I am either the best dad in the world or the dumbest man on the planet. It was “Black Friday” which for those who do not know that is the day all the “great deals” occur at the stores in the United States so people can get great deals on Christmas gifts. This is also the day many businesses get out of debt and become profitable hence the name.
One of my children had been saving money for months for a specific handheld video game console and it was sold out on the internet and the stores I had gone to already. As a last resort I got up at 3 AM for a sale that started at 6 AM. Being the type “A” personality that I am I bring my laptop to write this and work on some other things as well.
Now, what are my motives? My wife suggested I secretly love the whole ordeal . . . maybe. I suggest I am kind of stupid and enjoy sleep deprivation and can’t stand to see my son not save $100 on something he has saved so long for. Either way as I sat and waited a principle from John Maxwell’s book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership came to mind. The law of sacrifice says that in order to go up you have to give up.
Now in leadership positions at work this is easy to understand. As you gain more responsibility there is more strain on your time and less freedom to do what you want. The CEO potentially has less time and more high stakes pressure than the sales people beginning in the field.
I am a father of three sons and as I sat at this big box store I had to think how this applies to me as a parent. If I am going to be a parent and not just a man with children I HAVE to sacrifice. Why did I go to that store? In part because I love my child and I know how much happiness it will give him to not only be able to own what he has been saving for, but also have money left for more games. To see him happy makes me happy.
All I am sacrificing is a little sleep, but as a dad I feel a responsibility to help my son manage his money well and be a good steward of the resources he has been entrusted with and this is a small sacrifice to hopefully help him understand this. The sacrifice must be ongoing for me. I must be willing to give up leisure time to play a game with my children when part of me wants to do something else. I must be willing to put my agenda aside and listen to their struggles even when I am exhausted and ready to go to bed.
As a father, the Law of Sacrifice is unending and this was a tiny example of the application of this law. You see in order for my influence with my children to increase I must be willing to sacrifice in a manner that lets them know I care. As we know, if those who lead us at work and home care for us we are more likely to listen to them. What do you need to give up to go up in order to improve your leadership with your family or others you lead?
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