write a 700 word essay following this prompt. Describe an experience you have had that challenged one of your preexisting notions or beliefs. How did your experience alter or reinforce your perspective?Some optional Ideas you could use.
Belief Challenged: “Good leadership means doing everything yourself.”
Experience: An engineering team captain tried to manage every aspect of an upcoming final project—design, Presentation, drawings—believing this showed commitment and competence. However, they became overwhelmed, and the project stalled. Only after delegating and empowering teammates did the project succeed.
Perspective Shift: They discovered that effective leadership means trusting others and enabling them to take ownership.
Belief Challenged: “Asking for help is a sign of weakness.”Experience: Working on a difficult engineering project for ASME(American Society of Mechanical Engineers.)
How it changed you: You realized collaboration and seeking guidance made the solution better, faster, and actually strengthened your leadership and team credibility.
Belief Challenged: “Leadership means having all the answers.” Experience: Leading a group of people in an engineering design project where as a team leader you’ve made several mistakes of how the project was handled but learned to course-correct by trusting your team’s input.How it changed you: developed a new respect for team-based decision-making and humility as a strength in leadership. Belief challenged “Failure reflects poorly on leadership.”Experience: Led a project or group activity that didn’t succeed. Initially felt embarresed or questionsed ones capability.How it changed you: came to see failure as an opportunity to grow, reflect, and teach others.