Working without a level of clearly stated standards for performance is often perceived as being easier for people.  I guess that I’ve never thought of an undirected pattern of unmeasured and unmanaged activities, generally leading to failure for all, as being easy.

Intention (we hope to do good) without the presence of agreed upon standards, remains just that, intention.  A predetermined and then realized impact level for the work might only be reached with standards (we will do good) that are led, measured, and managed with the collective group.

Yes, the hard choice of setting standards requires the acceptance of all for personal and organizational performance accountability.  A quote from Jerzy Gregorek symbolizes  this point quite well:  ” Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.” 

“When the standards have been set, things are tested and weighed.  And the works of philosophy is just this, to examine and uphold the standards, but the work of a really good person is in using those standards when they know them.”     — Epictetus —

Being a really good person that makes the hard choices is the easy life.

MITM