“Take the high road; it’s far less crowded” — Warren Buffet
People who choose to seek more out of life don’t do so because it’s the only available option. They don’t do it by accident either. By choosing to take the more narrow, higher road, they drain animosity and bitterness out of relationships, serving to keep them open and productive.
Consider the case of the crow and the eagle. The crow is a smaller bird with significant maneuverability. The eagle is a large bird with great physical strength.
A few weeks ago, while out on a jog in the morning, a neighbor had some extra trash that wasn’t able to be placed in a receptacle. And a few pesky crows had made the most of it by ripping into the bag and digging out what scraps of food they could. On another note, this past Friday while enjoying a cup of morning coffee, I couldn’t help but witness one of the most awesome sites. An eagle was soaring over the lake behind our home and was catching full fish from the water and soaring away with them. We witnessed it doing it twice! It made me think to myself, THAT is what taking the high road, and only settling for top notch looks like! But how do we apply this to our leadership?
The pesky crow brings conflict to many in the world. You never hear of anything positive coming abouts from a crow. In comparison, An eagle however uses its greater strength to confront the crow and engage in conflict. It could attempt to use its talons to crush the crow much like it does to catch fish. Both of these are certainly viable methods of which road to take, and they both communicate a demeanor about the eagle.
Due to this same physical strength, eagles have always been spotted flying much higher in the air than a crow. Rising above the altitude a crow can fly is an interesting method of dealing with the conflicts with the crow. And it communicates a different demeanor than the typical direct aggressive frontal attack. Here are a few things we know about eagles and how you can apply them into your life and leadership!
1. Eagles fly alone at high altitude! Application: Stay away from narrow-minded people. Keep good company – because the people you hang around with will eventually be whom you will become. There is a verse found in Corinthians from the bible that says, “Bad company corrupts good morals.” The interpretation of that verse is simple; you become like those you hang around with! Are you surrounding yourself with crow mentality people, or eagle mentality?
2. Eagles have incredible vision! Application: No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he captures it. Have a vision for your life and leadership, and remained focused. One of the ways to enhance your vision is to clear distractions in your mind. Don’t let the past hold you back nor the present keep you paralyzed, but press forward to the unlimited possibilities of the future. I love John Maxwell’s quote – “Finish each day and be done with it…. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely.”
3. Eagles are fearless and never surrender to the size or strength of their prey! Application: No matter what the size of your problem – don’t give up. Instead, face it. The most successful leaders are fearless! They face problems head on. The fear of failure and the opinion of others are two of the greatest fears a leader must overcome. Afraid of failing is not the goal; it is the process of being significant!
4. Eagles are tenacious. They love storms. They use the strong winds of the storm to lift themselves higher and higher to glide and thereby to rest! Application: Achievers are not afraid of challenges! They use them to look for opportunities and don’t get bogged down in the problem. Determination is going beyond the limitations you thought you could not pass.
5. Eagles never eat dead stuff or remnants left from other predators. This one might be kind of gross but the lesson is not. Application: Don’t go for the low hanging, rotten fruit. Don’t settle for life sucking employees that do not align with your standards simply because they just show up to work. Don’t deal with clients that make your work stressful and suck your joy from it. Don’t take from the bottom because the good organizations take from the top and you settle for what is left. The freshest of leaders, Do not rely on the past success – keep looking for new and the best opportunities to conquer!
So, how do you choose to handle which path to take — Are you the crow, bringing conflict and drama to situations, always looking for a fight, picking from the leftovers of what is left? Or are you the eagle, choosing to fly high to an altitude where the crows just can only wish they could soar to?
The crow represents so many things in your life… People that should not be in your life, critics, opinions, distractions, bad influences. All the annoyances of life. Everything that is pecking at you, prodding you, disturbing you, AND challenging you in a negative way.
You can choose to fight everything, wasting your precious energy and getting nowhere, Or you can SOAR HIGHER like the eagle and watch all of your challenges fade away.
When people criticize you: GO HIGHER!
When life challenges you: GO HIGHER!
When there seems to be endless problems pecking at you: GO HIGHER!
In leadership, as in life, others will behave unkindly toward you, and want you to come down to their level to battle. When done wrong, don’t retreat into a defensive mode or strike back in anger like the crow. Instead, fly into the higher altitude and discover how rising above offenses frees you from petty arguments and adds to your reputation of integrity and excellence. Go for the gold and always take the high road – You are worth it!