Leadership Distinctives: Part Two

Short term pain for long term gain.

You’ve heard it time and time again, but it’s so true.

Leadership Distinctive #2: A leader is prepared to accept some short term pain in exchange for long term future gratification.

If you are an entrepreneur, you know this to be so very true.

The first year you may not make anything for yourself at all sacrificing to keep your baby dream alive and breathing until it’s able to grow to a point where it’s giving back to you abundantly.

In the leadership realm, it’s much the same.

Short term pain cannot deter you from an idea you really believe in.

Unfortunately, we’re living in the drive-through mentality society where we give our order on one side of the building and drive around pick up the results in mere minutes.

We can stuff some food in the microwave and have dinner in just a few minutes.

My grandmother (who did not work in the workplace by the way, this is just for illustration purposes) used to work hard at her meals, some taking all afternoon for the evening sitting. I never thought that she was having that much fun peeling those potatoes or shaving that boiled corn from the cob. However, I always felt that her gratification came when she saw everyone enjoying the meal, while she was often too tired to eat much herself.

Take five minutes and jot down the answers to these things to consider:

• What things are you working through a process right now?
• What milestones or victories along the way have you secured?
• What’s the “pig in the python”? What’s holding things up?
• Can you see clearly the victory at the end of the process?
• What’s it look like?
• How will you feel when you get there?

The things that will be the most rewarding to you will be those things that you accomplish by long term process and sacrifice.

I promise it will be well worth it.

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