dear all, i hope you can give me feedback about this leadership essay i'd like to apply for CHEVENING
@Holt
I believe that leadership could not be formed one night and without tremendous effort. I started to notice that I had polished my leadership skills when the Supply Chain Director appointed me to lead Regional initiatives. I was a Management Trainee, who was placed to direct senior managers and report the results to the Board of Directors. The project valued at 7 billion IDR, a quarter of our operational cost, and it aims to change current ways of working by adding a new warehouse facility in the hope to trigger the sales.
The wide age gap, the difference in length of work experience, and diverse KPIs came as a challenge to manage the team. In most cases, They were referring to their past experiences, where unfortunately did not apply to the current business case. Regional Headquarters insisted that adding a new facility was the only way to improve sales. The local team believed the hypothesis, yet nobody has dug deep into the data, and its impact on our business fundamentals. My task was to make the team reach its consensus and validate the assumptions on expanding the distribution path.
I found out the team was coming with data from different sources, creating puzzling information. With no transparency in cross-department performance had got them bringing their assumptions and blaming each other in the meeting. I came to a different conclusion not to open a new warehouse contradicting the current hypothesis, then got confronted by a senior manager in a meeting with stakeholders. I was open, sharing that we lack reliable data, and let them rethink the solution. I flipped the tense into a constructive conflict, which stimulated new ideas and critical thinking.
The team was hesitant to cooperate knowing that the project will add more to their job. I built teamwork within the team through active listening and redefining our mutual goals. I shifted my branding from an authoritarian leader to a servant leader. Communicating my opinion humbly and letting them correct me had boosted their spirit to contribute more. I shared credits with the managers whenever their division helped me with the project task, which changed the culture of judgment and blaming to support and appreciation.
The meetings became full of ideas, backed with supporting data coming from the responsible department. I summarized the data making a comparison of the pros and cons of different business scenarios, correlating its impact on each department and our business. Which the team member confirmed that my proposal was the most beneficial for the company, using it as a conclusion.
The Board of Directors decided to go with my analysis, which saves us from a potential loss of 20% in operational cost. This project shifted my perspective that good leadership comes in a bundle of clear instructions and the culture of a supportive team with mutual goals. This experience opens more opportunities for me as now I got trusted to lead two projects; Global Green Logistics Initiative and Technology Transformation in the company.
@Holt
CHEVENING leadership essay
I believe that leadership could not be formed one night and without tremendous effort. I started to notice that I had polished my leadership skills when the Supply Chain Director appointed me to lead Regional initiatives. I was a Management Trainee, who was placed to direct senior managers and report the results to the Board of Directors. The project valued at 7 billion IDR, a quarter of our operational cost, and it aims to change current ways of working by adding a new warehouse facility in the hope to trigger the sales.
The wide age gap, the difference in length of work experience, and diverse KPIs came as a challenge to manage the team. In most cases, They were referring to their past experiences, where unfortunately did not apply to the current business case. Regional Headquarters insisted that adding a new facility was the only way to improve sales. The local team believed the hypothesis, yet nobody has dug deep into the data, and its impact on our business fundamentals. My task was to make the team reach its consensus and validate the assumptions on expanding the distribution path.
I found out the team was coming with data from different sources, creating puzzling information. With no transparency in cross-department performance had got them bringing their assumptions and blaming each other in the meeting. I came to a different conclusion not to open a new warehouse contradicting the current hypothesis, then got confronted by a senior manager in a meeting with stakeholders. I was open, sharing that we lack reliable data, and let them rethink the solution. I flipped the tense into a constructive conflict, which stimulated new ideas and critical thinking.
The team was hesitant to cooperate knowing that the project will add more to their job. I built teamwork within the team through active listening and redefining our mutual goals. I shifted my branding from an authoritarian leader to a servant leader. Communicating my opinion humbly and letting them correct me had boosted their spirit to contribute more. I shared credits with the managers whenever their division helped me with the project task, which changed the culture of judgment and blaming to support and appreciation.
The meetings became full of ideas, backed with supporting data coming from the responsible department. I summarized the data making a comparison of the pros and cons of different business scenarios, correlating its impact on each department and our business. Which the team member confirmed that my proposal was the most beneficial for the company, using it as a conclusion.
The Board of Directors decided to go with my analysis, which saves us from a potential loss of 20% in operational cost. This project shifted my perspective that good leadership comes in a bundle of clear instructions and the culture of a supportive team with mutual goals. This experience opens more opportunities for me as now I got trusted to lead two projects; Global Green Logistics Initiative and Technology Transformation in the company.
