The more difficult path

# Chapter 275

Leadership is about taking the hard way – anyone can take the easy way. - Masterminds

I would say that leadership is about the willingness and capacity to take the hard route, and the brilliance to see an equal but easier path. The hard road isn’t always required and rarely desired, and anyone taking you down that path just because they can or simply because they think that is what leaders do - is a lunatic. I don’t want to work with them and I don’t think you do either.

On the other hand, leadership is absolutely about who is willing to take the more difficult road, who is willing to work harder and longer, who is willing to aim higher and reach further, and who is willing to pay the price so that all can benefit. That is leadership in a nutshell. And those developing into leaders are already taking more challenging paths than the grunts are, building their capacities for more difficult paths in their futures. However that process of taking the more challenging path over and over, helps some realize that they aren’t really all that interested or willing to keep do this to themselves and they step back and follow. Nothing at all wrong or weak about that decision, it reveals a solid insight that can guide a person throughout their whole life. If the payoff isn’t large enough, some decide that leading at that fractional benefit, to not be worth the effort and risk of leading and they too step back. This is also good leadership for they understand their capacity and mental will to do difficult things at this price point.