In our last +1, we chatted about my recent chat with an incredible football coach and HIS chat with another incredible football coach.
Today I want to continue exploring some wisdom from Urban Meyer’s great book Above the Line.
I want to talk about something Coach Meyer calls “BCD.”
He tells us: “It isn’t hard to find people who are caught in Below the Line behavior. All you need to do is look for those whose first reaction is to blame (others), complain (about circumstances), and defend (yourself), or BCD. At Ohio State, BCD is the worst thing you can do, outside of lying or disrespecting a woman. It is much worse than fumbling or throwing an interception. When there is a lot of BCD going on, it means people are not owning their mistakes, [and] not being accountable.”
He tells us: “My advice to leaders: ruthlessly eliminate BCD. Instead of accountability, BCD creates a culture of excuse making and victimization—things that are toxic for your organization and performance. It has never solved a problem, achieved a goal, or improved a relationship. Stop wasting your time and energy on something that will never help you.”
BCD.
↑ That might just be my favorite new acronym.
Do YOU ever BLAME or COMPLAIN or DEFEND?
Me, too.
Do YOU want to move from Victim to Creator to HERO and do what you’re here to do?
Me, too.
Of course we do, we’re striving to be HEROIC.
Well…
If we’re SERIOUS about our commitment to showing up as the best, most Heroic versions of ourselves so we can help create a world in which 51% of humanity is flourishing by 2051, then we need to notice all the times we fall into BCD and, instead, live Above the Line as we take EXTREME OWNERSHIP.
No more Blaming.
No more Complaining.
No more Defending.
Period.
When shall we practice our philosophy and eliminate the BCD?
As always…
TODAY’s the Day, Hero.
All in.
LET’S GO!
P.S. After reading the book and creating the Philosopher’s Note, I learned that Coach Meyer has gone through some personal challenges in which he failed to practice his philosophy of living Above the Line.
To which I say: PERFECT. There are no perfect humans.
You and I and Coach Meyer won’t be the first to fall short of our standards. Here’s to doing our best as we all humbly yet Heroically strive to learn from our inevitable shortcomings!
Unlock this Heroic +1 (and over 1,000 more)!
Create your account to get more wisdom in less time. Personal development made simple so you can flourish in energy, work, and love. Today.
