Scholarship / Essay about how to use my networking skills to lead and influence others- Chevening Scholarship [2]

Please help me review this essay on my networking skills and how to use that to lead and influence others.

Networking is a necessity

I realised networking is worthwhile when I entered in to a bank four years ago to withdraw money from my accounts. Whilst I was waiting in a que for my turn, I had a tap on the shoulder and when I turned, it was the branch manager of the bank, he walked me into his office offered me a seat and asked if I care for a cup of tea which I politely turned down because in a hurry. He then asked me what I came to do and when I told him he called one of the security officers to bring me a withdrawal slip. To cut a long story short, I was served in the comfort of his office. We first met at Youth Education and Transformation Network for Africa (YETna) a None-governmental Organisation that organise leadership programs and career guidance seminars for the youth.

Networking is a necessity in my daily activities. Working for YETna over these past years, I have made good use of and I have benefitted immensely from networking. As the Director for Projects and technical support, it is my responsibility to get people to buy into the organisation's vision mission and objectives. This has exposed me to people of different walks of live. I have networked with people like lawyer, entrepreneur and philanthropist Adepeju Jaiyeoba from Young African Leaders Initiatives (YALI), Virginie Lawson from Marlox AG, Switzerland, Michael Boampong from the United Nations, Edward Kofi Tumsia founder of YETna and many others from different cultural backgrounds, race, religion and geographical location.

I have a wide range of network coverage ranging from family, friends, work contacts, professional bodies, local community, to university. In all stages of my life and career, I have built a great network around myself and have also being able to connect most of them to each other and I believe with the Chevening Scholarship,it would help me expand my network with hundreds and thousands from the Chevening community and beyond

Scholarship / Chevening Scholarship essays on Leadership and influence; early experiences [2]

Hi I'm #Danstand and I'm applying for a Chevening Scholarship. I have drafted my essays and need you input to help me come out with a winning essay

1. Chevening is looking for people who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer

my first leadership accomplishments

I still remember it like it happened in the last 24hours, when my stepmother left to the forest early dawn to search for firewood without leaving me and my four siblings any food for breakfast. This happened somewhere 1999. We went to school on empty stomachs and when we returned from school my stepmother was still not back and everyone was starving and did not know what to do. Our dad left to work before my stepmother and so did not know what we were going through that day. I could not take the hunger any longer so I called my other siblings told them if we want food we have to work together and prepare our own food. I shared responsibilities, others were to gather millet straws so we could use for fire, others were to harvest pumpkin and fetch water and I looked for the ingredients to prepare a pumpkin meal. At the end I was able to put food on the table for my siblings and myself. This was my one of my leadership accomplishments even as a child at the age of ten.

Since then I have taken keen interest in problem solving and building my leadership skills by taking up leadership positions throughout my educational ladder, in church, societies and anywhere I find myself I try to influence, impart, transform, motivate and to contribute my quota to the growth of society. I do voluntary work with a Non-Governmental Organisation called Youth education and Transformation Network for Africa at my leisure time helping to educate the youth, teaching them good leadership and providing career guidance to secondary school leavers and on Sundays I help teach Sunday school children. Putting smiles on the faces of these little ones gives me inner satisfaction. Friends and closed relations know me as the man with all the time for others and no time for himself.

Many have given various and varied definitions of leadership but in my view leadership is service to others and that is what I am passionate about. My communication skills, time management, and selfless nature is seen in all my activities. I once used six days to organise a youth success seminar under the Youth Education and Transformation Network for Afriica organisation to the amazement of the founder and all the other executives raining praises on me.

Gaining the Chevening scholarship would help me learn and discover more on leadership and motivating others as it would expose me to world great leaders and other upcoming young great leader.