The Leadership Mindset Shift that Changes Everything.
Hey fellow Edge Walker,
I love the way you show up to keep sharpening your Leadership sword!
I want to share a story that changed everything for me, and maybe it will resonate with you too.
There was a time I found myself drowning. Working endless hours, stretched impossibly thin, with an ever mounting list of problems that seemed to multiply faster than I could solve them. I was constantly firefighting, always feeling like I could never get everything done, and the weight of it all was crushing.
What I didn’t realise at the time was that my overwhelm wasn’t just affecting me, it was projecting onto my entire team. My stress, my reactivity, my focus on what wasn’t working was creating a ripple effect of anxiety and negativity throughout our workplace.
It wasn’t until I started working with a Leadership Coach that everything shifted. He challenged me to stretch my thinking and broaden my perspective. Through our sessions, I realised I was stuck below the line, trapped in the details, fixated on problems, and operating from a place of scarcity and fear.
The breakthrough came when I learned to reset my thinking and look at the bigger picture. Instead of drowning in the problems, I started focusing on possibilities and solutions. Instead of reacting to every crisis, I began responding thoughtfully. Instead of carrying the weight of everything myself, I started collaborating and empowering others.
This is what above and below the line thinking is really about. When we’re below the line, we get caught in our heads, blaming, reacting, focusing on what’s out of our control. When we’re above the line, we lead from the heart, taking ownership, staying curious, and focusing on what we can influence for the greater good.
The most powerful realisation?
Our mindset doesn’t just affect us, it shapes the experience of everyone around us. When we model above the line thinking, we give our teams permission to do the same.
Liz
PS Every moment you choose Above the Line thinking, you not only elevate your own leadership, you inspire those around you to do the same. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to self-reflection and growth!
🌱 Team Exercise
Team Mindset Review
Duration: 30mins
Materials: The Leadership Edge Mindset Guide
Steps: 1. Display the Above and below the Line Image (pink page) for your team
2. Ask them to recall examples they have seen or experienced of Below the Line behaviours in their past
3. Share two areas you will be focussing on improving for yourself and ask your team to support you.
4. Ask the team to identify an area they would like to focus on improving and how they would like fellow team members to support them.
⚡️ Weekly Challenge
Emotional Flexibility Self Reflection
This week, try this:
Reflect on The Leadership Edge Mindset Guide and honestly evaluate where you currently operate
Share the above vs. below the line concept with your team using real examples
Ask yourself daily: “Am I responding thoughtfully, or reacting emotionally?”
When you catch yourself slipping below the line, pause and ask: “What can I focus on that’s within my influence?”
🔨 Leadership Tool
The Leadership Edge Mindset Guide
This powerful reflection tool is designed to inspire deep self reflection and help people identify examples of where their own behaviour may sometimes slip Below the Line, and identifies what the alternative mindset is. When we focus on the alternate Above the Line mindset we see our results and impact change immediately.
It is human nature that we all have times where we let ourselves slip below the line. The key is to notice this and make adjustments.
Rather than judging ourselves or others for Below the Line behaviour, simply notice it “oh that's fascinating", and then identify how things can shift for more desirable results.
When using this tool with your team, remember to keep the activity light hearted and fun, perhaps using some epic fails of well known people, rather than jumping into a blame and shame exercise.
🤔 Inspiration
“Self-aware leaders don’t just manage their actions, they check in on their impact.”
Liz Murray
Responses