Hello everyone. I'm currently applying for a Chevening scholarship and would like some feedback on my current draft. It's incomplete so far, but any suggestion, correction, etc., is much appreciated.
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. (minimum word count: 50 words, maximum word count: 500 words)
Leadership is not a position to which one is elected, appointed or even enthroned. It's a path; therefore, it's a choice. It's a conscious effort to serve as an enabler of talent, knowledge, fulfillments and results. As Steve Jobs would say: "We're here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why else even be here?"
By being a lawyer and an in-house counsel, I am ofttimes engaging in deep and critical collaboration with people from many departments and other areas of knowledge. It's part of my daily routine. To do so, constantly, and in a successful manner, I positively influence, empower and motivate my peers, all while combining their technical prowess towards a tangible goal, be it a court case, a client's request or a colleague's idea, to example a few.
It's about this never-ending potential to ignite and energize people's aspirations, imaginations, and passions, having full understanding of their uniqueness.
This ethos, to encourage others to show their capabilities, voice their opinions, perspectives and concerns, be it in the workplace or at home, is something that was imbibed in me from an early age and augmented exponentially during my years in Law School (IESB).
Getting to where I am today, took grits, desire and guts. From volunteering and joining the IESB's Jr. Company as manager of the Knowledge Management Department I had the opportunity to make things "happen". I proactively encouraged a creative dialogue by challenging my coequals to think and learn new things while conjointly learning to indentify, evaluate and share all sorts of know-how, people included.
After finishing Law School, on my first try, I was approved in the Brazilian bar association examination, which is an known to have a nationwide failure rate of almost ninety percent.
In my first years practicing law, something became quite clear: leadership, particularly in a business whose assets can simply walk out the door is a matter of networking and influence. It's something that must be built through genuine relationships and care.
That's why to communicate the worth and potential of others so clearly, so powerfully and consistently, so that they really come to see it in themselves is to set in motion the process of seeing, doing and becoming.
For this reason I have an open door policy. This cross-fertilization of minds allows me to quench my thirst for knowledge, to be on the look-out for new things and commit myself and others on becoming a better person.
Nowadays, not only am I an in-house counsel in a company with thousands of employees, but I have my own practicing firm, albeit a small one. Chevening, I'm ready for my next challenge!
Law is a relationship between the "is", the "ought to be" and the "what might be". That's why I have an impetus, to never be wholly settled with the status quo and always foment and be the change for the better. If you do not do it, who will?
Hi Fransisco,
Your essay is very interesting to read. I understand that you are a passionate lawyer who always thinks pragmatically. However, I feel that the ending is quite abrupt and a little bit of a cliffhanger. Use transition words like: In Conclusion, To Conclude, In Sum, etc to end your essay in a more impactful way. Also, looking at your essay, you must have sufficient amount of word counts left. You could maximize your essay by elaborating more of your leadership skills that you demonstrated throughout your studies and career. Good Luck.
