Leadership is not tested when things are easy. It is tested when pressure arrives and someone has to decide whether to carry weight or shift it onto others.

There are habits that quietly disqualify people from that role. They speak of fairness while resenting initiative. They talk about balance while cutting down anyone who rises to high. They mistake vigilance for virtue and complaint for contribution.

A good steward knows the difference between maintenance and sabotage. You reinforce beams before they fail. You don't wait for cracks so you can point at them later. And you don't confuse the discomfort of inspection with injury. A structure meant to last welcomes hands that test it.

Responsibility means building even when no one is watching. It means tending the fire so it gives heat without burning the house down. It means knowing when to prune and when to let something grow, even if its growth makes you uncomfortable.

Poor leadership, on the other hand, feeds on comparison. It keeps score instead setting direction. It watches others work and calls the watching oversight. It mistakes restraint for wisdom and hesitation for humility, while nothing actually gets done.

Resentment has no place at the helm. It clouds judgement, turns every success into a threat, and every failure into an opportunity to feel justified. A leader who cannot tolerate strength in others will spend all their time trying to manage it instead of using it.

And Communities do not fail because one person stands too tall. They fail when those entrusted with care would rather level the ground than learn how to build higher.

If you are meant to lead, you don't smother the lantern to keep the room evenly dim. You raise it, accept what it reveals, and take responsibility for what needs to be repaired.

That is the difference between holding a position and carrying a charge.

Penned by my hand on the 17th of Phaestian, in the year 994 AF.