• Leadership and influence

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. (minimum word count: 100 words, maximum
word count: 500 words)

I believe that leaders are people who can lead their teams to pursue a mutual goal. Being
proactive (looking ahead, taking the initiative, and solving problems) is one of the traits in
leadership. My weakness of worrying about the future had brought me to a habit of making
adjustments ahead of time, preventing problems before they get worse. This habit has shaped me
into a proactive individual.

After graduating from university, I got the experience to work as a Japanese interpreter in an
Indonesian-Japanese merger company. I found a lot of problems caused by the lack of
communication due to the language barrier. As an interpreter, not only was I required to interpret
meetings, but the company expected me to be the hub, bridging the gap between the two sides. In
many cases, I took the initiative to have a conversation with each side before meetings; thus, I
could grasp their opinions, not merely interpret word per word. Regarding payment documents,
they were composed by Indonesian staff and had to be signed by Japanese managers. For these
crucial documents, I would always make confirmation to the financial department before having
them signed. My small yet impactful action advanced to a satisfying result.

I also believe that leaders have to think of innovations and persuade others to reach an inspiring
vision. In my case, I got the experience to explore such leadership skills through teaching the
Indonesian language to Japanese students. Having students in various levels and being unprovided
with study material by the language school made me have to be creative in making the curriculum
for each student.

One of my students had learned Indonesian for years and aimed for the Indonesian Language
Proficiency Test (the UKBI test) qualification. To the best of my knowledge, foreigners who want to
learn Indonesian experience a lack of a systematic approach. Therefore, I tried to invent the
systematic approach based on my experiences in learning a new language since I understand the
barriers and difficulties in learning English and Japanese.

First, I did some research on the UKBI Test to determine what kind of questions it has. Then, I
looked through the questions to find the pattern. Knowing the question patterns and types had
helped me make the appropriate study materials and kept my student on track. Regarding
vocabulary, I brought my Indonesian books to class and asked my student to read out loud; then,
we discussed words and phrases that he did not understand. As a result, my student got the most
effective way to study and passed the proficiency test.

These experiences have prepared me with leadership skills that could lead me to be a future
leader. I am eager to contribute to my country's development in my field, architecture. I believe
that my study in the UK will expand my opportunities to make good influences internationally.