The line

(NOTE: This week's post is inspired by the book, "Above The Line" by former Ohio State (and new Jackson Jaguars) head football coach, Urban Meyer (Amazon link). It details their 2014-2015 season culminating in winning the first ever College Football Playoff championship but it also outlines coach Meyer's leadership philosophy. You can skip over the football parts if you're not a fan of football or Ohio State and still get something out of this.)

I'm sure you're all familiar with "the line". We toe the line. We adopt the party line. Sometimes we even cross the line. (He says from experience!)

The line is also a good metaphor for leadership. The line is the divider between accepted and desired behavior and that which is not.

Above the line behavior is:

  • Taking responsibility.
  • Being accountable.
  • Using positive language.
  • Supporting and encouraging each other.
  • Looking for solutions.

Conversely, below the line behavior is:

  • Blaming others.
  • Using negative language (including sarcasm).
  • Continuously shooting down others' ideas and ridiculing them.
  • Focusing on the problem.

As a leader you have to CONSTANTLY work on improving and being the kind of leader your teams can look up to. The line is a harsh task master. At any given moment you might be above the line but, the next, you're below it. A LOT of leaders immediately head below the line when they feel threatened or they're in a conflict. Our brains are hardwired to do this. It's normal. Heck - it's human As a leader, you have to fight these impulses.

Two clues to watch out for if you think you might be below the line is that you're defensive about your decisions and you're committed to being right over finding the best solution for the problem at hand.

I encourage you all to take a good look at yourself as well as your teams. Are they exhibiting below the line behavior? Are you?

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