Navigating the Middle Road

I (Cindy) used to disregard this idea of middle of the road.  After all, wasn’t that the same as being lukewarm? Lukewarm was something I wanted to run away from. The only thing I wanted from lukewarm was distance!

I would see a title like this and not even entertain it.  I didn’t care what it had to say.  What a blind spot that was! The true story of navigating the middle road is about finding a middle ground that stabilizes you.

In a recent lesson I created titled, The Art of Leadership Learning, we discovered that navigating the middle road is where pragmatism lives.  As a matter of fact, that is a quote I’ve heard many times in the last year.

“Navigating the Middle Road is where pragmatism lives.”  John Maxwell

The Oxford Dictionary says, being pragmatic is being more concerned with matters of fact than what could or should be. 

A pragmatic leader assessed the facts in terms of the success of their practical application. Pragmatism is being a realist. 

The opposite of pragmatism is idealism.  It is a fundamental belief in pursuing some perfect vision or belief.  Idealism is the pursuit of one’s ideals, without regard to practical ends.  (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

We live in a world that values extremism.  To find a middle ground, we should be listening to the perspectives of others on our team and in leadership.  But find a place where you can feel balanced between two perspectives that helps you feel centered. Don’t forget the left wing and the right wing belong to the same bird!