It’s Harder to Be a Leader Today

The Cheese-Rolling and Wake is a race that is held every last Monday of May at Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester, UK. The competition consists of dropping a 9-pound wheel-shaped cheese (a double Gloucester one, of course) and letting it roll from the top of a hill. All participants run after it. As the slope is steep and the cheese reaches speeds above 100 km/h, nobody gets it, so the winner is the person who arrives first to the foot of the hill, not the one who catches the cheese. In addition, as the slope is covered with tall wet grass (let’s not forget we are in England), it is extremely slippery. In consequence, most runners end up losing balance and falling, and injuries are frequent… I find it a great metaphor for how many business leaders feel today: