Wise leaders resist convenience. There are days when I long for my runs to be easy. I don’t want to feel like I taxed my body or pushed myself further than I thought I could go. I want my runs to be convenient.
And yet my runs aren’t convenient. Running can take away time from my wife or with friends. Running takes extra energy and effort. Going for a run may even require me to get wet or cold or too hot. There’s nothing convenient about running.
But I wouldn’t change this fact for anything. Convenience sounds nice, in theory. Yet if running were convenient, it wouldn’t stretch me and make me stronger. My muscles wouldn’t grow and I wouldn’t lose weight. I wouldn’t feel the accomplishment of finishing a half marathon.
Do you long for convenience in your leadership? You may want to rethink bringing convenience into the way you lead.
Convenience Is the Enemy
When you begin to look for convenience rather than impact, your leadership style changes. The way you lead goes from looking for ways to improve the lives of others to looking for ways to improve your life.
You stop thinking so much about others. You start to think more about yourself. And that’s dangerous for leaders!
Leadership is about the impact you can make on the lives of others. How you can help one person grow and expand their reach.
Convenience takes your mind off of what really matters: Touching lives.
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Be cautious when you begin to seek convenience. Make sure you’re not desiring convenience just because it makes your life easier.
Instead, think about how the struggles you’re facing are making you a better leader. They’re challenging you to see new ways to lead. Struggles push you beyond your current boundaries and help you grow your leadership muscles.
Embrace the struggle. Embrace the challenge. And embrace the inconvenience.
This article originally appeared here.
