No doubt, if you’re going to be a leader, you’re going to pay a high price.
I’ve always heard that the higher you go in leadership, the higher price you’ll pay.  That’s true, but I would qualify it: it’s not that you necessarily make more
sacrifices as you ascend in leadership.
Mainly, I’ve noticed that God requires you to make more intense sacrifices as your influence increases.  In other words, you pay a different kind of price.

For instance, I paid a high physical price when we were starting Elevation.  (Some of our core team members paid an even higher one, by the way.)
The other day, I was detailing for someone what my weekly schedule was like during the launch phase of Elevation, and we just laughed.  How did I survive that?  But the physical price was part of that phase.  The load was heavy because there weren’t many people to share it.

The phase I’m in right now isn’t quite as physically demanding.  I have a lot more help.  I’m much more in control of my schedule.  Don’t get me wrong, certain seasons within the year are very demanding, and Sundays are more taxing than they’ve ever been.
But honestly, the price of leadership I’m paying these days is more of an emotional price.  Leading at this level involves a great deal of isolation.  It requires a high tolerance for painful decisions.  Relational conflict is a part of every single day, as are scrutiny and criticism.  Change comes fast and furious, so you never feel at home in your old skin very long before you’re morphing again.

In my limited experience, there’s always a price to pay in order to walk in the greatness of God.  And that price goes up every single day.
But so does the reward…