Sacrifice is giving up your established and desired preference for God’s established preference. Leaders who possess this attribute generally understand the idea of being a slave to God. Romans 6:22 puts it this way:
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Being a slave of God is not something negative, but freeing. I know this sounds crazy, but when you look at the alternative it really is a great freedom. If you’ve been following Christ for some time now, you probably don’t remember what it was like to be a slave to sin. A slave to sin is a terminal illness that leads to an eventual eternity separated from Christ. That’s the alternative. Not so good. But, the good news is that being a slave of God offers so much more and requires so much more. I like to think of a slave of God as someone who gives up his or her established and desired preference for God’s established preference. In reality, a Christ-follower should become more and more like Christ, and should sacrifice anything to follow Him. How does this apply to leadership? A leader who is also a Christ-follower should display a sacrificing spirit while leading. Here are a few thoughts about sacrificial leadership.
Leaders sacrifice their time
First, a leader sacrifices their time. They give up time during their day to invest in their team. There is no greater strength of a leader than his or her team. When a leader fails to invest in this way, their team fails to achieve a unified identity. In other words, the less time a leader spends with the team, the less likely the team is to possess the identity expected from the leader. While there are many important tasks for a leader to accomplish, one of the most valuable and long-lasting tasks is to spend time knowing and growing their leadership team. This kind of leadership can have an immediate impact.
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However, this kind of sacrifice can go wrong when leaders replace time with their family for what they think is something of greater value…..their work. This is the wrong way to sacrifice. Pete Wilson, in his book Empty Promises, says this misplaced value is often the result of the seduction of achievement. He goes on to say, “God created ‘human beings,’ not ‘human doings’ (Wilson, 2012, p.30). When I read that sentence, it really hit me in a way that I never thought of before. Leaders should never find their identity in what they do or are capable of doing, but should understand their identity because of who they are in Christ. Leaders should never sacrifice valuable time with their families for the organization. When they do, they become consumed with work and detached from some of the most significant relationships…..their spouse, children, dogs, cats, and other members of their family. I’m not kidding! Everybody needs some special time with the family dog!
Leaders Sacrifice Their Preferences
Second, leaders sacrifice their preferences. Strong leaders are not necessarily good leaders. Strong leaders often fail to listen to their subordinate teams because there is an assumption of infallibility. You’ve been there. Sometimes you work with leaders who know it all and never give you any chance for input into a conversation. Sometimes you work with leaders who allow you to give input, but they never seem to change their minds. Here’s what I’m trying to say. Leaders need to sacrifice their preferences because it is not possible for them to always be right. Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, said, “I not only use all the brains that I have, but all I can borrow.” Today’s leaders would do well to follow his example and use the teams they assemble around them. Borrow from their skill and knowledge. Allow your team to invest in your own leadership by giving them to opportunity to actually contribute to the organization.
How can this go wrong? A leader must be willing to sacrifice their preference for sovereignty and listen to his or her team. However, if a leader abdicates his or her personal convictions just to allow the team to feel part of the process, then it can go very wrong. Truthfully, most leaders achieve many good things because they are smart and have good teams around them. Finding a balance in this area is critical. An imbalanced approach to decision-making can produce severe mistakes.
What’s the Takeaway?
Leaders should never sacrifice their families for the organization. If this happens, the personal struggle of home life will eventually trickle over into the business life. Leaders also need to sacrifice personal preference and seek God’s guidance and the wisdom of others on their team as they make decisions. Are you in a position to sacrifice your preferences? If not, you might think more highly of yourself than you ought.