One Thing Great Leaders Have in Common

Leadership is not complex. It’s simple. Anyone can learn to lead, but it’s not easy. One has to be willing to persevere through difficult situations to develop the right skills and positive character to thrive as a leader. But there’s one thing great leaders have in common: They do not shy away from taking the difficult path.

There is a quote attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, “Nothing worth having comes easy.” This common expression supports the notion that effort is required to achieve anything worthwhile. Les Brown once said, “If you do what is easy, your life will be hard. But if you do what is hard, your life will be easy.” In a leadership context, you must embrace the difficult path if you want to be a great leader and enjoy the best rewards of leadership.

Pillars of Strong Leadership

Ask any leader, and they will nod in agreement that some of the most important leadership characteristics do not come easy. These characteristics form pillars upon which great leadership is built. The pillars that line the road to strong leadership include sacrifice, patience, and agility in Uncertainty. Coupled with these pillars are the experiences of failure, rejection, and criticism, all contributing to the resilience and resolve of a strong leader.

The greatest leaders embrace the difficult path because it is the right thing to do. That path is socially unpopular, personally uncomfortable, professionally challenging, and wrapped up with difficult choices. The easy path is the path of least resistance. It tends to avoid conflict, has short-term gains, is usually self-benefiting, and is a position of comfort at the lowest leadership level. A leader who consistently takes the easy path can survive but not thrive.

Rewards of The Difficult Path

Effective leaders don’t choose the difficult path because they like the pain. It’s because they know it’s often the most rewarding both personally and professionally. Here are a few benefits experienced by those taking the difficult path instead of choosing the easy way out.

• Leads to personal growth and development from unexpected discoveries and lessons learned as they step out of their comfort zones to tackle the difficult approach.

• Develops unwavering character like courage, patience, and resilience from the risks they take and the difficult decisions they must make.

• Strengthens their integrity muscle as they choose to make the most ethical and moral choices; especially the choices no one sees.

• Builds respect, trust, and admiration from those they influence who observe their authenticity and grace under pressure.

• They become memorable leaders, role models, and standard-bearers to doing what is right versus what is easy and comfortable. This increases the leader’s influence, a valued currency of leadership.

• Finally, leaders who choose the difficult path will most often be rewarded with greater business results. As in investing, the higher the risks, the greater the returns. This usually requires pushing the boundaries, driving unconventional solutions, and taking calculated risks to step into new territories.

It’s a fact many good things require hard work. It’s also true there are good things that come easily. Generally, breathing is easy. Things we refer to as “low-hanging fruits” take less effort and are easier to attain. By the way, working smarter (versus harder) does not necessarily mean it’s easy. It just means it’s more efficient even with its difficulty.  

Success, therefore, will come in various forms and paths depending on the individual and situation. However, leaders who always take the easy road will miss out on the greatest rewards of their personal and professional lives.

Anyone can learn to lead, but the greatest leaders are inspirational and effective. One characteristic these great leaders have in common is the acquisition of skills that are difficult to attain such as patience, courage, and resilience. These skills can only be developed and strengthened through taking the difficult path.

Empowered Leader Reflection

As a strong leader, why do you choose the difficult path when the opportunity presents itself?

Would you share your thoughts in the “Reply” space below?