. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such?

Earning a fast-track promotion at A.T. Kearney

When I joined A.T. Kearney in March 2007 as a Senior Business Analyst, I was told that promotion to the next level in the organization – Associate – was given only to MBA graduates. This company rule did not dissuade me, and I set myself the ambitious goal of consistently exceeding expectations, for I wanted to leverage my skills and grow at rapid rate, professionally and personally.

Over the next one and half years, I was given full responsibility for project modules and for managing the relationship with senior members of our clients and for supervising junior colleagues, tasks typically given only to more senior consultants. I consistently performed above expectations and contributed to business development. On the basis of my merits, last November I was promoted to Associate despite not yet having my MBA, as the Company’s partners decided to make an exception in my case. This recognition of my value and contribution has intensified my wish to pursue increasingly more complex and demanding functions.

This accomplishment affirmed that commitment, hard work and strong motivation are crucial; to achieve difficult things, one must set ambitious goals and strive hard to reach them.

Earning top academic honors

Earning top academic honors during college and graduating first in my class from my university, one of the top business and economics schools in Portugal, is undoubtedly one of my major accomplishments. Given both the challenging environment and rigorous academics at the Technical University of Lisbon and the significant financial constraints I faced during my time in university that compelled me to work part-time, I am especially proud of this achievement. I learned to manage my time meticulously in order to attend to my academic responsibilities fully and passionately. Being a working student who was still the best in my class affirms that one can make impossible things possible. Though it was never easy, I persevered. More than once I had no time to study properly for a particular exam or had to postpone exams until the next semester, due to this lack of study time. But somehow I managed the juggling act, achieving excellent results, and recognizing once again the importance of a strong work ethic and motivation.

Leading the creation of a new national political party in Portugal

Long passionate about politics, I recently found my way to MLS - Movimento Liberal Social, a Portuguese think tank and network of bright and talented people who share my political views. I joined the organization, but soon realized that if we wanted to become an active political player in Portugal, able to directly impact Portuguese society, and establish ourselves as a viable political alternative, the organization had to evolve into a formal party. Despite some internal resistance to this step, I persisted; in May 2009 I presented a motion to the General Assembly of the movement, proposing the immediate creation of a formal political party. This motion was unanimously approved, and a working group was formed to shape and define that new party. Though one of the newest members of the organization, I was appointed coordinator of the working group, due to my demonstrated leadership capabilities and my pivotal efforts to advance to the creation of the party. I am currently leading that group with full responsibility for planning all activities, creating its sub-committees, inviting members to participate and managing all activities. My vision is clear: deliver a state-of-the-art party structure by May 2010 that is sustained by strong pillars, so that the party can earn seats in the national parliament in three or four years and eventually form a government. 

2. What have you learned from a mistake?

In January 2009, I was assigned to my first project after earning promotion to Associate. The project consisted of identifying investment opportunities in an African country for an investment fund. Several work streams were created, and mine was for the energy industry.

Only two weeks after the project started, the Principal of the project approached me, seeking my help in an additional stream. He told me that my colleague in the airport sector stream, a senior Associate with more than a year and a half of experience as Associate, was currently behind schedule and needed some guidance. However, as my Principal was supervising five streams, he had no available time to focus on my colleague’s stream. Accordingly, he asked me to supervise that stream while retaining my other responsibilities. I promptly accepted the challenge, taking it as a sign of the trust that my company has in me.  Nevertheless, the situation was problematic since I was supposed to manage a more senior colleague who could easily feel threatened. I discussed it with my Principal, and we jointly agreed on an informal approach, rather than explicitly informing my colleague that I was responsible for both streams, hoping to sustain his motivation. Within a few weeks, however, it was clear that we hadn’t make the best decision, as the lack of clear communication with my colleague further decreased his motivation and made it difficult for me to lead his stream effectively and recover the schedule.

Realizing what we were doing wrong, I argued to my Principal that we had to be totally open with my colleague. He agreed, and we shared the information with my colleague, who reacted quite positively. From then on, I was able to truly lead the stream and help him recovering the project work and rediscover his motivation. In the end, my colleague praised my help, pointing out that I made him feel part of a team and did not sideline him.

This experience taught me the importance of clear communication in effective leadership. Even with the best intentions, poor communication can produce more harm than good. It also reminded me that in managing human relationships, we must adapt carefully to each situation and study its nuances rather than imposing a blanket solution. It demonstrated the importance of soft skills to ensure successful team management, skills that I expect to further hone at Harvard, due to its focus in leadership. 

3. b. Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization?

I returned from nine months in Africa deeply inspired by the continent's enormous potential. Yet I recognized that to take advantage of it, concrete actions must be taken to overcome the vicious cycle of poverty, by improving education and providing proper training. Determined to contribute to that goal, I found in Gasnova, a Portuguese charity organization focused on supporting education in Portuguese-speaking African countries and their respective communities living in Portugal, the ideal opportunity.

I joined the organization in December 2008, discussing with its executive team the ways I was most suited to help. After helping to fund-raise, I soon realized that I could best contribute by applying my consulting skills, approach and methodology to Gasnova in order to enhance the internal management skills and procedures of the organization. I noticed that the organization had been showing clear signs of declining activity, discernable in the diminishing overall budget and fewer volunteers. Therefore, I proposed making an assessment of the organization and giving my recommendations, as if it were normal consulting project. The executive team readily assented.

I concluded that some improvements could be easily implemented, as the organization was lacking basic management skills. First of all, there was no clear role allocation across the management team, a reflection of its murky governance model. Second, the juridical form of the organization hampered its ability to attract donations, since the selected juridical form had few tax reduction incentives. Thirdly, the search for donations and volunteers was conducted reactively, rather than following a proactive vision.

I discussed my conclusions with the executive team, careful to communicate them gently. Indeed, these people had given their altruistic best to develop the organization, so I highlighted their tremendous and daily efforts. In this way, I forged sound relationships with them and succeeded in getting their buy-in before I started outlining the recommendations for improvement. I wrote the new statutory decree of the organization, defined a new governance model with clear functions and necessary roles (including a specific department for managing sponsors and for marketing & communication), and the juridical form was changed.

I was subsequently invited to join the Gasnova management team, and did so gladly in order to continue my support. I know that I made a tangible difference to this organization in ensuring its sustainability. I relished the opportunity to leverage my accumulated consulting experience to help increase the effectiveness of this nonprofit organization.  

 3. d. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?

Those who claim that they have achieved all their aims in life, have probably set them too low.

This mindset underlies my career vision, as I seek to exceed expectations, surpass barriers, and always go the extra mile. I want to face every day of my future career with a sense of ambition, consistently aspiring to higher things. I envision myself as a successful senior leader, exerting significant impact over the future of a major company as its CEO.  I am particularly interested in the energy industry, due to its paradigm shift toward clean energy alternatives, and the increased liberalization of its market, with the consequent requirement of increasing commercial & marketing competencies of the major players. I want to be part of that process, helping to shape the trends of this industry. Additionally, I too want to maintain a participative role in society. I envision assuming a public office role in the long-term, leveraging on my accumulated professional experience and on my political experience that I expect to develop and consolidate.

By leading a large organization and assuming a public office role, I know I will have the opportunity to reach a vast number of people. Additionally, as I believe in the power of action, it will also give me the opportunity to influence and argue for the implementation of my own ideas, relying on my full commitment, best described as a constant search for excellence. I truly believe I have the drive, and skills to do it.  

These aspirations prompted me to begin my career in management consulting, a field that attracted me with its steep learning curve and the opportunity to work with outstanding professionals and top managers of the largest companies. I believe that the multidisciplinary demands, flexibility and international scope of a typical consulting career are key ingredients to prepare a potential senior leader.

Thus far, I have had the opportunity to work on high-profile projects for major companies across multiple industries. I have enjoyed working abroad with culturally-diverse teams, where I have begun to develop a global footprint to cultivate my leadership potential. This accumulated professional experience has highlighted my need to broaden the international scope of my career and acquire deeper managerial and leadership skills. I do not want to end up thinking every problem is a nail, just because the only tool I have is a hammer, as Mark Twain warned! Thus, I am eager to consolidate my knowledge, develop new skills and fully engage with Harvard’s community.