Leadership is an attitude that fuels or inspires positive change

Leadership skills for Chevening scholarship

Hi, I'm applying for Chevening scholarship from India. Here's my answer for the question pertaining to leadership skills.

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.

Whenever I ask myself the definition of leadership, it varies according to situations, teams and the task at hand. However, one thing has always remained constant for me - leadership is an attitude that fuels or inspires positive change.

Besides working as a TV journalist, I have been part of a volunteer program called the 'Robin Hood Academy for Helping and Teaching' (RAHAT) where we provide education and academic assistance to underprivileged children. While working with RAHAT, the first opportunity to showcase my leadership skills was when we organised door to door drives to motivate children to come and study at our weekly camps. As a child, I used to accompany my father to Pulse Polio drives, and I knew about the apprehensions people usually have in villages regarding medicine, education and campaigns. That experience came in handy at RAHAT when I convinced some of the most reluctant families to allow their children to study, setting an example for other volunteers to not let any child in the area be deprived of education, not even the hesitant ones. As a leader, I emphasised on the goal of not leaving anyone behind.

As part of the volunteer program, I led a team of 6 volunteers and would allot about 6-7 children to each volunteer based on the kids' age groups and education. I'd like to mention here that coordinating with volunteers is often a test of flexibility and team building as the faces keep changing every week and the number of children who show up also changes. After each drive, we try to come up with new strategies to teach the children in an innovative yet cost effective manner.

It is imperative for a leader to bring new ideas to the table, and understand that no matter how small they seem, they have the potential of bringing about a change. As a TV journalist, I was able to turn my idea of giving a platform to human interest stories, into reality as I conceptualised and began working on the show titled 'People's Court'. The show, which went beyond politics to explore stories that directly affect the citizens, even earned a prime-time slot.

To use leadership skills to influence those around you, it is also important to take challenges and let passion drive you. I started my own Art Studio while working a full-time job at NewsX. I had to constantly ricochet between being my own leader and my own team, motivating myself to do better and work harder. Today, I work on commissioned artworks and even have a social media following and clientele.

Above all, it is very important for a leader to care. I have always believed in the power of listening and emotional intelligence. With Chevening, I want to push my boundaries further, make a difference and bring about the change I have hoped for.

Salam Anub,
I think generally it was fine but you should write more details about your experience in leading and influencing. Maybe instead of mentioning different items it's better to focus on one of your experience like leading 6 volunteers and explain and clear more about your leadership skills in this group.

This essay will not work Anub. The choice of leadership skill is not definite. There are no management skills represented, no influencing requirements indicated, no prompt requirements addressed. While thi sis a good reference point for leadership and influencing, you did not properly develop the content of the essay to reflect the qualities of a leader and influencer as you embody it. Defining what leadership means to you at the start of the essay does not make this a leadership nor influencing essay. That only tells the reviewer, rather than showing him, how you view leadership, but not influencing.

What you have to do is discuss the RAHAT experience that you have. After indicating the background of the essay, in a short version. It should not take a whole paragraph, just one or two sentences. A simple objective recognition of the organization will suffice. Exclude the Polio drives. That is irrelevant. You need to focus on RAHAT for its leadership and influencing potential. Your childhood memories do not serve a purpose in this essay. Do not include that in the discussion.

After explaining the objective, introduce your leadership experience. What was the mission at that time? What was the objective? How were you chosen to lead the team? What In another paragraph, discuss your team members, what it was like to work with them, what problems were encountered by the team, how you led the team towards a resolution, and how you handled friction within the team or any other problem that had you as the direct decision maker for the team.

A new paragraph will then be required to explain your influencing skills over the team. Based on the problems indicated and resistance coming from the team or townsfolk regarding the implementation of the solutions, how did you influence the scenario so that you came to a positive conclusion to the problem? That is how you write a leadership and influencing essay. You do not gloss over the discussion, you get into the nitty gritty of it. As a journalist you should know that. Information is key in the essay. Examples drive your point home. Show, don't tell.