Leadership isn’t about titles or corner offices. It’s about people. It’s about showing up with integrity, putting others first and doing the hard work of bringing people together when it would be easier to divide. It’s about taking the high road, especially when no one else is.
You and I both know this profession can test us. Long hours, conflicting personalities and pressure from clients and team members can push us to the breaking point. But how we lead, especially when things are tough, says more about us than any result on a spreadsheet or dashboard.
What is high-road leadership?
High-road leaders make the conscious decision to elevate others. They don’t play favorites, take sides or keep score. Instead, they:
- Value people (even those they disagree with)
- Give more than they take
- Want others to win
- Treat people better than they’re treated
- Choose unity over division
Compare that to middle-road leaders, who give conditionally and often treat people as they’ve been treated. Or low-road leaders, who seek power, take without giving and push people apart to serve themselves.
We don’t need more middle- or low-road leadership. We need you on the high road.
How to become a high-road leader
High-road leadership starts with an abundance mindset. That doesn’t mean having unlimited time or resources; it means leading with open-hearted, open-minded, and open-handed generosity.
Ask yourself:
- What time, skills, or knowledge can I share?
- Who can I introduce or advocate for?
- Where can I offer encouragement or a listening ear?
You don’t need a big platform to make a big difference. Just a willingness to give without expecting something in return.
Lead from every position
Leadership isn’t static. Sometimes you lead from the front by modeling the way. Sometimes you walk beside others, listening and supporting. At other times, you may find yourself behind the scenes, lifting someone else into the spotlight.
This leadership dance builds trust and credibility over time.
Bring people together
One of the surest signs of a high-road leader is their ability to close the gap between people. That takes humility. It takes sitting in the middle, truly listening and refusing to dehumanize those you disagree with.
Nobody is right all the time. Nobody agrees on everything. But if you can’t work with people who think differently from you, you’ll never become the leader you could be.
Be accountable
High-road leaders don’t hide from mistakes. They own them with honesty and humility. They take responsibility in the moment and accountability after the fact. They understand that accountability builds credibility, consistency and respect.
Accountability also creates a ripple effect. When one person steps up, others find the courage to do the same.
Live between success and failure
We all have good and bad days. High-road leaders don’t hide their flaws or inflate their wins. They’re honest about their strengths and weaknesses. That’s authenticity. That’s character.
Your value isn’t in your perfection. It’s in your contribution. Your willingness to show up, stay grounded and keep growing even when the path is hard.
Practice inclusion
High-road leadership is inclusive, not as a checkbox, but as a way of being. That means inviting ideas from others, especially those who haven’t been heard. It means taking a hard look at your own biases and power dynamics and making space for diverse perspectives, even when they challenge you.
It also means noticing when you’re too busy or too self-focused to connect and choosing to slow down and show up for people anyway.
Create emotional capacity
Let’s be honest: some days, leadership is just plain hard. That’s why you have to tend to your emotional capacity. Burnout doesn’t happen all at once. It creeps in when your responsibilities start to outpace your capacity.
To lead others well, care for yourself by nurturing your physical, mental, relational and spiritual health. Keep perspective when emotions run high and say no to victimhood and yes to personal agency.
On the hard days, remember this: you’re not surviving genocide or war. You’re navigating challenges most of the world would trade places for. That shift in perspective can snap you out of the spiral and help you reconnect with your purpose.
You’re not here just to meet deadlines or grow margins. You’re here to give more than you take and want more for others than from them.
And when you walk the high road, everyone you meet is better off than when you found them. Everyone deserves to be led well, and you have what it takes to do it.
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Sandra Wiley is president of Boomer Consulting, Inc.
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