Glory
The glory can come with a successful (or at least critically praised) film. Especially come awards season. If you ever dreamed of polishing that little bald golden man on stage while thanking your Mom and every girlfriend you've ever had, then directing isn't a bad position to be in come awards time. If you actually have enough game to get yourself up on that stage in the first place, of course.
However, most directors stay behind the scenes. The general public won't know the names of who directed nine out of ten of the movies they watch.
Even when a film is successful, the director has to share (and sometimes fight for) the glory with the actors, the director of photography, the editor, the producers, the studio...it's a little like being the ringmaster of a circus. You're the one making everything work, but the clowns shooting water in each other's faces is what everyone remembers. And how do they fit all of them inside that little car, anyway?