Is your team Stuck in Negativity?

July 28, 2025

Summary

In this episode of Leading from the Edge, host Liz Murray, a Leadership and Executive Coach, explores the transformative power of "above the line" thinking for leaders. She demonstrates how shifting from blame to accountability can break negative cycles, foster team growth, and create a thriving workplace culture where everyone operates from their best self.

Key Points

Own Your Role: Move from blame to accountability by asking "How did I contribute to this situation?" instead of pointing fingers at team members
Foster Solution-Focused Conversations: Replace "who's to blame" with "how can we fix this together" to encourage honest dialogue and curiosity
Model Emotional Resilience: Stay calm under pressure, see challenges as learning opportunities, and celebrate what you learn from failures
Lead from Your Heart Space: Above the line leaders operate from a place of service, focusing on inspiring their team rather than protecting their ego
Create Psychological Safety: When leaders operate above the line, team members feel safe to share concerns, admit mistakes, and bring innovative ideas

⏰ Timecodes ⏰

0:00 Introduction: Breaking the Cycle of Blame and Negativity

0:45 What is Above the Line Thinking?

1:30 Own Your Role: From Blame to Accountability

2:15 Foster Open Solution-Focused Conversations

3:00 Model Emotional Resilience and Growth

4:00 Below the Line Leadership: The Headspace Trap

5:30 Impact of Below the Line Leadership on Teams

6:45 Above the Line Leadership: Operating from Heart Space

8:00 Benefits of Heart-Centered Leadership

9:15 Leading as Your Best Self 10:30 Call to Action and Resources

11:15 Closing and Next Steps

Resources Mentioned

Downloadable PDF The Leadership Edge Mindset for team discussions on above and below the line behaviors
Liz Murray's Beyond Boundaries Blog for deeper leadership insights
Be Exceptional online course

What to do next

Download the PDF The Leadership Edge mindset in the episode and use it as a discussion tool with your team to explore what above and below the line behaviors look like in your workplace. Start implementing one small shift toward above the line leadership today.

This video/podcast is for you if you're interested in: Leadership development, team management, accountability culture, emotional intelligence, workplace psychology, executive coaching, team transformation

Work with Liz Murray

Be Exceptional Online Course

Transform your leadership approach with Liz's comprehensive online course designed to help you feel less overwhelmed and find more confidence and certainty in your role. Learn practical strategies to lead from above the line consistently.

1:1 Executive Coaching

Get personalised coaching tailored to your specific situation and individual needs. Work directly with Liz to develop your above the line leadership skills and create lasting change in your leadership style.

Team Workshops

Realign your team with your mission and vision through interactive workshops that help team members support one another to achieve their KPIs while fostering a culture of accountability and growth.

Connect with Liz Murray

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eopossibilities/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edgeofpossibilities

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizmurrayedgeofpossibilities/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/eopossibilities

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.edgeofpossibilities.com.au/

Episode Transcript

do you ever feel like your team
stuck in a loop of blame and negativity
as a leader
it's easy to get caught up pointing fingers or defending mistakes
but what if you could shift your mindset
and your teams to break that cycle for good
today I'll show you how above the line thinking can help you
lead with accountability
foster growth and create a culture where everyone thrives
so first of all own your own role and go from blame to accountability
what is above the line thinking
well it means taking responsibility for your own actions and outcomes
instead of blaming other people
for the circumstances you find yourself in
for example instead of saying my team missed the deadline
you might say what could I have done to support my team better
so a great tip for next time something goes wrong
ask yourself how did I contribute to this situation
and what can I do differently to empower my team
foster open solution
focused conversations with your team
leaders who operate above the line
encourage honest dialogue and curiosity
and a focus on solutions rather than on problems
for example when someone makes a mistake
replace who's to blame with how can we fix this together
a tip is to use phrases like
can we explore this more so I understand it better
to open up communication and shift the team's mindset
when we're shifting the way that we're responding to a situation
by being open to understand what was going on
rather than criticising and blaming our team
then know that it's safe to raise concerns
and let us know when they've made a mistake
model emotional resilience and growth
above the line leaders manage their own emotional responses
stay calm under pressure
and see challenges as opportunities for learning
for example if a project fails
celebrate what you learnt instead of criticising the team
this builds trust and innovation
a great tip when you're feeling defensive or a bit negative
just pause and reframe what's the opportunity here for growth
for me and for my team our best self is the best leader
when we get stuck leading from below the line
we end up in a cycle of blame and negativity
not taking responsibility for our own behaviour
and in fact when we're below the line
we get stuck in our head in our head overthinking things
over analyzing things worrying about our ego
and how to protect our ego
by being defensive and covering things for ourselves
as a leader if we're stuck below the line in our headspace
it impacts everybody around us in our workplace
because the energy we're putting out to the workplace
really has a negative impact on everyone
when a leader is operating from below the line in that headspace
there is no opportunity for collaboration
there's no opportunity for people to be innovative
because there's a great fear among your team members of what they're
allowed to do and what they can do
and often when you're below the line as a leader
you're also taking the credibility
the credit for everything that's going well
and you are not acknowledging your team members
so your team members don't feel safe sharing anything with you
in case you bite their head off
or you get angry with them about what's going on
as a leader when we're operating from above the line
we are operating from our heart space
and in that space
we're thinking about the way that we serve other people
and who we need to be
that we will get the best out of our team members
so leaders who operate above the line
in that heart space
are really focused on how they can inspire their team members
to be their best and bring their best
so when we're operating above the line
we're coming from a really healthy ego place
and in a healthy ego we're really focused on what other people need
so that they can do the best and be their best
when our teams operating really effectively
when we're in our heart space and inspiring them
we are asking better quality questions
we're not afraid to ask questions
to understand what's going on from their perspective
we're not afraid to admit that we don't know everything
and we're open to their ideas
and the innovation that they'd like to bring to the team
we're not putting pressure on ourselves
to have all the answers and to know everything
so I encourage you to have a
think about whether there's some areas of your leadership
where you need to move out of your headspace and into your heartspace
to be more effective in your leadership
and spend more of your time above the line
at the end of the day above the line
leadership just means that we are leading as our best self
and when we are operating as our best self
we don't feel exhausted at the end of the day
because everything we do and every decision we make
every way we respond to a situation is coming from the right place
it's coming from our heart space
it's coming from a place where people feel supported around us as well
and there's no exhaustion
because everything we're doing
is in perfect alignment with our own values
and how we wanna show up in the world
so being an above the line leader
really does make a difference to our energy
and how much we love what we're doing
and how much we love inspiring our team
when we're working in that space
everybody benefits our bottom line benefits
because our team are working harder and coming up with great ideas
they're collaborating with each other
and everybody is working together
rowing the boat in the same direction
remember that
breaking the cycle of blame and negativity starts with you
so lead above the line
take ownership and watch your team's mindset transform
if you're ready to build a culture of growth and accountability
start with one small shift today
if you want more on building resilient teams
stick around for my next episode
and see how I can help you transform
the way that you work with your team
use my downloadable PDF chart with your team as a point of discussion
to walk through some ideas
with them on what above and below the line
behaviour might look like in the workplace
and if you would like to go deeper with me
check out my blog and my online course
I'd love you to follow and share with me what you've been learning
until next episode, I'm Liz Murray

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