Carl Jung once said, “Man needs difficulties. They are necessary for health.”
The same is true for brands. Yet many instinctively avoid difficulty. They shy away from conflict, from tough expectations, or from friction with customers.
But here’s the paradox: the very struggles brands embrace are the ones that make them extraordinary.
- The Ritz-Carlton empowers every employee to spend up to $2,000 to solve a guest’s problem on the spot. Why? Because service excellence isn’t born from avoiding complaints—it’s forged in the fire of difficult customer moments. Handling problems with grace is what made Ritz-Carlton legendary.
- Google has endured enormous scrutiny, from antitrust battles to user trust issues. Each difficulty forced it to adapt, evolve, and reassert its mission to “organize the world’s information.” Those struggles built resilience into the brand’s DNA.
- Ferrari isn’t known for comfort or convenience. Its cars are difficult to build, difficult to maintain, and often difficult to drive. But that difficulty is exactly what fuels Ferrari’s mystique. To own one is to embrace the challenge—and the reward is status, passion, and belonging to an elite tribe.
Brands that lean into difficulty don’t just survive—they grow stronger, more resilient, and more loved.And as an afterthought: this principle is just as true for people. Struggles in our own lives—the frustrations, the setbacks, the imperfections—are not obstacles to growth. They are growth.