In our series on leadership attributes, we now look at how leaders must sacrifice. One of the leadership laws included in John Maxwell’s classic book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, is “The Law of Sacrifice”. Maxwell writes that the heart of good leadership is sacrifice, not personal gain. He states that if you desire to become the best leader you can be, then you need to be willing to make sacrifices in order to lead well, understanding that the nature of the sacrifice may be different for each person.
That got me to thinking about some of the sacrifices leaders must make. Here are just three areas in which leaders must sacrifice to get you started thinking about this subject:
Commitment. Emerging leaders are expected to work hard to grow in their leadership competencies and demonstrate to their leaders that they have what it takes to be a leader. They are expected to have more education – advanced degrees, professional designations or certifications – than others. They are expected to work with multiple mentors, and to take on “stretch projects”.
Time. Leaders are expected to work long hours. That just comes with the territory. They don’t leave the office, or log-off at home, based on a time signaling the end of the workday. If an issue arises, or a team member wants to talk to them about an issue, they need to put others before themselves and work they have to do, to address the issues or have that conversation. The amount of time a leader works each day is generally going to be more than that of their team members, because they have more responsibility. As a result, leaders will at times miss out on things they would like to do outside the office. That is part of the sacrifice a leader must make.
Mentoring Others. Leaders owe it to those emerging leaders coming up behind them to mentor and coach them. This will assure that their organization will continue to have good leaders in the future, and is another example of how leaders put others before themselves.
Maxwell tells us that sacrifice for a leader is an ongoing progress, not a one-time payment. Leadership success requires continual change, constant improvement, and ongoing sacrifice. There can be no success without sacrifice.
To become a more influential leader, are you willing to make sacrifices? Share some of the ways you have made sacrifices as a leader.
This is an Adapted Excerpt From My Book “A LEADER WORTH FOLLOWING:
40 Key Leadership Attributes and Applications to Master”.