Building a Better Future: High Road Leadership in a Divisive World

By Amy Manchester Harris, MPA

Transformative Growth Solutions Consulting

Recently, I’ve been reading John Maxwell’s new book, High Road Leadership: Bringing People Together in a World That Divides. Maxwell states, “Today it is causing people to fall—into disputes, frustration, anger, and despair.” His solution is to expose the problems of taking the low and middle roads when interacting with others and teach people how to instead take the high road. His book explores three distinct approaches to leadership: the low road, the middle road, and the high road. I have summarized each of the three levels and their key points.

1. The Low Road

• Self-Centered Focus: Leaders on the low road think primarily about their own needs and benefits. They often take from others without giving anything back, operating from a belief that the world owes them something.

• Division and Conflict: These leaders tend to create and exploit divisions among people to maintain their own power and advantage. They often belittle, criticize, and undermine others.

• Endless Dissatisfaction: Despite constantly taking from others, low-road leaders are never satisfied and live in a perpetual state of neediness.

2. The Middle Road

• Transactional Fairness: Leaders on the middle road value fairness and equity, operating on a give-and-take basis. They often seek compromise, ensuring that exchanges are balanced.

• Limitation through Calculation: This approach, while appearing fair, is inherently limited because it is highly transactional. Leaders keep score and expect reciprocation, which can prevent deeper, more meaningful relationships and collaborations.

• Wait for Others: Middle-road leaders often wait for the other side to make the first move, which can lead to stagnation and missed opportunities for greater collaboration and understanding.

3. The High Road

• Others-Centered Approach: Putting others first, giving without expecting anything in return. They value every person and seek to treat everyone well, regardless of how they are treated in return.

• ·Bridge-Building and Unity: Aims to bridge divides, bringing people together and focusing on common ground. They emphasize values such as authenticity, accountability, and placing people above their own agendas.

• Living by Higher Principles: Operates on principles such as giving more than taking, not keeping score, and desiring the best for others. This approach fosters a positive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Available now on Amazon https://a.co/d/d6pTSOt 

Based on my own experience in leadership, I wholeheartedly agree with Maxwell's emphasis on high-road leadership. It’s not about moral superiority but about lifting others up and fostering a culture of respect, collaboration, and mutual success.

In my leadership journey, I have seen firsthand how leaders who practice high-road principles—valuing all people, doing the right things for the right reasons, taking accountability for their actions, and placing people above their own agenda—can truly inspire and unite their teams. By adopting these principles, leaders can drive positive change within their organizations and beyond.

Maxwell, J. (2024) High Road Leadership: Bringing People Together in a World That Divides. Maxwell Leadership 

© 2024 Building a Better Future: High Road Leadership in a Divisive World. Manchester Harris AE. Transformative Growth Solutions