Above and Below The Line Thinking

If you want to stand out at work, focus on above-the-line thinking. It means you are focusing on what you can control and influence, discovering before you act and respecting others by learning from them. People above the line see possibilities, take responsiblity, fnd a better way, seek solutions, seek and prodive feedback. 

People who go through life below the choice line, always have reasons or excuses; they are defensive, often disrespectful and are experts at the “blame game.” Senior leaders prefer and promote those that bring above the line thinking to work.

This is a great tool to use with your team. As a manager you can talk with them one on one about where they think they are and where you perceive them to be. You can also use this with the whole team to set your expectations for group behavior. Highly perfomring teams have all membes above the line. 

Here is a link to an intersting vidoe illustrating above and below the line thinking: https://youtu.be/fLqzYDZAqCI