Have you heard of the saying ‘living above the line’? 

There’s a great mindset tool I’ve learned about recently called OARBED and it’s something I find useful to keep in mind when things don’t quite go to plan at work. 

The acronym starts with OAR: Ownership, Accountability and Responsibility. These are the above the line behaviours.

Then below the line you have BED: Blame, Excuse and Denial.

In the office, BED behaviour could look like this: Someone misses a deadline and they blame the internet going down, make an excuse about not having the necessary information, or deny the project was their responsibility in the first place.

These behaviours can result in a culture of fear, covering up, lack of learning all of which can hurt team performance and morale.

On the other hand, taking ownership, accountability and responsibility promotes a culture of learning and improvement. Solutions are found faster, individuals feel more supported and are more likely to learn from their mistakes.

Thinking and below the line and acting below the line are not the same. It’s human nature to dip below the line in our minds, but it’s how we act that matters.

Contact us for a copy of our OARBED resource to further understand how you can implement this in your business.