Hard or easy? Which one do you choose?

When you take on something, do you make it hard or easy to complete?

There’s nothing that I love more than hiking in the mountains. Since I have tendencies to push myself, sometimes I overdo it. I take on trails that are more challenging than I should, because I think I “should”, even if I am not in tip-top shape. My mind makes promises my body is barely able to keep. Overexertion leads to muscle strains and pains for days afterwards.

Sometimes, as leaders, we also do this. We know that there are easy choices and paths, but we choose a more challenging one because…..

• We think we should
• We think others should
• The easy path is not immediately evident
• The easy path looks too easy
• We think things should be ‘hard’ so want to make them
• It’s a self-fulfilling Our ego won’t let us be anything less than challenged.
• We have something to prove to someone (may-be even ourselves)
• All of the above

Conversely, we sometimes avoid the hard choices or paths. Why do we do that?

• We know we’re not ready to take the hard path
• We haven’t trained, aren’t practiced, and aren’t ready to do what it takes
• There are too many complexities and nuances associated with the hard path
• We don’t feel the need to make a simple task hard
• No one will travel with us on the hard path
• Fear of failure

It can be difficult to determine when we should take the easy road, rather than the hard road. Sometimes we start on what appears to be the easy path and it becomes more   challenging; other times it is the opposite.

How do you determine to take an easy or hard path? How does that translate into your leadership style and what impact does it have on others?