Achieving sizeable results and extraordinary outcomes normally requires great sacrifice.
To attain long-term goals, people give up short-term comforts, priorities, and freedoms. The tradeoffs involved only make sense if the outcome is meaningful and lasting.
And everyone must believe in the higher purpose involved.
Sacrifice is a very personal decision. People sacrifice when they believe that setting aside their short-term interests for the future good is worth it.
So, when leaders ask team members to sacrifice for the greater good, it becomes a delicate calculus.
Over time, team members who make sacrifices without truly believing in the payoff sour, become resentful, and disengage. Teams that sacrifice for external rewards without the intrinsic beliefs behind why lose their commitment and spirit.
Sacrificing primarily to support the leader only works for so long. Anything other than a total buy-in for the reasons behind the sacrifice will eventually undermine the morale and dedication required for success.
That’s why good leaders never presume or expect sacrifice. They always ask for it.
When they need people to set aside their short-term interests for something bigger, they make the case as to why. They take the time to explain the higher purpose or reason for the sacrifice, how long people will likely need to surrender their comforts, and exactly what is in it for them.
They also frequently acknowledge the sacrifices others make for the higher purpose and greater good. Recognizing sacrifice is a great way to get more of it.
Then they prove their own commitment by sacrificing first. They model their own conviction and solidarity with the team by setting the example, demonstrating to people they are willing to sacrifice the same conveniences they expect others to. They give up their own comforts before asking others to give up theirs.
Good leaders also know they can turn to the well of sacrifice only so often. They understand that asking others to sacrifice for anything but exceptional circumstances (urgent deadlines, high-stakes challenges, moments of organizational change or adversity, crisis, or extraordinary opportunity or impact) will create an undercurrent of resistance and distaste.
Open-ended or chronic sacrifice erodes morale, trust, and productivity. So, leaders ask for it sparingly and only when they truly need to.
Unfortunately, too many leaders presume that if they are making a sacrifice or if the end goal is important to them, others should follow suit, without any explanation or recognition.
Only when all three elements (the reason, the example, and the recognition) exist, do people step up and willingly sustain their sacrifice to achieve great things or overcome extreme adversity.
Remember, sacrifice can never be compelled. It can only be given freely, or it is compliance, not sacrifice. Leaders and teams rarely achieve the extraordinary when people only give things up because they have to.
