Real Life Leadership Role Incident

LEADERSHIP
Name
Course
Professor
Institution
Due Date
Leadership
Part 1
In 2019, I was a member of a committee in church that organized a group trip for 30 members of the youth church to travel from Lagos, Nigeria to South Africa. The aim of this trip was to evangelize and spread the word of God to the underprivileged youth in the local community of Soweto in South Africa. As the youth church, we have always felt the need to spread our sphere of influence far and beyond, and this was a perfect opportunity for us to meet this particular goal. Many members of the youth church volunteered in different ways to be a part of the program, and we were able to meet the expectations of the trip. While in the trip, it felt like everyone was in the right place at the right time because everyone took part in the activities and at times, it felt a tad lighter to spearhead the mission. Our mission was quite expansive in that it entailed interacting with our target audience and make sure that they understand the purpose for which we are proclaiming the word of God. We had many interactions with the youth in Soweto, and got to hear a lot of inspiring stories that often moved us to tears. Saying that the trip was a success would be an understatement. For me, the trip was an eye-opening, fulfilling, and permanent experience that reminded me of my sole purpose on earth. I believe that everyone’s purpose is tied to touching lives. The focus for all humanity should be on making a life and not making a living, and this trip became a reminder for me that I need to continually give myself to being used of God and his purpose.
Why the Incident or Situation is Leadership
This particular experience was an introduction to leadership for me since during the trip I was put in charge of 15 younger students over the course of seven days. I believe that this was the first time that I was put in charge of many people and it proved to be a challenge and a period that allowed me to learn as I lead. As a leader of this group, there were expectations bestowed upon me that I had to fulfil and deliver a report on the group’s performance. For me, the entire experience was full of pitfalls and challenges that made the entire mission quite hectic for me. However, towards the end of the experience, I was happy to say that I got to learn and deliver on all the areas that I was expected to deliver.
While on the mission, one thing that became a constant throughout the period was the aspect of modeling the way for others. According to Kouzes and Posner (2003), one of the most important thing a leader must showcase is personal credibility. The position one holds as a leader does not guarantee one respect and reverence. However, these have to come from one’s ability to show that they can lead, and not the fact that they have been given a position. Kouzes and Posner (2003, p. 1) note that leaders “model the way by finding their voice and setting an example.” Therefore, as a leader, one must find a way to lead by example. While at the mission, I started by giving out instructions to my team hoping that they will follow as instructed. Every morning, we were given instructions as leaders and expected to channel the same to our t...