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A lot of the leadership content out there talks about vision, culture, and mission. There are a lot of tips, skills, and strategies.

And all of that is, of course, very important.

But there’s something else that's too often left out of leadership conversations.

And yet it’s arguably the most important aspect of leadership.

I’m talking about the cost of leadership.

A lot of young leaders step into leadership thinking about what they’ll gain, and then they’re blindsided by what leadership takes.

Other leaders are making the sacrifices and feeling the cost, but they’re hanging on to the notion that the cost is just a season.

Some leaders find themselves fantasizing about a comfortable or simple life in the midst of their heavy, chaotic lives.

Well, if that sounds like you, then I want you to know — you're not alone.

Gallup's 2026 State of the Global Workplace report landed with a number that should really stop every leader cold. Manager engagement has dropped nine points in three years — from 31 percent in 2022 to 22 percent in 2025.

What does that mean?

Well, it means that the people who are supposed to be leading are disengaging faster than anyone they lead.

Yikes. That’s a problem.

Gallup calls it "the shrinking perk of being a manager."

I actually think something much deeper is going on.

DDI's research on over 10,000 global leaders paints a similar picture.

In summarizing their research on the current state of leadership, they raise the question, “Why would anyone want to be a leader today?”

What we’re seeing is a deepening crisis of trust.

We’re seeing burnout at every level.

Frontline leaders are questioning whether leadership is worth the cost.

But here's what the research doesn't explain — and what I've spent over a decade trying to understand.

In the middle of all this, there are still leaders who are thriving.

Leaders who aren't burned out.

Leaders who have teams that would walk through walls for them.

Leaders who sacrifice deeply, but still get up every day and get back in the fight.

Why?

How are some leaders staying passionate, engaged, motivated, and faithful to their post, even when all the data says most leaders aren’t?

THE CHALLENGE

Early on in my leadership journey, I was under the impression that leadership was supposed to get easier over time. I thought you could reach a place where things finally clicked and felt more comfortable. And for many years, I kept waiting for that moment.

Obviously, it never came.

And I think anyone who has been in leadership for over a decade has probably learned the same lesson.

Leadership never gets easier; the leader just gets stronger.

And the only way for a leader to get stronger is to be in a constant state of discomfort.

It’s the tearing and rebuilding.

It’s the pain and the healing.

The day you start feeling comfortable is the day you've stopped leading well.

Jesus said,

"Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant…” (Mark 10:43, NLT)

Let that land for a second.

According to the Bible, to be a true leader, you must serve.

To be a true leader, you must sacrifice.

That's not a tip. That’s not a recommendation.

That's a leadership mandate.

So when I say leadership costs you something, I'm not being poetic.

The Bible puts it this way — "When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” (James 1:2-3, NLT)

And yet, so many leaders act like the sacrifice is somehow wrong.

It’s as if they’re trying to learn how to get rid of the cost.

Listen, it doesn’t work like that.

To lead is to sacrifice.

To lead is to serve.

Leadership has a cost.

And that’s not wrong; it’s actually good.

THE PASTORAL LENS

Look, I’ve been leading teams for nearly 15 years, and I’ve been a pastor for over 10 of those years.

And yet, I feel like leadership is only now starting to make sense to me.

The greatest leaders I've known aren't the most gifted speakers or the best strategists. They aren't the most attractive or charismatic.

They're the ones who have poured themselves out so completely that you can just feel the passion oozing out of them. They aren't “performing” leadership. They're living it.

They’re so passionate, and they believe in what they’re doing so much that the sacrifice feels like a privilege.

And they'd tell you — every single one of them — they'd do it again.

You see, we've misunderstood sacrifice. We treat it like a loss. Something subtracted. A cost to be minimized.

But the leaders I've seen who gave the most are the ones who seem most alive. Not because sacrifice is easy. It's not. But because giving yourself to something that matters is the surest path to a life that actually feels like it mattered.

A meaningful life.

And I think at the end of the day, that’s what everyone is chasing.

Meaning.

So, no, I don’t believe in a comfortable life; I believe in a sacrificial life.

And through that sacrifice, I’m comforted at the thought that I lived a meaningful life.

A life that actually gave something.

A life that actually made a difference in the world.

That’s worth every bit of the cost.

FINAL CHARGE

Now, I don't know where you are in your leadership right now. Maybe you're tired. Maybe you're wondering if it's worth it. Maybe you've been giving and giving, and you're not seeing the fruit yet.

I want you to hear this.

"Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, ESV)

The sacrifice is worth it.

Don't give up. Not now.

Because on the other side of that sacrifice is something no title, no salary, and no promotion could possibly give you.

A life that actually made a difference in this world.

I’m cheering for you; I’m praying for you.

Keep fighting the good fight.