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Leadership & Teamwork

Leadership

There are different leadership strategies, such as autocratic leadership, where leaders instruct their team to do work. On the contrary, there are leadership strategies such as participative leadership, which involves the entire team in decision-making. I often find myself in preference of a participative leadership strategy. I believe that all members who pull their weight, including the team’s leader, will achieve their desired goal faster and earn the respect of their team.

I often volunteered to lead a project during my university studies as I always enjoyed the extra push required to deliver a product or meet an end goal. However, I also experienced the difficulties of leading a team, including unforeseen issues. This stress resulted from time constraints and making decisions that were not easy or that I did not know were correct. This was evident in some of my software studio subjects. I was responsible for delegating tasks, ensuring the project was on track and ensuring all documentation was completed and submitted on time. However, I was also responsible for responding to team members’ concerns who did not contribute during the project. With minimal experience dealing with this, it often made it challenging and intimidating to approach. However, it gave me practice in dealing with such scenarios and learning from what worked well and what did not.

In addition to my academic leadership experience, I also run an eSports organisation, PointBlank, with my business partner. Running this organisation has exposed me to more than just organising team meetings and allocating tasks. It has also taught me how to ensure all members who have been onboarded are comfortable and deliver content that meets the expected calibre that PointBlank is trying to achieve. This can often be hard, but by adapting methodologies such as the hamburger model, I can provide constructive criticism while commending their efforts and supporting them as best I can.

Teamwork and Services

Microsoft Protégé Competition

The protégé competition was a case competition run by Microsoft to enable all tertiary students to create an impact in their local Australian community. The 2020 case investigated developing a strategy to assist the affected communities and their stakeholders in their recovery journey from devastating bushfires that impacted Australia. Our team was selected as 1 of 16 teams across Australia to present a proposed solution to a panel of judges at Microsoft. This was only achieved through effective teamwork, communication, and support.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our team had to communicate via video conferences which impacted how we could share ideas. However, it also provided the flexibility to call at any time while allowing our team to dial in from any location. As a result, our team could send through relevant material, collaborate on group documentation/presentation material, and practise our pitch delivery without a hassle. This improved the team spirit and allowed us to progress to the competition’s semi-finals.

Woolworths 

In addition to my academic career, I worked for Woolworths under the night fill replenishment team. My primary role was to pack products and organise where the products were to go after being removed from the delivery truck. Due to the volume of incoming products per night, teamwork was crucial to ensure the business would operate and customers could purchase food products. I would often lead the perishables department and ensure everyone was completing their designated tasks on time while also providing support for any team’s questions. In addition, I would always work with the team to find alternative solutions that could improve the delivery of our work while also maintaining a positive working environment. Consequently, this was only achievable with effective and open communication and ensuring every member felt supported.