LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCE QUESTION
Chevening is looking for individuals that 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 answers. (50-500 words)
LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCE QUESTIONS
One of my best leadership definitions was given by President Dwight David Eisenhower and it says that it is the art of getting someone to do what you want to do because he wants to do it. Many leadership definitions include the ability to influence, inspire, rally, direct, encourage, motivate, induce, move, mobilize and motivate others to pursue a common goal or purpose. I have functioned as a leader in various capacities and had to apply these in carrying out my assignment as the leader of those teams.
I assumed leadership position early in life, especially on the home front being the first and eldest child in the family being held responsible for every member of the families actions and having to lead by example. I have not only attended leadership trainings, both locally and internationally, but also given myself to reading books on leadership and learning from other senior leaders around me.
Every year since 2009, I have attended the video cast program of the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) organized by Bill Hybels at the Willow Creek Church in Chicago. At the conference I have listened to persons like JIM COLLINS, BRENE BROWN, LIZ WISEMAN and co.
During my undergraduate studies, I was selected to be group leader for our group assignment in strategic management. There were 45 groups in all as the class consisted 3 departments. My group was to do an analysis on the case study of Arthur Andersen and Enron Scandal which was going to be presented in both a written and verbal report in a class seminar. This carried 30% of our total assessment score for the semester, hence, there was need to work hard. I applied the leadership skills of strategic thinking, time management, delegation, action planning, foresight, mobilization and motivation. We held a meeting and agreed to do our individual home work and put our pieces of work together in the next meeting. We did not hold just two meetings but several meetings to rehearse our report so that if anyone of us was asked a question, such person could answer well. Then we selected the most eloquent of us. We also had only five minutes to give our report, hence we needed someone to draw our analysis diagram while our main speaker gave the report. I suggested to the group that we wore a uniform for our presentation and after a few arguments we finally agreed. We eventually emerged the best group for that assignment and scored the highest of the groups that presented. We were also given a bonus for our uniform. I simply mobilized and coordinated and organized my team, leading them to victory. Most importantly, I was able to make them do what I wanted them to do because they wanted to do it and it was for our own good.
Oluyege, you need to come up with a real world application for your leadership skills and not just some class assignment that you led. You have to understand that as a Chevening applicant, you will up against other contenders who have leadership experience stemming from government service, non - government project implementation, private sector enterprises, and business projects. A mere class project cannot stand up to the international leadership experience that your opponents will present. This is a very weak presentation of leadership skills. It is too basic and will not really be considered a serious application by the reviewer. You need to beef this essay up in order to create a true image of being an effective leader for yourself.
This essay is too concentrated on defining what a leader is. That is not the interest of the reviewer. His sole interest is in learning if you you have the leadership skills that they require of their scholarship grantees. Having the opportunity to attend a leadership seminar consecutively and participating in class assignments is not the same as having participated in a project that had you at the helm, making decisions that could either make or break the project. The class project does not really have any real world stakes involved for the leaders of the group. A failing grade is not the same as failing to deliver the needs of a destitute community because the leader made a wrong decision along the way.
Do you have any real world leadership experience that you can use in this essay? What you need to relate in this essay is some sort of experience that can actually say, "I am the future world leader the Chevening Scholarship is looking for. I can influence the world leaders into making the world a better place for everyone living in it." Right now, all your essay says is "I am a very good student with the potential to become a good leader in the future." Influencing your classmates to wear a uniform does not carry the same weight as an applicant who say, successfully got the town mayor to build a water pump for a water-less community. That takes real influence and leadership to attain.
The weakness of your essay lies on your lack of actual leadership experience. You need to come up with a leadership experience that can rival those of the other applicants. Otherwise, your application will not really stand a chance. Read the other Chevening leadership essays available at this forum, you will come to understand why I fear that your current will not help you at all because of the abilities of the other candidates that you are up against.
@Yegzie1, I hope my remarks is not too late.
- and had to apply these skills in carrying
- out mythe assignment as the leader of those teams .
- I assumed leadership position early on in life,
- especially on the home front being the
- first and eldest( "first and eldest" is synonym to each other )
- child in the family beingI am held responsible
- I was selected to be a group leader
- There were 45 groups in all as the class consisted 3 departments.( this information may not be necessary )
- there was a need to work hard.
- I applied the leadership skills of strategic thinking skills ,
- Then weWe then selected the most eloquent of us.
- I simply mobilized and, coordinated and organized my team,
Aside from my remarks above, I believe your essay is written well. So far yours is the shortest essay I read in taking up the Chevening Scholarship.
I must say that yours is also precise and with just the right information needed for the prompt.
I wish you the best of luck and post your revision here on EF so we can help you further.
