I love the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken. In the poem, a traveler comes across 2 roads, one well-worn and clear and another quite unknown.
While there are debates about Frost’s actual intention with this poem, I have always been inspired to think of it as taking the opportunity to be open to adventure, possibility, and wonder.
In my personal life, this has meant not joining the crowd. When my friend Lori and I wanted to go to Vietnam several years ago, we ended up on bikes, cycling through villages where the two white ladies from the United States were quite the attraction. It was an amazing experience that couldn’t be replicated if we were on a bus with a bunch of other tourists.
In work this poem invites me to think outside the box, to consider different perspectives, and to not go with the status quo. While I cannot say it has always been 100% successful, by staying open to new ways of thinking, I have been able to bring innovative ideas to help teams be more effective. By listening to different perspectives, we have improved DEI. And by pushing the envelope a bit, I have been able to elevate HR from a support function, to a more strategic one for several companies I have worked with.
In taking the road less traveled, it’s not always an easy walk, but it certainly has been a more adventurous one!
This week Mary Filice joins Sherry and me on our podcast, #flowingeastandwest. Mary has taken a very windy road that no one could have scripted. It has led her from accounting to retail to theology, and into coaching, with many twists and turns along the way.
Her story is a powerful one – listen in to Mary’s #perfectlyimperfect journey. Check it out here, or wherever you listen to podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gGHUEgbD
How about in your life? How has the road less taken encouraged / surprised / changed you?
