since it was a virtual collaboration among students from different corners of the world, I learned how to unite six different cultures and manage time efficiently. Due to different time zones and the multitude of tasks that I had to undertake weekly, I did my best to motivate my colleagues, and to make my team the best it can be. Since the difference between the upper and lower time zone was of 14 hours, it was very challenging to establish a video call with all teammates. I had to spend a lot of time looking at the time zone of each teammate, find their potential availability, and put them all together to see which timeframe works best. After one meeting with the whole team, I realized it will be easier to split them into 2-3 working groups based on their preference and time compatibility. I also learned to implement strategies to motivate them to complete their work every week. The fact that they involved in this project as a class requirement helped but was not enough. To reduce the free-riding risk, the project required each teammate to submit the weekly assignment although identical with the one of the team. The platform reduced points if one member did not submit exactly the same information, so I could not risk that. Fortunately, my motivation and enthusiasm earned me many supporters in the team who helped me handle the free riders.

Great leaders earn great rewards, emotional or financial. The more I worked as a leader, the more I was satisfied with the final outcome. Some people complimented me that my motivation and enthusiasm are 'contagious'. In each team I lead, I did my best to help it grow and succeed. Being an achiever, I always put my final goal to win and set my teammates with this mindset since the beginning. We always won, whether that was an award or an experience. After all the hard work, the emotional feeling of seeing the outcome is incomparable. In the case of X-Culture, 4 of the 6 team members were on the list of 25 qualified students for the final stage of the competition in Miami. Since they were chosen from a total of nearly 5,000 participants from all around the world, I could not be more proud of my team. I did many sacrifices to lead that team and every single second was worth it. One time I won a team I did not lead and I was not as satisfied, although we placed second at a Harvard competition. Seeing your team grow and make the impossible possible is the biggest life reward.

Great leaders create a positive influence on others. In my free time after graduation, I plan to speak to students in the up and coming generation to inspire the leaders of our future. I would like to tell them my story in order to motivate them to be more involved in society. I concluded my teaching practice at Hermes Economic College in Romania with a story about the development of my career. I wanted to motivate them to get involved and lead as many extracurricular activities as possible. I would love to hear that this discussion has helped them to ensure a better future. I was also a guest speaker in the Romanian and Moldovan high schools where I studied. Also, I intend to be a TEDx speaker in the future. I want to motivate people to become their best version, fulfill their dreams, and be great personalities.