Hi ! I need your feedback on my Chevening leadership essay. Thanks!
Chevening is looking for individuals 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.
Leadership and Influence - Chevening Essay
As a Digital Product Owner at ABC, I believe leadership is about creating lasting change, while influence is about guiding people toward a common objective. I led a squad of 9 for a Digital Transformation project to digitalize data input for XYZ, one of our partner meat crab factories. They were heavily reliant on manual paperwork, which created delays, especially with receiving notes that record meat received after quality checks, it could take at least 3-4 days after daily production was done. This not only held up supplier payments but also poorly affected relationships and put production targets at risk.
I manage not only the technical side of the project but also persuade a team that is hesitant about digital change. Many employees at XYZ were comfortable with the old methods like using paper and manually inputting into a spreadsheet after daily production was done. They feared that the new system might complicate their jobs. I tried to align with the team from different departments, knowing that buy-in from everyone was crucial. I organized interactive workshops that showcased how the new system could simplify their work and speed up data input processes. These sessions provided an open forum for questions and helped to ease some concerns about transitioning current methods to the new system.
I also make the sessions show specific benefits for each role. For the Data Input team, I introduced an automatic calculation feature to eliminate using calculators for data entries. The Checkers team could now verify data more easily, and managers had quick access to daily reports. By providing examples of how the system could help their jobs, I made the team see the new system as a valuable tool rather than an inconvenience. As a result, they are willing to use the system, and because of that I successfully cut down the creation time for receiving notes from 3-4 days to just 12 hours after daily production was done. This change restored trust with suppliers and lowered the risk of production targets.
Not only that, my influence helped shift the factory to embrace digital solutions and a data-driven mindset. Now, managers are excited to share new ideas for reporting, and checkers are eager to improve their Excel skills to process raw data. With clean and organized data from the system, they are finding it much easier to find valuable insights into the manufacturing process.
My experience as a Digital Product Owner has developed my leadership and influence skills such as strategic vision, empathetic communication, team empowerment, adaptability, and influence. By Leading a digital transformation project, I not only improved the processes but also built trust with the partners and inspired a culture of Digital Transformation. These experiences have shaped my ability to drive impactful change, which I am eager to improve with the opportunities Chevening offers. I believe that my skills and background make me a suitable candidate for the scholarship.
Chevening is looking for individuals 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.
Leadership and Influence - Chevening Essay
As a Digital Product Owner at ABC, I believe leadership is about creating lasting change, while influence is about guiding people toward a common objective. I led a squad of 9 for a Digital Transformation project to digitalize data input for XYZ, one of our partner meat crab factories. They were heavily reliant on manual paperwork, which created delays, especially with receiving notes that record meat received after quality checks, it could take at least 3-4 days after daily production was done. This not only held up supplier payments but also poorly affected relationships and put production targets at risk.
I manage not only the technical side of the project but also persuade a team that is hesitant about digital change. Many employees at XYZ were comfortable with the old methods like using paper and manually inputting into a spreadsheet after daily production was done. They feared that the new system might complicate their jobs. I tried to align with the team from different departments, knowing that buy-in from everyone was crucial. I organized interactive workshops that showcased how the new system could simplify their work and speed up data input processes. These sessions provided an open forum for questions and helped to ease some concerns about transitioning current methods to the new system.
I also make the sessions show specific benefits for each role. For the Data Input team, I introduced an automatic calculation feature to eliminate using calculators for data entries. The Checkers team could now verify data more easily, and managers had quick access to daily reports. By providing examples of how the system could help their jobs, I made the team see the new system as a valuable tool rather than an inconvenience. As a result, they are willing to use the system, and because of that I successfully cut down the creation time for receiving notes from 3-4 days to just 12 hours after daily production was done. This change restored trust with suppliers and lowered the risk of production targets.
Not only that, my influence helped shift the factory to embrace digital solutions and a data-driven mindset. Now, managers are excited to share new ideas for reporting, and checkers are eager to improve their Excel skills to process raw data. With clean and organized data from the system, they are finding it much easier to find valuable insights into the manufacturing process.
My experience as a Digital Product Owner has developed my leadership and influence skills such as strategic vision, empathetic communication, team empowerment, adaptability, and influence. By Leading a digital transformation project, I not only improved the processes but also built trust with the partners and inspired a culture of Digital Transformation. These experiences have shaped my ability to drive impactful change, which I am eager to improve with the opportunities Chevening offers. I believe that my skills and background make me a suitable candidate for the scholarship.
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