Question

Fredrick W. Smith
FedEx
The founder of FedEx, Fredrick W. Smith, had so much creativity and innovation, that it was first hard to recognize – something that happens to many entrepreneurs. Legend has it that the idea for an express delivery service only earned him a C during his classes in business school at Yale. While his teacher may not have recognized his innovative thinking, he knew that there would be a large demand for transporting time-sensitive shipments across a growing global economy. After 40 years, Fredrick’s idea has grown into a $23-billion multi-national powerhouse.




Characteristics you share:
Persistence through Failure
Initiative and Self Direction
Explain why you think the above characteristics do (or do not) describe you.
Fredrick W. Smith

Answer 1

Fredrick W. Smith’s story — a teacher dismissing a bold idea that later became a global company — is a good mirror for the two characteristics you picked. Below are concise, adaptable explanations showing why those traits do (or can) describe you, written in first person so you can use them directly in an application or reflection.

Persistence through Failure
- I persist through failure because I treat setbacks as feedback rather than final judgments. When an idea or project I led didn’t produce the expected results, I analyzed what went wrong, adjusted the approach, and tried again with improved planning.
- I have learned to separate short-term failure from long-term goals: small defeats don’t derail me; they inform the next iteration. That resilience has helped me complete projects that initially stalled and ultimately deliver stronger outcomes.
- Concrete evidence: I stuck with [project or class or job task] after early failures, incorporated lessons learned, and either met the original objective or gained a durable skill/insight that improved later results. (Replace bracketed phrase with your specific example.)

Initiative and Self-Direction
- I take initiative by identifying opportunities and acting on them without waiting for explicit instructions. I routinely set my own goals, build a plan, and mobilize resources or teammates to move forward.
- I manage my time and learning proactively: when I need a skill or information to advance an idea, I seek out resources, mentors, or coursework rather than waiting for someone else to provide them.
- Concrete evidence: I started [a club, a side project, a volunteer effort, a small business or improvement in workplace process], organized the necessary steps, and led the effort through to measurable progress. (Swap in your example.)

Short conclusion tying to Fredrick W. Smith
- Like Smith, I recognize that an idea’s potential isn’t always obvious at first. My persistence through failure and willingness to take initiative have allowed me to develop and refine ideas into tangible results. I’m committed to continuing that approach as I pursue larger challenges.

If you want, tell me one specific failure and one initiative from your experience and I’ll turn those into polished, concrete statements you can use in an application or essay.