Leadership is a wonderful journey, but it’s also a difficult one, despite the fact that many people don’t want to accept it. When confronted with the ever-changing factors of leadership, people tend to stick to one strategy, adopting their own leadership style in the hopes that others will accept it. However, anyone who enters a leadership position with a “do it my way” attitude will quickly become dissatisfied when the world does not conform to their will. They harden their approach and become the horrible managers that everyone dislikes, and they’re short-tempered with anyone who doesn’t give them what they want, insecure in the ambiguities of leadership. Their strategy may work in some cases, but not in the majority, and they will fast lose their best employees.

On the other hand, some leaders appear to be clear-eyed, serene, and assured. It’s not that they believe they know everything; they’re typically the first to say they don’t. However, as they describe their leadership approach and important learnings, it becomes clear that they have spent several years experimenting with various approaches in order to find a proper balance that resolves the substantial part of leadership and helps in understanding what it means to be a leader.

Many think that while taking on new leadership responsibilities, you should make swift decisions to demonstrate commitment and effectiveness. Others advise patience so that you may listen and truly comprehend the difficulties. The risk comes from blindly following any one-size-fits-all solution. Of course, the best teacher is experienced. However, embracing leadership as a series of contradictions is our overall paradigm for mastering the art of leadership. It’s the first step toward deciphering all of the confusing advice available in this subject.

It’s important to realize that the most challenging aspects of leadership are difficult because they are contradictory. Is it one of these or the other? Often, the answer is both. It’s necessary to stretch one way or the other based on the situation’s nuances. Every team meeting or one-on-one encounter necessitates a different approach depending on the circumstances, whether it’s to push or pull back, to be demanding or accepting, to exude bold optimism, or to confront serious challenges. In some ways, such moments require the need to be aware of your balance point and constantly change and bend in multiple directions as circumstances and difficult conditions demand.

As a leader, you must have a clear vision in order to inspire trust in the organization and all of its players. And confidence emerges from a track record of exhibiting sound judgment and instilling confidence in others in its healthiest form of being real and credible. Confidence, however, must not be mistaken for arrogance, and the trait that works best is humility, which means acknowledging your team’s ambitious endeavor will be tough and will entail risks and the prospect of failure.

In the corporate world, the best leaders are selfless; it’s more about what you can do for the people you lead and your company. If you want to be that selfless leader, you must first learn to care for yourself in terms of your physical and emotional energy, which can be compromised, limiting your potential to serve others. While these demands are amplified for CEOs and top executives, they are experienced by everyone in a leadership position to some extent. Anyone, regardless of position, can become a more effective leader by knowing how senior executives overcome the essential difficulties they confront.