Leading Above the Line
Above the line: Being curious and committed to understanding
Below the line: Being defensive and committed to being right
Leading above the line is a powerful organizing principle in the book The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership.
When we lead from above the line we are curious and committed to learning (or understanding). When we lead from below the line we are defensive and committed to being right.
It’s a natural state for us humans to operate from below the line. We go here whenever we feel any kind of threat. And this happens A LOT because our brains interpret threats very liberally. Whether we’re being chased by a bear or we’re challenged in a meeting, we go into fight or flight mode for self-protection and self-preservation.
But leading from below the line doesn’t create the best conditions for engagement, collaboration or getting great results, from ourselves, our teams, our families, and our lives. It puts others back on their heels, diminishes constructive conversation, collaboration, and ultimately no one gets the results they really want..
The book says the most important thing is to recognize when we’ve “drifted” below the line so that we can “create the possibility for shifting” above the line.
Here are examples of what drifting below the line can look like:
And here are examples of what shifting above the line can look like:
We ALL drift below the line. Everyday. And sometimes from minute to minute.
The good news is we can choose to SHIFT above the line when we notice we’re below it. If you can call it out when you drift—“Oopsie doopsie. I just went below the line”—you are truly a Rockstar and your team, partner and kids will be all in with you. Awareness is the crucial component; no need to be the Dali Lama.
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P.S. When we’ve drifted below the line, we’re in fight or flight mode. Check out my 12 minute video explainer for a deeper dive on how to disarm when the scene feels hot. And, if you want to hear from three leaders who are committed to growing their emotional intelligence (they truly walk the walk), you can hear our conversation from December here.
P.P.S. I’ve morphed concepts from 15 Commitments book with the great work of Daniel Goleman, Chris Argyris , Donald Shon and Peter Senge for this blog. All these resources are great and worth digging into deeper.