Leaders Sacrifice Self-Interest and Recognize Responsibility to Others

Leaders who understand and then pursue a common purpose also serve their own self-interests. However, in covenant leadership those benefits must also extend to others involved in the relationship. By definition, common purpose considers both responsibility to and consideration for the interests of others involved (stakeholders or followers). If I need to engage followers, then it makes sense that my interests must extend beyond self. That means demonstrating a commitment not only to organizational wellbeing, but also to the personal and/or professional wellbeing of followers.

“Astro”-nomical Results

For example, in 2017 the Houston Astros won a World Series, by focusing on team rather than individual performance. Certainly individual performance was important; but it was balanced by what was best for the team. At times that meant a power hitter laid down a bunt and sacrificed individual glory for overall team performance. For that to happen, leaders must create a culture of “sacrificing self-interest” to achieve a greater good. That usually occurs when leaders model that attribute themselves, and then find and reward others who follow their lead. It requires leaders to strike a balance between their own self-interest and their responsibility to others.

Good to Great Leaders

Achieving that balance and building that culture requires a certain amount of selfless humility. That’s exactly what Jim Collins discovered in his study of “Good to Great” companies (eleven companies returning an average of $471 for every $1 invested over 35 years). He found that the most effective leaders (level five leaders) are a “paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.” Now he’s not talking about weakness. Instead he’s describing leaders who are secure enough to check their egos at the door and then do what’s best for the company. In other words, high performing “Good to Great” organizations are rarely about raising individual profiles of leaders. They’re about advancing the organization and its wellbeing. According to Collins, the lack of humility among high profile leaders is why they weren’t nearly as effective as the level 5 leaders.

Collins demonstrates that in order to achieve long-term, sustained results, leaders must focus more on the larger mission and less on themselves. As fundraising consultants, we know this to be true for nonprofit leaders this as well. Recognizing and acting on one’s responsibility to others and to a larger mission is also how leaders build credibility and motivate people to follow. It sometimes requires sacrificing self-interest and delaying immediate gratification in favor of longer-term success.

Selfless Pursuit of Liberty

Consider our founding fathers, leaders who covenanted together and sacrificed self-interest in favor of the common good. For example, John Witherspoon, Abraham Clark and Richard Stockton, were New Jersey delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence. Mr. Witherspoon was president of what eventually became Princeton. He fled with his family as the British occupied the college buildings and burned the library. Abraham Clark left his wife’s sick bed to flee from the British. When he returned his farm was destroyed, his wife had died and his children were gone. Richard Stockton had been a distinguished, wealthy man. He went into hiding until an informant told the British where he was. They dragged him out of hiding, stripped him, took his property and destroyed his home. In prison he was malnourished and regularly exposed to the cold, resulting in a disease that eventually killed him.

These men could have easily ignored this quest for liberty. Most were wealthy and lived comfortably. Still, wealth wasn’t their primary motivator; it was the quest that bound them together. That’s why they sacrificed their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. When leaders recognize their responsibility to others and sacrifice self-interest in favor of a larger purpose, it inspires followers to serve that same purpose in ways that endure.