Living above the line - how winners behave

There are three winning behaviours and three responses that will sink your team.

Are you living above the line?  If not, you need to get there, as it is the easiest way to transform workplace culture and team performance. 

Here is how, using the OARBED behaviour model:

The acronym starts with OAR - when behaving above the line, one takes: O wnership. A ccountability. R esponsibility.

Below the line, BED, is defined as: B lame. E xcuse. D eny. No matter what, reacting in these ways is below the line.

Consider the likely reaction of a naughty child in the act.  If five-year-old Bobby is caught pulling his sister's hair, he may resort to BED behaviour:

Blame: 'She made me do it.'   Excuse: 'She pushed me first.'  Deny: 'I didn't even touch her.'

Adults don't typically pull hair, but BED behaviour could look like this in your office:  Someone misses a deadline... and they blame an internet dropout; make an excuse about not having the necessary information; or deny the project was their responsibility in the first place.  This behaviour alienates oneself, while hurting team performance and morale.

On the other hand, paddling with our OAR means, regardless of our initial thinking, we must take ownership, accountability and responsibility.   When we live above the line a resolution is found faster, individuals feel more supported and we are more likely to learn from our mistakes.

OARBED has no hierarchy.  Would your team be comfortable calling you, or anyone else, out on below the line behaviour?

Remember, thinking below and acting below are not the same.  It is human nature to dip below the line in our minds, but it is how we act that matters.  Staying in BED is easy, but paddling with your OAR is much more effective and in time the whole team will be paddling in sync.

"The best apology is changed behaviour." - Anon.

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