I hope to achieve the success by the end of 2018. Chevening scholarship application leadership essay

CHEVENING ESSAY - FUTURE LEADER AND INFLUENCER

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 answer.

I am sort of lost on ideas for my essays so I'll take any feedback at this time. Here is what i wrote:
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I started working immediately after my graduation in 2003 and was promoted to be a team leader in the first year of employment where the requirement was to manage and lead a team of four people only. It didn't come naturally to me at the time though. It was tough to have people confront the authority and not comply to the instructions. It didn't take me long to figure out that just a senior position isn't going to help me so I started working on my interpersonal skills. Since the team was really small, I could have direct interaction with everyone and was able to lead better. My team and I helped the company get ISO certified.

After doing full time jobs in for about 8 years I ventured into entrepreneurship and became a partner in a startup software house heading the operations of the company. Our business model about taking on different projects through online portals and then getting them done through an inhouse team. As the time progressed, the business grew and the resources added, however, the overall scope of the projects narrowed down to only ecommerce sites. We were able to manage it pretty well for the first five years however, for the last two years, the business suffered continuous struggle for survival. In order to help the company get back on track I learned a few skills on my own and started to grow an in-house team in marketing and sales which wasn't the case earlier. It has been a gradual process but I hope to achieve the success by the end of 2018.

@Quratulainn

I am currently applying to Chevening Scholarship too, so I will not be the right person to evaluate your essay, but please take the following into consideration:

1- You may add two paragraphs as a start or beginning and another as ending of your essay. As the essay should consist of "Beginning, Body, Conclusion or ending"

2- You may add more details concerning the companies activities (in your both paragraphs) and show more about your skills.

3- You may show more your efforts, and how you hardly lead the team although the difficulties you faced. Give more details.

Best of Luck!

Quratulain, this is a very dry essay. It is not really informative because you summarize all of your information presentations. It only glosses over your potential as a leader and does not even touch on your influencing skills. This is an extremely short leadership and influencing essay. It almost seems like you are not being completely honest with the reviewer in your statements. Are you telling the truth? He could question a number of entries in your essay due to the lack of clear examples of your leadership and influencing skills. Indicating that your business is currently failing but you hope to save it does not bode well for your leadership skill neither does it say something positive about your ability to influence positive developments in your company. This is not a strong leadership and influencing example. Neither of them are due to the lack of proper examples relating to each profession and title that you held. I strongly urge you to be more specific in your presentation. Indicate relevant leadership and influencing skills that at least you have the potential to be both on a professional level at the very least. Remember, Chevening expects a lot of their applicants because they are looking for the next mover and shaker in their home countries. Being capable or good enough is not enough for this essay, you have to be the best.