Leadership is hard! You may read these words and think: “Is this supposed to be news?” It was to me. As a young leader, I had the misplaced belief that if I learned to lead well, it would be easy. What I’ve discovered – if I learn to lead well, I’ll be more effective and have greater impact, but it still won’t be easy.

Does leadership have to be hard?

Yes, the role we play will always be hard. That’s what we signed up for. And, if we were honest with ourselves we’d probably confess, the diffic...