By John C. Maxwell
Unifying leadership through selfless values
Subject
Themes
A crisis of division pervades modern culture. Where political candidates once fought hard, shook hands, and worked together after elections, they now treat opponents as enemies. Polls show that 63 percent of Americans have little confidence in elected officials, and cruelty has become weaponised in pursuit of power. The root problem is that people have shifted from disagreeing with others' ideas to questioning their motives, which destroys trust and ends relationships.
A crisis of division pervades modern culture. Where political candidates once fought hard, shook hands, and worked together after elections, they now treat opponents as enemies. Polls show that 63 percent of Americans have little confidence in elected officials, and cruelty has become weaponised in…
Published in 2024, High Road Leadership arrives during a period of acute political polarisation in the United States and widespread disillusionment with institutional leadership globally. Trust in government, media, and corporate leaders has declined steadily since the early 2000s, with Gallup and…
Every interaction a leader has with another person takes place on one of three roads: the low road, the middle road, or the high road. This framework provides a diagnostic tool for evaluating not just individual decisions but entire patterns of behaviour, and it challenges the assumption that…
Humility emerges not as weakness but as the essential foundation upon which all lasting influence is built. The conventional view treats humility and confidence as opposites, but high-road leadership reveals them as partners. Adam Grant's concept of "confident humility" captures this precisely:…
Forgiveness functions not merely as a personal virtue but as a strategic leadership practice that determines whether a leader can travel light on the high road or remains weighed down by accumulated grievances. The framework distinguishes sharply between keeping score and keeping track. Keeping…
Generosity in leadership is fundamentally redefined as a mindset rather than a function of material resources. The daily question is not "How much am I giving?" but "Am I giving more than I take?" This reframing makes generosity accessible to every person regardless of wealth, position, or fame.…
Authenticity and a willingness to pay the price for right action form two sides of the same coin in high-road leadership. Neither works without the other. Authenticity without moral courage produces transparency about a life that lacks substance. Moral courage without authenticity produces correct…
A crisis of leadership pervades modern culture. Where political candidates once fought hard, shook hands after elections, and worked together, today they treat opponents as enemies. Polls show that 63 percent of Americans have little confidence in elected officials, while 70 percent believe…
In the midst of extraordinary career success during one's midthirties, a mentor delivers a blunt correction at lunch: "You're not amazing. Your gift is amazing, but you are not. You're one step from stupid." The gifts we possess were given to us. We did not earn them, and they do not make us better…
High-road generosity is not about wealth. The question each day is simple: are you giving more than you take? Three kinds of generous thinking form the foundation. Open-hearted generosity desires to add value to others. Open-minded generosity thinks the best of people. Open-handed generosity gives…
In 2016, a well-funded political group proposes a third-party presidential candidacy. After two weeks of serious consideration, consultation with family, and conversations with respected leaders, the offer is declined. No third-party candidate has ever won a presidential election, not even Theodore…
President Harry Truman kept a sign on his desk reading "The Buck Stops Here." The phrase originated from poker, where passing the buck meant passing the responsibility to deal to the next player. In his farewell address, Truman declared that the president must decide and cannot pass the buck to…
In Hillham, Indiana, a young pastor earning eighty dollars a week is thrilled when successful lumber broker Arnold and his wife invite him and Margaret to dinner every Friday. Arnold drives them twenty miles to Jasper in his Lincoln Town Car and insists they order the most expensive item on the…
By John C. Maxwell
Subject
Themes
A crisis of division pervades modern culture. Where political candidates once fought hard, shook hands, and worked together after elections, they now treat opponents as enemies. Polls show that 63 percent of Americans have little confidence in elected officials, and cruelty has become weaponised in pursuit of power. The root problem is that people have shifted from disagreeing with others' ideas to questioning their motives, which destroys trust and ends relationships.