Great minds have causes. According to John C. Maxwell, people with a cause pray, risk, plan, observe, sacrifice, expect, and unite more than the ordinary person.
If one's cause is only personal ambition, it will be impossible to think outside of the box. Yet, thinking outside the box is absolutely essential if our diverse learners are going to be served.
I had a principal who told me that his goal was to become a superintendent. Once I knew this I knew that he would never do what it would take to make a difference for the diverse learners in our school who happened to be about 80% of the school population. Why? In order to become a superintendent he would have to focus his attention on pleasing higher up people and being liked by people. He was liked, and he even did some good things, but his ambition but a lid on what he could have done if his cause had been bigger than his own ambition.
Being committed to a cause, though, no matter how worthy that cause may be, comes with a price. John C. Maxwell says in his book, Be All You Can Be, that commitment to a cause goes through four stages:
Stage One: The world recognizes one's commitment
Stage Two: The world will be annoyed by one's commitment
Stage Three: The world will question one's commitment
Stage Four: The world will test one's commitment
Maxwell goes onto to say that one will come to a commitment to a cause crossroad when a choice will need to be made---a choice that will require a decision that will cost something. That cost may be a friendship, one's popularity, one's security, scorn from others, etc. It will be an all or nothing decison. Yet, that decision will be the turning point for the cause and when one can truly start to make a difference
It well may be said of a leader who is willing to make this kind of commitment the same as what was said of Esther in Esther 4:14,..."and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
