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80 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2022 2. Leaders are often asked to give up more than others. Leaders must give up their rights for the greater good. Leaders learn how to put oth- ers ahead of themselves. It's not easy, but you need to give up more than the people you lead are expected to give up. When you have no responsibilities, you can mostly do whatever you want. Remember the recurring Maxwell theme that the heart of leadership is putting others ahead of yourself. 3. You must keep giving up to stay up. John Maxwell takes the Law of Sacrifice even further when he states, "If leaders have to give up to go up, then they have to give up even more to stay up." In business, we talk about history being the best predictor of future per- formance. We apply this to leadership by stat- ing, "Today's success is the greatest threat to tomorrow's success." ere's always a cost involved in moving forward, and the day you stop being willing to pay the price is the day you stop creating the results you desire. 4. The higher the level of leadership, the greater the sacrifice needed. You've probably noticed that the higher the position, the fewer the number of people able to step in. It's not because there's a lack of capa- ble people; it's simply because there are not enough people willing to pay the price. It seems we are constantly bombarded with the false ideal about the utopia of communism—where everyone is equal, and everybody should have the same rights and the same pay. e prob- lem with this is the Law of Sacrifice. ere will always be some individuals who are willing to sacrifice more, while others are not willing to do anything extra. No philosophy of equal- ity will ever be able to overcome this mindset. It's the inner job. You must decide for your- self how much time, effort, or other sacrifice you're going to assign to a specific job, project, or task. Case in Point I still remember the signs in the early 1980s, "Iacocca for President," following his his- toric turnaround of Chrysler. is success did not come without monumental sacrifices by the newly-minted CEO in 1978, Lee Iacocca. He had accepted the job with Chrysler, but it required many personal sacrifices. e sal- ary he accepted at Chrysler was a little over half what he had earned as the president of Ford. e next sacrifice came in his family life. To lead Chrysler, Iacocca had to work almost around the clock. Finally, to gather support in U.S. Congress for federally guaranteed loans, and to persuade suppliers, dealers, and union workers to make sacrifices to overcome the challenges that Chrysler was facing, Iacocca ended up cutting his salary to $1 a year. But his sacrifices brought Chrysler back from the brink of insolvency to become a highly profit- able company that remains relevant today. Follow these guidelines and e Law of Sac- rifice and you will truly be surprised at the results. Focus on enhancing your leadership skills to lead by example and the results will be epic. PCB007 Steve Williams is president of The Right Approach Consulting. He is also an independent certified coach, trainer, and speaker with the John Maxwell team. To read past columns or contact Williams, click here.