Leadership demands giving up personal gains for a greater good

Early in my career, I faced a painful trade-off. My startup needed a lead trainer, but our budget was microscopic. The board suggested hiring a junior coach at half my salary. Yet I knew I was the only one who could deliver our new curriculum with the passion it deserved. I chose sacrifice: I worked weekends without pay and skipped a planned vacation. I spent nights writing and travel funds I’d set aside for myself went instead to cover training costs.

Those months were brutal—my energy drained, my family noticed my absence, and the little savings I had evaporated. But the training went off without a hitch. Our first cohort was so inspired they brought in three new clients, paying for my vacation fund twice over. More important, they carried the training’s momentum forward into every corner of the organization.

Writing later about this in my journal, I realized it wasn’t pain I felt but purpose. Sacrifice had sharpened my leadership identity. Research in organizational psychology shows that leaders who give up personal comfort for the team create deeper loyalty and drive—people mirror their willingness to pay the price, rallying behind a shared cause. Today, we still talk about those early days not for the hardship but because it set a tone: when leadership starts with sacrifice, it never ends.

Whenever you face a new challenge, pause to list three personal comforts— your free time, salary, or spotlight—you might give up this month to support your team. Then, each time you make one of those sacrifices, take a moment to recognize it as your leadership currency and celebrate how it advances the bigger goal. Deliberately hand over the spotlight in meetings and end each day by reflecting on how your sacrifices moved the mission forward. Leadership isn’t about perks—it’s about what you’re willing to trade up.