A powerful acronym for all leaders. It’s a 2022 version of the decade old ‘Above and Below The line’ principle.
ABOVE THE LINE AND BELOW THE LINE represents the concept of one of the most fundamental structures in leadership.
If you are below the line, or are in B.E.D
Your behaviours, actions, language and physiology reflect -
B- Blame
E- Excuses
D- Denial
If you are above the line, or grab the O.A.R
Your behaviours, actions, language and physiology reflect –
O- Ownership
A- Accountability
R- Responsibility
My suggestion for all leaders, managers, coaches, mentors and high achievers is simple - Every time the sunrises and you wake from your slumber, get the FUCK out of B.E.D (No blame excuses or denial) and reach over to the positive side of bed and grab the
O.A.R (Take ownership, responsibility, and accountability) for EVERYTHING.
It’s the first principle I teach the children and athletes I train.
Here is an example of Below the Line Behaviours ( B.E.D )
Below the line behaviours often indicate the presence of victimhood mentality or failure to take personal responsibility. When someone operates from below the line, they view life through the lens of a victim, always being at the affect of life and interpreting it through a “to me” lens.
They are closed, defensive, and committed to being right.
Below the line behaviours are common. Operating from below the line is actually the default state of being for almost everyone.
Because we are so committed to being right, we can even fool ourselves into thinking that we’re above the line when we’re actually below the line!
When we’re below the line, we view ourselves as a victim and don’t take personal responsibility for our actions.
This outlook then manifests itself in the below the line behaviours of denying, blaming, and excusing.
Denying, blaming, and excusing are all part of an attempt for our ego to defend itself by being right. This creates a negative feedback loop where our below the line behaviours influence our below the line thoughts, and vice versa.
Above the Line Behaviours ( O.A.R )
Above the line behaviours indicate openness, security in one’s self, and the taking on of personal responsibility.
When someone operates from above the line they view life through the lens of a creator, as someone who is able to impact and learn from their environment, interpreting life through a “by me” lens.
They are open, curious, and committed to learning.
Above the line leadership doesn’t come naturally to us, because we have to work hard to achieve above the line thinking and above the line behaviour.
When we do though, above the line behaviour most looks like taking ownership, accountability, and responsibility for one’s actions.
Now, of course we hope to be above the line as much as possible. The most important job of a leader, however, isn’t to always be above the line.
The most important job of a leader is to recognize above the line and below the line thinking in order to know if they are above or below the line.
By recognizing a lack of above the line behaviours, one can start to shift their thinking from below the line thinking to above the line thinking.
TODAY GET OUT OF B.E.D & GRAB THE O.A.R