Essay about future leaders or influencers on Chevening Scholarships Program

future leaders requirement

Dear Sir,

I have drafted my essay below to support my application for master degree under Chevening Scholarships Program year 2018/2019. The question is "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". Please review and suggest, thank you.

Since I have been assigned for Data Management and Information Planning under Program Planning and Evaluation Sub division of current employer from 2013, and after attended 1.5 months education and training of 1st level government planner held by National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) of Indonesian Republic in April 2017, I have been focusing on development planning issues related to planning policy, budgeting strategy and evaluation post-program implemented. I have completed the arrangement and review of the Strategic Draft (Renstra) and Performance Report of Government Institution (LKIP) of current employer annually, which those described about how the program designed and driven by my employer met the priorities of current government program and able to be measured and accounted transparently to public, and thus become my priority tasks as a government official planner. Besides that, as a non-department state institution, my employer was authorized by the State Government of Indonesia through its Civil Service Regulation (UU ASN) to conduct and to supervise education and training for bottom up level government staffs and this a great opportunity to share new relevant concepts and methods that I learn from outstanding professors in the United Kingdom and from other international scholars to education and training participants through paper writing and direct learning.

Related to budgeting strategy and evaluation post-program implemented, I have encouraged other internal colleagues to be more serious and focus to map out all relevant government aspects including budget efficiency and performance-based budgeting. In addition, I also suggest them to keep commitments, transparent and meet the proposed program goals. This effort starts when the budget proposes and arrangement, during program implementation and post-program ended. I have been mandated to review and make recommendations towards those processes in order the programs are in-line with government rules and advice.

Furthermore, my involvement in different positions as a humanitarian worker during critical periods after an earthquake and Tsunami disasters has positioned myself to do as much as possible to assist disaster victims to overcome their adversity and rise a decent life in the future. Likewise, when I started working for current employer until now, besides a demand as a civil servant of the Indonesian Government, my existence has motivated myself to do more for governance reform program and provide excellent public services in Aceh and other provinces under our regional working areas. In conclusion, become a leader is not only get a title and high position, but an opportunity when I am able to serve other people for right purposes based on legal standards, and I still commit and stand on that. Therefore, attending as a Chevening scholar year 2018/2019 at one of the United Kingdom universities can be a strong effort to become a leader of change for my current employer and the Government of Indonesia in the future.

Sayed, I learned plenty of information about your employer and your job within the ranks. Thank you for introducing your employer and your work responsibilities to me, However, as a reviewer, I am looking for specific narratives that highlight your ability to handle situations that require quick thinking, an ability to delegate tasks successfully, a talent for micromanagement, and a clear indication of how your subordinates admire you to the point that you can easily influence them to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. Your essay is too heavily theoretical in its presentation of your leadership and influencing skills. It also lacks actual instances highlighting your performance of the two expected traits. You need to revise the essay to be more task specific instead of simply implying that you accomplished leadership and influencing roles because frankly, your presentation sounds like you are only a subordinate trying to sound important, like a leader when the truth is, you are not in a leadership position in your office. A trained reviewer can read your essay in one pass and come to that conclusion easily. Just as I did with this essay. Unless you have verifiable instances of leadership and influencing, all of the information here will not hold water because there is no way to verify your blurred claims to leadership and influencing skills.