Week 5: Theories in Action

My time at AlphaSights so far has been very rewarding, and I attribute much of my success to the strong leadership and mentorship that I have experienced. At AlphaSights, there is ample room to explore your passions and curiosity – my trainer and manager have both given me the ability to make my own personal decisions and have given me the space to speak my mind about different creative initiatives that I wish to tackle. Although there is a lot of room for personal growth based on internal motivation, I have experienced a fair amount of external motivation that has stemmed from my relationships with leadership figures.

Thus, this week I would like to discuss the transformational leadership theory in the context of AlphaSights. Throughout my time at AlphaSights so far, it has become clear that both my trainer and manager, whom I report directly t0, embody many of the characteristics of transformational leaders. First, they both have worked to inspire me and to entertain new ideas that I have for projects or daily tasks. In addition, they both are able to adapt quickly and easily to changes throughout the day, which has been helpful for me to see in the fast-paced environment that we are working in. Both my trainer and manager work humbly in favor of what is best for the team – not only do they support me, but they are always willing to help out anyone on our team or any external stakeholders when given the chance. They are strong collaborators, which has inspired me to want to work with them on the variety of tasks that they are exposing me to.

One of the main aspects of transformational leadership that I have seen played out at AlphaSights so far is the ability for leaders to transform the organization and dive into different paths. Although I am not working directly under her now, the woman that interviewed me for the intern position has inspired me greatly. She saw a need for a specific sector of marketing within the organization and has spent the past few months developing a plan and team to carry out her vision. This week, she officially became the manager of the team and transitioned her work to solely focus on marketing AlphaSights’ services. This truly is transformational leadership at play, as she has transformed the team’s focus by creating a subsection within the marketing team. Overall, there are many inspiring individuals at AlphaSights who embody the transformational leadership style, as many senior stakeholders value collaboration, curiosity, communication, and change.