HOW TO LIVE ABOVE THE LINE

A number of months back I was having a conversation with a friend about a challenging leadership decision that I was faced with. From that conversation, my friend reminded me of a simple yet potent visual to put in front of our lives as we navigate decisions and lead people along in the journey.

My friend offered this simple piece of truth:

SOME PEOPLE LIVE ABOVE THE LINE, OTHERS LIVE BELOW THE LINE.

The point was this: to live above the line means you take responsibility.

To live below the line means you blame everything and everyone else, but you.

Responsibility or Blame.

Each of these are created by a decision.

If I take responsibility, it will require a decision to be made. When I live life below the line, I also make a decision. Never forget, the decision to live a life that blames others or circumstances is still a decision.

We all deal with this thing called cognitive bias. Put simply, we all bring a sense of bias to what we see and experience. To not acknowledge that I may be seeing things wrong keeps me stuck below the line.

So how to we break free from this?

I think there is a simple, but often overlooked solution: ASK BETTER QUESTIONS

Ask questions from people around you. Ask questions of yourself. Look for the spaces and places where you see reoccurring themes. If you see a pattern, it's probably reoccurring for a reason.

If you want to break out from below the line living and leading, here are three simple keys:

RECOGNIZE THAT YOU HAVE A BIAS THAT YOU BRING WITH YOU

No matter who you are or where you're from, you bring things with you to your perspective. If you refuse to recognize this, you will continue to find yourself below the line. The danger with being below the line is that most people who reside there can't and won't see it.

ASK BETTER QUESTIONS OF YOURSELF AND THOSE AROUND YOU

A great defense to below the line living is by asking the right questions to people close enough to you who can help you see what you can't. We need people who will tell us the truth, even when it isn't comfortable. The challenge with this key, if you're a leader, is you have to invite and welcome this. And in my experience, many leaders want support void of the feedback that will often make them better.

STOP THE BLAME GAME

If you find yourself as someone who always has an excuse or someone who has a pattern in life that continues over and over, it might be time to examine what side of the line you are living on. You can continue to blame the people, the situation, the culture, the dynamics...or you can take responsibility to bring about change. The journey from the bottom side of the line to the top side can feel like a long road, but it starts like every other journey in life - with one step.

Start taking responsibility

LIVE ABOVE THE LINE.