Leadership is too often romanticized as the pinnacle of ambition—the reward after a long and serious journey. It is commonly referred to as the brass ring, the grown-up table, or the corner office with the ten million dollar view. But few ever speak of the costs and sacrifices that are required when you ascend to that lofty position of leadership. Nothing can fully prepare a new leader for the myriad of unforeseen issues that inevitably come when the full weight of total responsibility is thrust upon them. The heavy yoke of unshakable pressure and untransferable decision making cannot be fully understood or even appreciated until that mantle of leadership is assumed. Nothing speaks to this more accurately, or perhaps captures this better than the verse found in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part II: “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
William Shakespeare’s character King Henry IV expresses the heavy responsibility of being king and how the weight keeps him up at night. The King laments that it isn’t the heaviness of the actual crown; but rather, the pressure, anxiety, and dangers associated with the power that prevents a restful night’s sleep.
At that moment in 1596, Shakespeare could have been talking about the modern-day mayor, legislator, governor or any corporate leader who was dealing with the pain and suffering associated with leadership and making consequential decisions in challenging times.
Leadership at its core is managing and balancing complex and often confusing contradictions. You need to be decisive but flexible, pragmatic yet visionary, confident yet seemingly vulnerable, all while maintaining the appearance of being even keeled and calm as controversy overwhelms the organization.
King Henry VI fully appreciates that the bejeweled throne was not a sanctuary of peaceful rest; but a rather a spotlight, a place where the intense scrutiny from others would try and bend the very metal and will that make up that perch.
Today’s leaders face that same intense scrutiny, amplified by a crankier more demanding constituency. A non-stop social media splay and 24/7 news cycle only add to this pressing burden.
In today’s age, the missteps are magnified, every is hesitation questioned, and every move is second and third guessed. These armchair quarterbacks have never played the game—never felt the risk.
Today’s uneasy head draws far more attention, and the punishing glare never goes away. I often wonder if those kings and queens would walk that same path and chase their dream to wear the crown if they really knew the staggering and often debilitating costs of ascension.
Needless to say, the leaders of today need very thick skin and need to fully appreciate the true and total costs of being chosen as a leader.
Perhaps when we judge our leaders, we should harken back the Henry IV’s dilemma. The crown is not a prize—it is a test, and the full measure of leadership isn’t how comfortable the crown is, but how honorably one bears its weight.
