The roads of life and leadership are filled with people. These people play a significant role in the journey. The ones we encounter along the way help determine our direction. Good, bad, or indifferent, there is purpose behind each person placed in our path of travel.
The Roads of Life and Leadership
Way back in the day, our ancestors used paths to get from one place to another. Those pathways were carved out by foot traffic and horses. The paths evolved into road networks that connected town to town.
As vehicles showed up on the scene, road networks grew. Main Streets were bypassed by four lane roads. Then, the interstate system was developed. With each advancement, there were more and more intersections created.
I try to view life and leadership through the prism of a journey, much like a road network. Networks filled with intersection after intersection. In our personal and professional journeys, those intersections are the people we encounter in our travels through this world.
Here are the three characters we find along the way:
Lesson Learners
Road systems are full of the potential for disruption. Potholes, collisions, and road work can lead to damage, detours, and delays. Our preferred path free of obstructions gets interrupted by the reality of the road. With each bump in the road, hard lessons are learned.
In life and leadership, we will encounter lesson learners as well. They come in the form of people who mistreated us, neglected us, and were unkind to us. These bumps in the road caused internal damage that those we travel with may never see.
I firmly believe that we can learn just as much from those who did not lead as well as those that did. The way that we lead in our personal and professional worlds is unique to us and our experiences. It takes the best of the best and the worst of the worst to forge a better road ahead.
Seasonal People
Seasons impact our travels. Rain, sleet, and snow all impact the speeds at which we can travel. The good news…seasons pass.
On the flipside, there are beautiful seasons. The sunshine and perfect conditions allow for smooth travel. Either way, seasons only last for a period of time.
In life and leadership, we experience seasonal travelers. While most of the poor driving conditions of the journey fall into the lessons learned category, seasonal people can make a positive impact as well. There are people who enter our lives that are not intended for the entire journey. They show up at the right time and take the exit ramp at the end of that critical season.
The thought of losing important people in our personal and professional worlds can be discouraging. But, when we look back at our journeys, we know they were there at the right time, in the right place. They just won’t be there for the entire journey.
Sustainable Stayers
A paved road is only as good as it’s foundation. A good sub base requires a paver to compact the soil, then compact the graded aggregate base (crushed stone), and then put down the asphalt. Without a quality, compacted sub base, the road will fall apart over time. It requires commitment in the process to sustain a quality surface for the long haul..
Road trips are a great way to spend time with the people we love and care for most. Music cranked, windows down, and nothing but the destination ahead. The worries of the world seem to melt away with the people who matter most in our worlds.
Daily investments in the foundation of our relationship make them sustainable. It separates the lesson learners and the seasonal people from those sustainable stayers. Regardless of the road conditions, these are the people that will be there until the end of our journeys. There will be bumps in the road, detours taken, and delays along the way, but they never get out of the passenger seat. They are there for good.
Conclusion
I write often about the concept of Interceders. These are the people who have redirected our journeys. The roadways of life and leadership are full of them.
However they redirected our lives, we are better for it. The pain of the lesson learners are in the past. The seasonal people will enter and exit throughout the journey. The sustainable stayers will be there for the long haul, their enduring presence is invaluable to our worlds.
On the road of life and leadership, we need them. Never take those people for granted. Gratitude is never silent, speak it into existence. Don’t let another day go by without them knowing they are appreciated. We never know when the journey ends.
