William K. | Leland

William K.

5.0

Studied at Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern)

Available tomorrow at 4:00 PM UTC

Usually responds within 16 hours

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Available tomorrow at 4:00 PM UTC

Usually responds within 16 hours

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About William

I'm a Kellogg MBA, former Kellogg Director, and a professional admissions consultant specializing in top MBA programs in the United States and Europe. After spending decades zigzagging both geographically (working at least one year in ten countries) and functionally (between marketing and consulting roles in service industries), I have developed a linear focus: helping others earn admission to top tier MBA programs. Since I began work as an MBA admissions consultant, I have coached both MBA and EMBA candidates admitted to HBS, Booth, Wharton, Tuck, Haas, Stern, Darden, Johnson, Columbia, Emory, and, of course, Kellogg. My interest in serving and helping others began with a two-year stint in the Peace Corps in Ecuador. My involvement with Kellogg never paused after graduation; I led alumni clubs in Peru, South Florida, and Brazil, organizing information sessions for Admissions and interviewing MBA applicants for over two decades. I was honored as Kellogg’s worldwide alumni volunteer of the year in 2011 and later served the school throughout Latin America in a director-level role, meeting individually with hundreds of high potentials considering MBA or EMBA studies, and offering them insight into what Kellogg and competing top tier programs seek in candidates. As a first-generation college student, I earned a dual BA in social sciences from Ohio University. I recently completed a year-long professional coaching program at the University of Miami. Madrid is my home, but I am very flexible time zone-wise...after all, we only get around to eating dinner after 10 pm in Spain! If you're targeting top schools and are looking to partner with a seasoned admissions veteran, I'm your guy!

Why do I coach?

The product of a working-class family who grew up in a declining steel mill town in Ohio, I received extraordinarily little career counseling. Nearing the end of my two-year stint in the Peace Corps in Ecuador, law school was my default destination until I realized that my vision of the profession was entirely the product of television series. Fortunately, I paused and somehow lined up a series of informational interviews with business executives in Guayaquil, the country’s largest city. The enthusiasm their tales generated in me clarified my path and, soon afterwards, I began my MBA studies at “the marketing school”, Kellogg. Post-Evanston, I zigzagged both geographically (mostly in Europe and Latin America) and functionally (as a marketing executive and consulting project manager in various service industries). Although I enjoyed the ride, I rarely took introspective pauses to manage my career. However, I did mentor several young direct reports who went onto highly successful careers. In 2004, I was hired to begin a Latin American practice at the world’s pioneer in global employee opinion surveys. Spending my days moderating focus groups, designing and carrying out surveys, and running workshops after the results were computed impressed on me the benefits of unleashed feedback. My eight years in the employee survey space forced me to analyze what my own key drivers of engagement were. I also discovered, via online tests, that my strengths were in connecting people and advising others---which explains why I have thrived as a serial alumni club president for Kellogg and Northwestern. I spent 2015 coaching hundreds of potential applicants to the Kellogg Executive MBA program in hour-long one-on-one chats, and found it incredibly rewarding. Afterwards, I decided to coach MBA applicants as a career, joining two well-known firms before deciding to work independently. Why do I love coaching MBA applicants? Because I believe by listening, questioning, giving honest feedback, advising, and connecting them to others, I can lead them down an introspective path towards self-discovery and maximize their potential for success and fulfillment. I would have benefitted from coaching throughout my life and know that you will too!

Education

University of Miami

Coaching Certificate Program, Executive and Life Coaching

2017 - 2017

Completed one-year program to enhance career coaching skills.

Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern)

MBA, Marketing/International Business

1984 - 1986

Earned concentrations in transportation, marketing, international business, finance, organizational behavior, and strategy. Only Masters-level student to complete PhD-level seminar on marketing taught by Philip Kotler, where I researched the influence of country of origin on brand image. Carried out marketing research for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Paraguay as my summer job.