PAN AFRICA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

ESSAY ASSIGNMENT

PATRICK MUTUA

BCOU/25997/0/23

COURSE CODE: UCC105

COURSE TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO LEADERSHIP

SUBMIT BY: 14th AUG 2023

First and foremost, I would like to evaluate my character based on my qualities and traits. I will

acknowledge that like the old saying that Rome was not built in a day, I have gone through

character development as an individual as I grew up. I have made many adjustments in my desire

to develop good moral, spiritual, physical and materialistic character. I have had to drop some

habits and learn new habits that would develop good qualities in my life. As a born again

believer, the word of God has been instrumental and a reliable resource that has significantly

impacted on my character development. I have strived to lead by example in my family as a

husband and a father, at work place as a team player and leader to those that I lead. I also

minister in church and most of the time the question of character has motivated me to lead by

example. Sometimes I have had to drop some habits like sluggishness in order to lead others.
Secondly, in my observation I noted that I am more inclined to servant leadership style in every

capacity that I am entrusted with. I believe a leader is a steward to the people that follow him or

her. This understanding drives me to empathize with others as a leader. It also instills in me the

desire to see others grow and realize their God given potential. I believe in the example of Jesus

Christ when he washed His disciple’s feet to demonstrate servant hood leadership. I value the

people I lead because I understand man is not an island and two are better than one. My view is

the position of leading others is just a privilege that can be exploited for good or misused.

Therefore, I endeavor to be responsible by making wise decisions and choices. As a leader the

challenges of being a servant leader are enormous since some people tend to take advantage

especially where there is delegation of duties, you can find some people who are always hesitant

to play their part. They either leave you with the entire work load or give excuses why you

should help them to finish their tasks. As a leader, I have learnt to identify those that can handle

complex tasks easily and efficiently, I also leverage on peoples gifting and skills when

delegating duties for effectiveness and efficiency at work. I believe people are endowed with

different abilities and talents which can be utilized to complement one another within the

organization or society for purpose of more achievements and greater productivity. As I lead

people I endeavor to believe in their capabilities to deliver outstanding results. As a leader I also

equip others through training and mentorship as a way of sharpening skills and building

potential. This was more demonstrated in the life of Jesus when he chose the few in order to

disciple them and afterward sent them for the mission He had prepared them to undertake.
As a leader, I believe one must know where he or she is going. It makes sense to say that people

cannot follow someone where they are not convinced about. On the other hand a leader cannot

take his or her followers where he or she has never been. The bible says where there is no vision

people, perish. This has been my greatest motivation as a leader to cast a vision of where and

what I want to accomplish as I lead my team. In church, I have desired to see exemplary service

to the work of God. This has also been the case at my work place and I have seen many of my

colleagues being inspired to perform better and realize the set targets. My challenge has been that

not every vision has the majority vote and sometimes your find others who have conflicting

ideas. I have been persistent as a leader despite such setbacks. When the vision is clear, the

leader and the followers are focused. Focus has played a pivotal role in my leadership and I have

been able to scale the ladder of competence by avoiding distractions. I have also derived courage

from the vision. This fortitude has kept me going in the midst of great trials. Sometimes the

responsibility of leadership makes me feel a loner but I have encouraged myself through

different situations and the results were positive and impressive.

On time management , I have learnt that time is one of the most valuable commodity that God

gave us in an equal measure irrespective of our color, age, gender , social status or nationality.

As a leader, I have found myself making major strides to overcome mismanagement of time. I

try to have a balanced life since I wear different hats, as a husband, a father, a colleague as well

as a church worker. Since time is limited and no one can add to the hours that we have in a day, I

usually strive to meet deadlines and be punctual and prompt. Some of my challenges with

effective time management arise from; being caught up by traffic jams, meeting strict deadlines

at work place and multitasking on several roles. Sometimes these can be demanding but I have

tried to be efficient and effective by having a to-do list and scheduled activities. I also embrace

planning as a way of managing time effectively. I believe in the saying that, ‘failure to plan, is

planning to fail.’ Planning enables me to optimize the available resources and especially on time

being the greatest resource.

On truthfulness, I have tried as a leader to always overcome the temptation of giving false

information. The consequences of lies can really make us ineffective and affect our capacity as

leaders. There are challenges of people wanting to manipulate me and coarse me into falsehood

but I try and avoid such lures. In our contemporary society that is marred by corruption, malice

and deceptive practices, I purposed to have a stand for truth and justice. Someone said lies travel

faster than truth but in the ultimate only truthfulness will stand the test of time. I have worked in

the financial sector where the temptations of fraud, financial malpractices and irregularities are

part of the day to day crime scenes. However, I have sought to remain honest regardless the

challenges involved. I have learnt that truthfulness is a habit that is acquired through training

ourselves to respect what belongs to others, giving correct information and personal

determination to be genuine and honest.

References: Class Notes