One of the central points of Orrin Woodward and my book, Launching a Leadership Revolution, is the key role hunger plays in the life of a leader. There are a lot of terms that could be used to describe a leader, but hunger is a primary prerequisite. 
Why is hunger so central to becoming a leader?
Because leadership is all about change. The word lead is a verb describing the influence of others to a place the leader has often not even visited himself. This requires the ability to deal with change effectively; personally and externally as well as organizationally. Helping others change and grow is a large part of what leaders spend their time doing. Through this collective change comes advancement and achievement. None of this can happen unless the leader has a larger supply of hunger to change than the fear or complacency that threatens to stop him.
As the saying goes, "When the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing, you'll change!" Hunger describes the positive side of the coin that has "pain" on the other side. In other words, when your hunger outgrows the power that the status quo has over you, you will change and grow as a leader.
Whenever we miss goals, stop advancing, and fall upon stalled periods in our life, it is usually because we have allowed our hunger to flag. We have allowed the tanks that fuel our leadership engine to run dry. Try to envision hunger as a liquid fuel you store in your mind. To keep your engine running continuously, you will need to supply and resupply it with proper fuel. This is actually a discipline. As a leader you must build your hunger muscles and keep them strong. How is this done? By reviewing your primary motivations on a regular basis, associating with like-minded motivated people, reading good books, studying the scriptures so you keep an eternal perspective on your life's work, having concrete goals, and keeping in constant touch with your purpose and cause. It also comes from finding someone else to serve and love, and being active in the pursuit of your purpose so you build skills and gain confidence and momentum. Leaders that fall behind in their results are usually lax in exercising these key hunger disciplines.
Having proper questions to ask yourself also helps. Here are a few:
1. Who am I going to serve today?
2. What steps am I going to take toward my dream today?
3. What is my purpose in life?
4. What special skills has God given me that point me to my purpose?
5. What activities make me "come alive?"
6. What dreams or achievements can I think about and focus upon to get myself excited about achievement?
7. What kind of legacy am I leaving with the way I am living my life each day?
8. What is the highest picture I can generate in my mind's eye of the kind of person God is fashioning me into for His glory?
9. Am I making the most of my gifts and time?
10. Ten years from today, what would I wish I had been doing?
Don't expect your leadership engine to run properly if you starve it of fuel. Give it the good, high octane stuff all the time. And if you don't, you shouldn't be surprised if it starts sputtering.
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