Not for the Weak: The Harsh Reality of Being a Leader Today.
Honestly, if you ask me, I’d say that being a leader in this century is one of the hardest roles anyone can take on. It’s not just about having a title or being in charge — you have to be able to stand your ground and make decisions even when people go against you. From what I’ve seen and experienced, our generation isn’t one that’s easy to handle. People are outspoken, opinionated, and not afraid to challenge authority, even when the leader is trying to do the right thing.
Take my class, for example. In school, we had a course representative "David" who had been leading us since our first year. He was responsible for handling class affairs, passing important information, and standing in for us when issues came up. He actually did quite well for the most part. But things started to change when we entered our third year. We had more responsibilities and more stress, and people started acting differently.
There was a time when "David" received some class information and, for whatever reason, decided to tell the girls first before informing the boys. Now, I personally didn’t see anything wrong with that — maybe it wasn’t intentional, or maybe it just happened like that due to how he met people at the time. But there’s this guy in my class, "Azeez," who happens to be the eldest. He got really angry about it and saw it as a form of bias. He confronted the course rep and felt disrespected, and because he had influence over some of the other guys, they joined him in criticizing the rep.
Things got worse when we were all assigned to work in the poultry farm. Tensions boiled over, and an argument broke out between "David" and "Azeez" regarding the same issue. It escalated so badly that they almost exchanged punches, and it was only because of people stepping in that it didn’t turn into a full-blown fight.
After that incident, many people in the class turned against "David." The pressure was too much for him, and he decided to step down from his position. He simply said he wasn’t doing it anymore. Eventually, we voted in a new rep — his assistant, who is currently in charge.
To be honest, I still believe "David" didn’t do anything terribly wrong. But in leadership, perception can matter more than intention. Because of the fact that "Azeez" didn’t like him and had the power to influence others, it became a battle that he couldn’t win.
That’s the thing about leadership these days. It’s not just about making decisions — it’s about dealing with people, opinions, and often unfair expectations. You need thick skin, strong will, and the ability to stand firm when things get rough. And even then, there’s no guarantee people will follow or respect you. Leadership today is truly not for the weak.
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You need to have thick skin, a strong will, and the ability to stand firm when the going gets tough.
this is an important point to underline, I agree with you.
That's very true, nice entry
Hmm it's well with David. I hope this doesn't affect his performance. In the world of today, people no longer support who is right they support who they want. One have to be very careful before contesting for a position.