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.

As a consultant, I come across many step-up opportunities to demonstrate my leadership skills by managing projects. I started with small responsibilities and had grown my capacity over the years. As I took every occasion to improve, a recent experience taught me that prioritization, communication, and flexibility without compromising integrity would make an outstanding leader. I was assigned to lead an abrupt termination of a high-profile contract due to the project partner’s dispute with the Government of Indonesia. Final payment and the replacements must be made and appointed in the next 90 days as we no longer wish to affiliate with an entity that could put our reputation at risk. Given that we were working on a ticking clock, a clear plan is essential to ensure smooth termination with a minimum margin for error. I immediately set up a detailed termination timeline with milestones that are visible to the relevant stakeholders. The project plan presents a clear view of the to-do list prioritized based on deadlines and their degree of importance, which increases efficiency and reduces the chance of missing an important milestone. In addition, I delegated some of the transferrable tasks to junior associates to make time for more strategic tasks and give them a learning opportunity at the same time. A delicate situation requires proper communication to minimize further damage to the relationship with the project partner, and I always find being assertive in conveying both verbal and written messages helpful. For example, I was direct but avoided condescending tone in clarifying items in the financial report to steer clear misunderstandings. On the other hand, dealing with the internal team is also a work of art. Regular updates with ideas to address emerging issues are vital to keeping the leadership team informed with the latest development. In addition, showing resilience in difficult time would not hurt as it reassures that the situation is handled professionally.