Paying the Price of Leadership: 4 Hard Truths Every Leader Must Accept
No Bullsh!t Leadership · 2026-01-13 · 19 min
Episode notes
It’s easy to talk about the benefits of leadership, but very few people talk about the cost of leadership. There’s a price to pay, and unless you’re willing to pay it, you’ll never be truly comfortable in a leadership role: You will have to make hard decisions that negatively affect people you care about You will be disliked, despite your best attempts to do the best for the most You will be misunderstood, and won’t always have the opportunity to defend yourself For each of these costs, I’ll interpret it for the business leadership context, and give some examples of how it plays out. I’ll also give you four tips for embracing the cost, so that you willingly pay the price of leadership, rather than trying to bargain or avoid it. Links mentioned in this episode: YouTube link: Kirby Smart - The Cost of Great Leadership Moments With Marty Spotify Link: Moment #151: 5 Steps to Reverse a Performance Slump LBT link: Leadership Beyond the Theory Wikipedia links: Kirby Smart ———————— Have you taken our free Leadership Blindspot test ? In just 5 minutes you’ll uncover the hidden leadership habits holding you back.