How did Elend change through the Mistborn trilogy?

Elend started off as the mischievous, sarcastic type, someone who didn't want to blend in and he especially didn't want to be like his father. He had a kind heart and he wanted to do good. But after the crew overthrew the Lord Ruler and Elend became king, he began to realise that his kind nature wasn't what his people needed or wanted right then. So he had to become harder and more forceful. He struggled for a long time to find the balance between the king side of himself and the old side and eventually, in the end, I think he found it.