His father's advice after a friend's murder: stooping to their level brands you too—choose…

Taking the high road is easy to talk about. It’s a lot harder when the consequences affect your business, your employees and people you care about.

More than 20 years ago, a friend of mine was murdered outside a bar in Boston.

I was angry and wanted retaliation.

My dad called me and said something I’ve never forgotten:

“The person who did that is a piece of 💩. If you stoop to their level, you will also be branded that way. Their future is sealed. The question for you is what will your future be?”

That conversation probably changed my life.

With the help of my dad and some close friends, I chose the high road. And today, I’m incredibly thankful I did.

I’ve been thinking about that advice a lot lately.

Business will eventually put you in situations where people make choices that hurt you, your company or people you care about. Sometimes you know things you could share. Sometimes retaliation would feel really good.

But one decision made out of anger can follow you a lot longer than the situation that caused it.

There are so many things I’d love to say, but I choose not to.

My dad’s advice was right 20 years ago. It’s still right today.

The high road has a cost, but so does the other one. 🤷‍♂️