Harder is Easier. Here's Why.

In my new book Incorruptible, I introduce a way of working – an ethos – I call “harder-is-easier”. It’s so important that it’s actually the name of a whole chapter. 

As I write, truly great company leaders “realize that impossibilities are opportunities in disguise. They don’t accept the lazy defaults. They recognize that solving the genuinely difficult problems that everyone else avoids creates the trust and loyalty that makes everything else easier.”

People often complain to me that business is “hard”. My answer to this is that by refusing to tackle difficult issues at the outset, leaders set themselves up for an endless battle with dysfunction that guarantees misery and, often, their own destruction. Instead of short-term struggles, they choose ongoing struggles that waste time and resources. 

An unwavering commitment to principled decision-­making, and to accepting the full consequences of those principles, no matter how difficult, is the only way to build a company that will endure for the long-term. When people say, “That’s too hard,” they’re only thinking about one type of hard. But as companies that follow the “harder-is-easier” principle show, there are two types of “hard.” 

One hard is depleting. One hard is exhilarating. 

One hard makes talented people do mediocre work. The other calls forth their passion, creative thinking, and loyalty. 

There really isn’t an easy way. 

The only question is which hard a company chooses.

For more inspiration and examples, these are two conversations exploring the harder is easier principle – and as you’ll hear, the benefits are enormous. 

NEW COHORT PROGRAM FOR EARLY STAGE FOUNDERS

For early stage founders, I just announced a special 6-week program starting July 31 to apply the Incorruptible Blueprint. If you’re curious, more information is here and you can reply to this email with any questions.

The group is already full of ambitious, thoughtful founders wanting to put the Incorruptible protections in place early in their journeys.

To name just a few: you’ll meet a leader building capacity for biomedical researchers, an AI leader whose SaaS platform serves real estate, mortgage and insurance pros, and a successful doctor scaling her proven team methodology to other medical practices.

FREE VIRTUAL EVENTS

Incorruptible Book Club Discussion

Wednesday, July 29 10-11am PT / 1-2pm ET

Join other members for an interactive Book Club discussion in our free Incorruptible community. You’ll meet thoughtful, mission-driven people as we gather, read, and discuss the book’s principles and tools. We’ll focus on topics from Part 1: The Shape of the Abyss, which is the Intro and Chapters 1-4.

Remote Leadership: Special Event for Digital Nomads

Thursday, July 30 10:30-11:30am PT / 1:30-2:30pm ET

Distributed teams are reshaping the future of work. Building remote companies that are not only innovative but stay deeply true to their mission as they scale across time zones is a unique challenge. I’ll be discussing Incorruptible and remote leadership with Marcelo Lebre (CEO & Co-founder of Remote) and Manisha Snoyer (Founder & CEO of Modulo).

RSVP here for a free online seat

Hope to see you in one of these experiences,

Eric