Sacrifice: Does It Exist for Emerging Sage Leaders?

We also know something about what aides and what hinders this shift from personal and professional success to a higher level of significance. A key is the support of important others in one’s life: If the partner doesn’t understand or encourage this shift to significance, then potential emerging sages are likely to pull back and remain engaged in the pursuit of personal success. And in the process they are likely to risk becoming stagnant rather than generative. If friends, co-workers, and neighbors don’t appreciate the new priorities of emerging sages, and tell them they are losing their competitive edge, they are likely to fall back into old patterns—begrudge the success of others. Research suggests that it truly does take a community to help sage leaders find new purpose and energy in their lives, and to help them transition from focusing on success and self-achievement to significance—probably the single factor that most leads to an enduring legacy.

Research literature suggests that the management of boundaries is critical in moving from success to significance. If emerging leaders don’t devote time, attention, and energy to significant others in their lives, how can they expect their partners to support their shift to significance—and the often accompanying de-emphasis on pay and promotion? If other members of the emerging leader’s family don’t really understand the importance of the emerging leader’s civic engagement, how can they be expected to willingly sacrifice their time with the emerging leader or forgo their own priorities—like owning a home, having a second child, traveling, or saving for retirement? More than one emerging sage observes with regret that he gave up so much earlier in his adult life that he now feels he can’t adequately provide for his family. If emerging sage leaders don’t pay enough attention to sustaining their own physical and mental health, they won’t be able to sustain a commitment to significance beyond personal ambition. In many ways, self-sacrifice is among the most selfish of life styles, for it can’t be sustained and often results in personal regret and enduring resentment among those in the lives of emerging sage leaders who are most important.