Bianca Gusat – LCVP LCVP 2014-2015 Application
Bianca Gusat
LCVP 2014-2015 Application Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.
—Jack Welch
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Bianca Gusat – LCVP 2014-2015 Application
Basic Information: 1. Name: Bianca Gusat 2. Contact e-mail:
[email protected] 3. Term-Time Address: Liberty House, 1 Sebastian Street, Flat 407, EC1V 0HF, London, UK 4. Course and year of study: nd
Management 2 Year 5. Current department and key responsibilities: Talent Management :
Organising our Transition Ball for beginning of April
Conducting Personal Development Talks with members to understand their needs better and help them achieve their personal goals
Working towards creating closer bonds between all members
6. Conferences attended and in what capacity: 2013 – delegate - Induction Conference, London 2014 – delegate - Leadership Development Seminar, Nottingham
General Questions: 1. Please list any relevant experience you have had outside AIESEC.
Course Representative of Management Year 1 – talking to students about their
University experience, gathering complaints and presenting them to the Course Office for them to take action, communicating what was done by the Course Office back to the students.
Red Cross Volunteer – providing First Aid in my High School when needed, also providing
demonstrations and training to fellow students, as well as participating in inter-schools competitions on the subject, both theoretical and in practice.
Part of the organisational committees for events in my High School
2. Explain AIESEC in your own words. A community that encourages self -growth and development, new experiences, taking chances, finding and following your dreams, becoming the best person you can be and helping others do the same, being more responsible and environmentally aware, as well as giving the opportunity to stand out as a leader and making a difference in the world . 3. Why did you join AIESEC? What made you stay? I joined AIESEC because I wanted to do some volunteering work and get something more out of University, rather than just studying, and it seemed like a great choice due to the type of work it did. Being passionate about traveling, I loved the idea of encouraging more people to do it. What made me stay were the friends I ’ve found here, the sense of belonging, being part of something even when far away from home, but also seeing the impact we have on the people we help.
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Bianca Gusat – LCVP 2014-2015 Application
4. Please outline your experience and achievements in AIESEC in the past year and how you think you have developed as a part of it.
Last semester I was part of OGX, helping with running Assessment Centres for our soon to be EPs, conducting group interviews that related to creativity and abilities to react to a new environment. This has though me how to assess people, analyse motives behind answers given, communicate and be approachable to new people.
My main experience was, however, in TM, where I was elected Team Leader for our winter social, the Golden Times. I coordinated a group of 6 people in organising this event, greatly improving my delegation, sales and time-management skills. We organised this event without a starting budget and managed to bring home a profit of £290 as well as provide a fun night for everyone and more brand recognition for AIESEC City. Another big achievement, for me, is designing our new roll-call and getting everyone to know it and love it.
5. If you do not meet any of the stated minimum criteria, please write a short paragraph outlining why this should be overlooked.
I’ve met the minimum criteria.
Questions: 1. Please state your two preferred functions and the reasons for your choice. My preferred function is VPTM and the reasons for that are:
People development and training is what I see myself doing in the future, after leaving University, and by taking on the role of VPTM I feel I will learn a lot of things which will help me in pursue this type of career.
I want to focus more on helping each member ’s development, because this will increase productivity in all other departments.
I feel having fun and loving what you are working on are important keys to succeed in what you do, and TM related activities are what I love doing.
My second choice would be VPFinance, my reasons:
I am comfortable with numbers and keeping records.
I want to develop my financial skills.
I feel confident I can encourage and enforce LC targets to be achieved.
2. What is your long term vision for AIESEC City? How do you plan to i mplement it? What: A closely bonded LC that is working for a common goal, with a clear purpose and
strategy. Better diversity in our members, not only from CASS, creating self-fulfilled individuals who want to change the world, as well as growing our exchange targets, in order to impact more people and get closer to our BHAG . How: Helping members develop themselves in desired areas will drive our LC further, faster.
Motivated members will work harder in order to achieve higher quantitative targets; better marketing strategies attract more people and those lead to more exchange participants, better LC financial sustainability and adding to LC motivation, creating a reinforcing pattern. It all starts with members, with us.
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Bianca Gusat – LCVP 2014-2015 Application
3. What is your leadership style and how will you apply it in both the EB and your team? I like to lead my team by example, but I also know the importance of delegating tasks, even though I keep close tabs on everything, since it ’s easier to modify or repair something in the early stages, rather than letting it evolve into a bigger problem. I can also be a bit bossy at times, but I try to diffuse any conflicts with humour. I believe in giving credit where it ’s due and congratulating people on any success. Regarding the EB, I am also a team player, we work towards a common goal and I think the more, the merrier, especially when it comes to ideas. 4. What unique characteristics would you bring to the EB 2014/2015? I consider myself a very creative person, I like to think outside the box on most occasions, in order to come up with something new or to challenge perceptions of things. I am goal driven, I like to know what I am working towards and try to exceed targets, because doing things by a half measure is not my style. I am open-minded, receptive to new ideas or concepts, as well as accepting of others opinions. I am analytical, trying to figure things out from the origin, going to the actual source of a problem in order to make sure it is properly dealt with. 5. Analyse critically the current structure present in AIESEC City. Please give 3 elements that should be kept and 3 elements that should change next year. Keep:
MaC in charge of all promoting activities
Retaining the projects idea from last semester
The R&R Scheme
Reasons:
Gives the OGX department freedom to concentrate on giving the best possible
experience to EPs; it gives members more possibilities for development and more flexibility, as well as helping with certain peak times during certain departments, and lastly, creates motivation for members, as well as encouraging attendance to conference and going on GSDPs if some of the fees are subsidised. Change:
Enrolling members from more diverse courses, even close-by universities (not predominantly from CASS)
TM having 2 clear focuses: Member Development and Organizational Department
More transparency between departments
Reasons: We can reach a larger audience if we have more diversity in our LC; this will enable
tracking member’s progress more efficiently and also concentrate on providing the best experience during LCMs and socials; being clear about what others are doing is key if we want to move forward as an entity, because it allows departments to help each other.
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Bianca Gusat – LCVP 2014-2015 Application
6. How will you ensure effective communication and cohesion within your team and promote crossfunctionality between departments? In my team, I will start by getting everyone ’s phone number and putting u p a list so it ’s easy to reach people, since not everyone has constant internet access on their phone. I will create a Facebook group and insist on the importance of PODIO. Also to promote cross-functionality, I will keep minutes of team meetings and post them so missing members and other departments can see them and know what is going on. 7. What should be AIESEC City’s three focus areas in your preferred function for next year? How do you suggest it being done? 1.
Member Development – focusing on what they want to get out of the AIESEC
experience, holding trainings based on areas they need or want to improve on, keeping track of progress and lack of, encouraging pro-activeness through the R&R scheme, as well as recognising and rewarding personal successes. 2.
Member Bonding – making LCMs more interactive in terms of communication
between members, organising socials that encourage members to attend and network, promoting transparency and inter-function collaborations. 3.
Member Engagement – keeping everyone ’s energy and motivation high through
rewarding opportunities, such as the R&R scheme, games, roll-calls and energizers during LCMs, as well as making sure the job they are doing is enjoyable and right for them, so they do it with passion and get better results. 8. How do you manage your time? How would you go on about managing your time in especially busy periods during the year? I always keep my agenda with me, to keep track of all my meetings, university or AIESEC wise and other commitments. I usually plan my next week on a Sunday and slowly add stuff during the week, prioritising in regards to urgency, difficulty and time constraints. As for really busy periods during the year, I usually compromise some of my leisure time because I know working hard for what I want will give me more satisfaction in the long term than just watching a movie or going out so often.
9. The BD department has had a record number of meetings in the first half of the year, passing all other LC’s in ICX and ER; however, the majorit y of the meetings have been generated by one
person. How would you ensure every member contributes to the overall success of BD? I would start by talking to the most effective person, to understand how he got those results, what motivates and drives him, where did he acquire the skills that helped in achieving those results. Getting this information is crucial in order to compare this to the other members ’ activity; I would try and find similarities between the people to work that angle in motivating the other members, by finding a way to relate to the successful person, in order to feel it is possible to aim for more, since someone alike already did it.
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Bianca Gusat – LCVP 2014-2015 Application
If more people in the department have the same lacking sort of knowledge, I would suggest a training session in order to help this. Moreover, I would encourage a little more informal one-toone meetings between the successful person and other members, in order to facilitate a better sharing and learning environment, where one could help the other, without creating the feeling of inferiority, due to lack of similar results. 10. The BD department has innovated around its ER products to bring high-quality training for the LC through the use of external partners. How do you see this evolving and how would you move it forward? I see huge potential in this direction, mostly because my focus is on developing members. By providing trainings that are relevant to our members, we keep them more engaged in the LC and also give them skills they want to acquire. I would go even further and promote these sessions to externals, this being a great opportunity to get some brand recognition, advertising AIESEC through our LEAD Project, as not only helping with volunteering opportunities, but also providing great trainings, that students are generally interested in. 11. How would you innovate the Talent Management function, such that there is a change in perception (from the function being merely about planning ‘socials’ or running LCM’s) and balance
in the varied elements involved in the function? Most of the TM activities revolve around its members, so obviously organising socials and running LCMs are a big part of what we do. What I want to bring forward during my term is focus on all members’ development ,
to become the back-bone of the LC, because without our people, we
wouldn’t achieve anything. Helping members with personal development will increase their productivity and influence their values and goals. TM will not only be seen as the “fun part”, but also the “helping hand ” of the LC. I also want to stress the importance of transparency between functions, in order for all members to have knowledge of what is going on in other parts of the LC, and I plan on promoting this strategy in the future. 12. How and to what extent do you think TM should support other functions? I believe TM should support all functions , just as all functions should support each other. By promoting transparency between functions and by monitoring member ’s activities, we will be able to know when people from different functions have down time, so we could encourage those members to give a helping hand during other departments ’ peak times. What TM could also help with is provide trainings regarding areas of improvement in specific functions, such as sales pitches for BD or marketing strategies for MaC. 13. How do you think the National Partners for GoGlobal compared to the LC partners in terms of efficiency in matching? What is the best way to go fo rward in order to continue improving matching rates? I do not have enough information on this subject in order to give an appropriate answer.
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Bianca Gusat – LCVP 2014-2015 Application
14. How would you ensure efficiency of OGX department during peak times? As I mentioned in question 12, TM will try as much as possible to support other functions in any capacity possible, in the case of OGX, it might include helping with organising Assessment Centres and keeping in touch with the EPs. We would also encourage members to clearly divide tasks between them so they don ’t overlap and do extra work, while also promoting early planning for expected peak times, so everything runs as smoothly as possible. 15. Which marketing strategy would you implement to circumvent current obstacles related to SU relations and ensure full marketing coverage of the relevant student population? What if the situation is to be solved and everything becomes possible? In case we will continue to face SU obstacles, our strategy should be as follows:
Push forward with lecture shouts, these are a certain way we can reach a large audience to hear about our projects and have proved very effective so far; moreover, they are great way to improve public speaking and sales skills for our members.
Follow up with info sessions, maybe time them on different schedules, so if students can ’t attend one week, they might the next. What is more, we need to make timing about these info sessions very well know, not only during lecture shouts, but on our website and other social media pages.
Social media is priceless (literarily), our website is great because it ’s kept up to date, as well
as out Facebook page. I know we have a Twitter page, which needs some upkeep, but what about other platforms, such as Pintrest or Instagram? These are gaining momentum and it would be a great way to get even more exposure.
Organising training sessions or events that are linked to AIESEC City, in order for people to remember us because of a pleasant experience. They would be more inclined to listen to a pitch or suggest us to their friends.
In case the situation is solved:
I would still keep all of the above.
I would also add stands in the main corridor, more near OTLT, College Building and Dining Hall (Refractory) entrance, because the main corridor is way too full during peak times and students don’t pay attention. Here we could give out flyers, maybe organise a lottery to win an AIESEC T-shirt if they sign up for an Assessment Centre. I would also encourage giving out sweets if they would give up 1 minute of their time to hear our pitches.
16. What innovative ideas/schemes do you have to ensure retention in your department stays at optimum level and how would yo u motivate a member who has become disillusioned with AIESEC and is thinking of giving up? Focusing on people’s interests is a great way of keeping them focused on their tasks. As long as we can help members with what they want to do, I think the retention of that person will not be a problem. Another advantage of this strategy is people tend to prioritize based on what they enjoy doing, so this way AIESEC will be at the top of their list. Another thing is giving each member enough responsibility to feel empowered, but at the same time finding a balance in order for them to not to have too heavy a workload, so they can ’t manage.
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Bianca Gusat – LCVP 2014-2015 Application
If, however, a member has become disillusioned, I feel talking to that person to find the cause is the first step. Depending on the issue, maybe having more/less to do would solve the problem, maybe organising a training session tailored to their needs, but that could also benefit other members, would make that person feel appreciated and would restore faith in AIESEC ’s main goal: to impact people. 17. One of the roles of the Finance Department is to ensure efficiency across functions. How would you implement that and how would you approach a VP who is underperforming? I would stress the importance of timely and regular updates from all departments, even if they are not concerned with financial results. Another important factor would be transparency, in order to see what and where has something gone wrong. Usually problems don ’t grow quickly overnight, so getting ahead of the problem would be much more efficient rather than fixing a completely broken thing. If a VP is underperforming, I would first find the cause. Is it the department who isn ’t reaching targets? Is it just at a personal level, if so, what is the issue? I believe understanding and caring for other members should always be a priority, so I would firstly approach this issue as a friend who is willing to help out, rather than an enforcing power. I also think a good way of helping underperforming VPs is to put them in touch with the former VPs, who might have gone through a similar experience and have more knowledge into the respective department. 18. AIESEC City’s activity traditionally drops during the exam period. Within your department, how will you ensure that the results are consolidated? How will you ensure activity over the summer? I think having a department meeting at the end of the semester in order to analyse progress and results is imperative. Not only will this show all our hard work, but it ’s rewarding to see how far we’ve come and having met targets would leave us with a feeling of satisfaction. During this meeting I would suggest drafting a rough plan for the future period, based on our achievements, and try to surpass them. During exam period I would like to cheer up and encourage my team and keeping in touch during the summer will hopefully be a pleasure, though I would constantly encourage it.
Miscellaneous Questions: th
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1. Will you attend National Strategic Conference (NSC) from 20 – 24 June 2014? YES th
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2. Will you attend the AIESEC City Transition Conference from 7 -11 June 2014? YES
3. Is there any additional information you wish to add to your application?
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.
—Margaret Mead
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