Are you a leader who enjoys the perks, or are you a leader who pays the price?
How you answer that question will go a long way to determining your level of leadership effectiveness.
Here’s what I mean…
Some leaders are enamored by what they see as the perks of leadership. You know; the corner office or the reserved parking space.
But truly effective leaders are driven by something far different. These leaders find an inner resolve that drives them to lay all of that aside in order to accomplish the goal set before them.
Case in point.
Recently I visited a group of Christian leaders in Cuba who were passionately committed to bringing leadership development to other leaders in their country.
During a lunch break one of these pastors returned to his office, but he did not rejoin our meetings as we had expected.
Later he found us again for dinner and explained what had happened.
With a look of immense satisfaction he reached into his pocket and produced an official citation, ordering him to appear in court.
He explained that when he had returned to his office during our lunch break, he had been met by government officials who had charged him with meeting with students. Indeed the passion of his ministry was to connect with university students; a practice frowned upon by the Cuban government.
But far from being concerned or intimidated by this, this pastor simply recognized that in order to fulfill what he saw as his leadership calling, it meant having to pay a potentially steep price.
For this pastor, leadership wasn’t about getting the best table in a restaurant or enjoying the esteem of adoring followers.
Instead, this is what he knew:
Effective leaders are willing to pay the price to achieve the goal.
To become that kind of leader it requires at least three commitments:
1. A commitment to place the cause ahead of your comfort.
2. A commitment to place results ahead of your rewards.
3. A commitment to place personal risk ahead of your recognition.
Be warned: the lure of perks can seduce any leader.
But if you’re committed to leadership effectiveness set your sights higher.
And focus on the price, not the perks.
What price have you had to pay in your leadership?
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