The High Road

October 21, 2016

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​Very often there are two routes to reach your destination: by traveling The Low Road, or by taking The High Road.  The path you choose will affect the experiences of your travel companions, including people you encounter along the way.

You might be contemplating a physical road trip and have multiple choices.  We’ve become accustomed to seeing our GPS, or Google Maps, plot various routes, distances and time required to travel each one.  The route you ultimately choose reflects your travel requirements, balanced by your preferences.  The routes may or may not be Low or High in a physical sense; they could just as easily be Highway or Scenic, Toll Road or Freeway, or simply Shorter or Longer.  They provide different means to an end, however, and the differences matter.

I recently enjoyed a personal travel experience that specifically offered choices of The Low Road, plus an option to follow The High Road, to reach the same destination.  A local resident expert advised taking The Low Road going out along the valley, for ease of travel, but heartily recommended traveling The High Road for the return trip.  The return trip required longer and involved multiple twists and turns, but afforded an experience that wouldn’t have been possible any other way; spectacular views and overlooks provided a chance to pause and admire the breathtaking scenery.  There was infinitely more variety than could be seen along The Low Road.  When you decide to travel The High Road, however, allow yourself the time to appreciate its diverse surprises.

In our lives and daily work, “travel choices” also exist in a virtual sense.  Before beginning a meeting, or carrying out a project, consider the desired outcome and match your approach to fit.  Sometimes the quick action and shortest trip is the way to go; The Low Road may not be the most fun or satisfying, but it may simply enable you to “get the job done” and then pursue other, higher-priority activities.

If you’re focused on building a high-performing team, travel The High Road.  Take a bit of extra time for the people who are with you on the trip to prepare them for what lies ahead, and show patience by explaining the “Why” and not only the “What”.  Pause along the way to adjust, reflect and appreciate the progress you’ve made together.

When it comes to relationships, The High Road is the only way to travel.  Whether personal, work, professional, community, ethnic, religious, elected or some other form, the characteristics of High Road relationships are rooted in Respect.  We’ve all witnessed words and actions of those who routinely travel The Low Road; insults, intolerance and abuse create a rutted and muddy trek destined to put those travelers into the ditch or, at the very least, end the trip bruised and dirty. By modeling the behavior we expect, we are much more likely to discover those qualities in others and find our way onto The High Road.

Enjoy the Journey —  via The High Road — on the way to your destination!


6 Comments

  • Micheal paradise

    8 years ago

    Hello Bill, I feel that I am in that exact situation with Sarasota County job right now. The north section Zone-1 is running impressive for the short time we have taken on this challenge. The south section Zone- 4 is another story. I have yet to see any of the workers take on the the leadership role as a crew leader but I do have a couple guys that are showing interest in being leaders but have little experience in being accountable for everything that the crew does. i am encouraged to see the few wanting to take on that responsibility with such little experience. The few that others feel might be acceptable for the crew leadership role, personally I don’t see it in them, I watch and see how each guy responds when putting a crew together and I’m finding that the ones I’m seeing and getting that gut feeling about is the ones that will take more work on my part to become what I’m looking for in the County work. I guess what I’m saying is that I would rather travel the tougher route to get and achieve what it is going to take to have a great crew leader versus settling for the most experienced guy but lacking and not really having the drive or the mindset to run a highly fast paced production driven crew. Sometimes the hardest way to achieve what you are looking for and is going to take a lot more effort to achieve is the most satisfying at the end result of the journey. Hope all is well with you and thank you.

    • Michael-
      You’ll identify and develop the Talent you need by traveling The High Road! I’m confident in your abilities and wish you Great Success. Enjoy the Journey!
      Bill

  • Beautifully written and insightful. I enjoyed the read. Full of truth and wisdom. Thanks for sharing!

  • Great post Bill! The ” High Road” is not always the easiest way. It is a lot easier to just go the road most traveled. I believe that we all do it. Take the road most travelled I mean. Like you are saying in your article Life is all about choices. Most we make without even giving it a second thought. I believe that when you are given that choice High or Low. You most definitely have more than just the (Black and White) High or Low road. It is very important like you say to weigh your options on which route you take and the reaction of your choice on you and all around! I recently had this choice of “travel”. It was a choice that could have went in many different routes with all kinds of possible outcomes! I believe my choice was the most definitely the ” High Road” but not the smooth scenic one. I did as you said,thought each possible way or road to take but I kept coming back to the same route! There were roads that could have been taken selfishly just for my benefit and stayed my original course. That same road we all take and could probably arrived at the same destination in the end! These choices in direction of which road to take in life are not all well lit. Able to see where and how long this direction of travel takes us. So what I am trying to say is we all have choices with cause and effect on all. I always hope in life to choose the “High Road”. The map of life doesn’t always give you the exit number to the “High Road” but we all have that little compass and protractor of morality and truth. SO before we take any road pay attention to those and you will always arrive at a better place! High,Low,or somewhere in between! This is how I try to navigate my trek through life! I have lost along the way but am so happy to be where I am and headed! Hindsight is always 20/20 so learn from my wrong turns in the past so that I will never make them in the future! Given the choice to make again at the crossroads of my Journey so far. I would make them all the same. I can look at my Wife and my Beautiful baby daughter. Knowing the choices of my past weren’t always the smartest or easiest ones made. They are the result of every one! So now my choices are not just that of my concern but of my whole family and friends!
    Sorry for the long winded post but this one hit home with me and the roads I recently found myself traveling. None of which was my choice of direction or destination. A “Detour” if you will on my trip. I had to make the perferbial choice and I am happy to have helped anyone that was stuck on that same Detour get back on the road again. One full of many roads High or Low but with an ultimate destination. One that I can be proud to have arrived at! Given the multitude of decisions that can lead to so many different ways you will travel. Where it is depends is up to the individual.

    • I appreciate the introspective comments, Steve. Thank you for joining the conversation. We all have a journey ahead and daily choices to make…

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