Leadership: The Cost  (adapted from Leadership Lessons of Jesus)

The quotation below is from the book Leadership Lessons of Jesus by Bob Briner and Ray Pritchard:

Leadership is expensive.  As a leader, there is always a price to pay.  Just as Jesus realized “that power had gone out from him” (Mark 5) when the woman touched Him in search of a miracle, potential leaders need to understand that leadership is a draining experience.  Even as Jesus performed this wonderful act of healing, He felt the cost.  The context in which this event occurs helps illuminate the cost of leadership.

As the woman touched Him Jesus was already on His way to deal with an urgent situation.  As soon as He arrived, He was swarmed by crowds and, after stepping ashore, His attention—and these were only some of the costs of His leadership. 

As a leader, the demands on your time and attention are very high, often leaving little time for yourself.  But Mark’s mention of the fact that Jesus felt power leave Him at the woman’s touch is most telling: a leader does not, cannot, help others without giving of himself or herself.  Leadership is costly.

We must seriously consider what it means to be a leader.  Real leaders often “astonish and frighten” as they lead.  They break new ground, take new territory, and ask for new kinds of commitments.  Leaders blaze new trails.  And leaders almost always are called upon to give the most. 

And so the authors ask each of us a fundamental question: “Am I willing to lead—really lead?”  May we be unwilling to accept the position of leader unless we have first counted the cost and are committed to doing whatever it takes to fulfill our responsibilities. 

I’ve been meditating on the above challenge for the past week or so.  God has given me the opportunity to be a leader in my church, at Geneva College and in our local community (through Leaders Serving Beaver County).  I’m finding out that I can’t do it all.  The leadership costs (primarily in time) have increased to the point that I believe I am no longer leading; I’m managing.  Have you ever felt that way?  If so, join me as I pray for guidance and “focus” so that I may again be willing to pay the cost to lead effectively.

The Questions

I’ve written other Weekly Insights that deal with the value placed on a leader’s time.  But the Briner text serves as a reminder of this important topic.  The authors warn, “When a corporate chief becomes enamored with a seemingly glamorous new undertaking that has nothing to do with the company’s core business, problems ensue.”  A leader’s time must stay focused on the mission of the organization.    

But how can you and I as leaders keep this focus.  This book suggests that each of us develops the following habit.   

As each new day begins, before the hustle and bustle start, do two things: 

1. Dedicate the day to God and ask Him for direction.
2. Think strategically about the three or four most important things you need to do today.

And then ask yourself these questions: 

1. What things do I need to do today that no one but I can do effectively?
2. What things on my list could be done better by someone else?
3. What problems have I been putting off because I don’t want to deal with them?
4. What steps—however small—could I take today that will lead my organization into the future?
5. What should I do today that will make me glad when today becomes yesterday? (many times this will involve relationship building)
6. How can I encourage the people around me today in what they have to do?

In addition, in keeping with the theme of this Insight, perhaps there is one more question to ask: 

        Today, am I willing to pay the cost that is necessary for me to be a leader? 

Keith 

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