Above the Line: Living and Leading with Heart

by Stephen Klemich, Marie Klemich (Contributor), David Linski (Narrator)

A leadership consultant and neuropsychologist identify the universal habits of the heart and mind—the keys to eliminating behavior patterns that hold us back, unlocking our true potential, and creating our best selves.

Why is it so hard for leaders to coach employees who are struggling? Why do we repeat the mistakes and negative behaviors?

Common wisdom says you always have a choice in how you react or respond. But, as corporate consultant Stephen Klemich and clinical psychologist Mara Klemich contend, until you recognize why you make choices, and how the heart and the brain work together to shape your behavior, you can’t change long-ingrained ways and discover your best self.

The Klemichs have developed a model, backed by extensive research and data and paired with character-led personal development, to help you answer the why and eliminate behavior that is “below the line.”

In Above the Line, they argue that that the quality of your life flows from the attitudes of your heart. Wise, compassionate, and practical Above the Line explores the deep, fundamental drivers of human behavior that exist within your heart—the seat of your character. It reveals that all of these behaviors can be explained by four heart-based principles—humility, love, pride, and fear—which influence every facet of our life, for better or worse.

We are all designed for greatness, but so often our best self is pitted against our worst. The pressures of life are pulling our character below the line while our authentic self is drawing us to live above the line. When you fully understand that these four principles are at the root of your behavior, you can begin the journey to become your best self and navigate life more effectively and successfully. Filled with proven strategies, Above the Line will create lasting behavior change and improve your life personally and professionally so you can make a positive impact on the world around you.

Genres: Leadership, Self Help, Nonfiction

Audible Audio

First published January 7, 2020

Reviews

[Madam Hexe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this audiobook as part of my WSJ+ subscription. It was a little woo-woo for my personal preferences, but I think the underlying message was important. When we allow fear and ego to control our reactions and guide our behaviors, we do not thrive in our personal or professional lives. When we use courage and love, we become more interconnected and exponentially more successful and happy.

[Chooi Peng · Rating 4 out of 5]

《变好的方法》 Above the line
人生有一根线，线上是谦逊和爱，线下是恐惧和骄傲
基于勇敢的谦逊：专注于个人成长
成长启动的爱：专注于他人成长
自我驱动的骄傲： 专注于nv自我抬高
自限性的恐惧： 专注于自我保护

我们的行为= 思维+ 情景， 诱因、模板、真理形成了我们的思维习惯。

在生命之河的河湾处找到你的黄金

六把锤炼性格的钥匙：
- 勇敢地面对自己：做一些没人知道的善事
- 勇于尝试新事物： 尝试一些过去没有尝试过的活动， 为生活带变化
- 勇敢面对他人： 在别人效率低下时，尊重对方，积极地看待他人
- 学会宽恕：let it go, 放手吧
- 学会感恩： 100天，每天感恩三件事
- 练习冥想和祈祷： 使我们的性格逐渐发生改变

SBTB（Stop, Breathe, Think, Behave），
即停止、呼吸、思考、行动。

知止而后能定（知止而后有定，定而后能静，静而后能安，安而后能虑，虑而后能得。——《大学》）

线上行为风格
- 知道“我是谁”： 真诚可信和乐于改变 （学会说真话很重要，做人要努力地去追求光明磊落、堂堂正正）
- 知道自己要去哪里： 学会如何值得信赖和追求成就 （知道去哪里就是人生需要有方向感，我们需要有爱好，需要有意义）
- 与他人建立友谊： 人际交往和鼓励他人 （跟他人交往的目的，是我们相互尊重、相互欣赏，或者我们相互之间有一种默契，我们关怀对方。学会与他人建立真正的友谊。
- 助人成长和同情他人： 我们在助人成长的过程中，怎样能跟他人保持良好的关系

笔记来自樊登讲书

[Tejasvi R.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humility, love, pride & fear- these are the four values the book revolves around. It talked about the psychology of people and how they tend to react in certain situations. Emphasis on:

Situation + Thinking = Behavior

From a readers point of view, I felt like it was really similar to other self-help books and that the content could have been summarised.

However, the unique aspects that stood out to me was the wordplay like "care-frontation" and the derivations of the words like intimacy, compassion and motivation. The Heartstyles Indicator was also an interesting tool to use.

[Elfreda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bringing neuroscience to the people in such away that it can touch everyone's lives for the better.

The book describes human behaviour. It allows humans to become aware of effective and ineffective behavior. It facilitates personal development to the benefit of the individual and the human race. Life changing.

[Doug Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the authors’ approach to the subject. Some of the concepts are straight-forward, like “Above the Line”, “Below the line” and “Moment of Truth”; and easy to grasp. However, there’s a lot of content to consume like “the 8 behaviors”, etc. that are hard to follow/remember in the audio format. I’d suggest reading this book versus listening to it, especially for a first-time read.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the audiobook version and the Australian narrator. The case stories worked really well for me in the audiobook format.

A little too many acronyms but head & heart is a great method that connects with servant leadership.

S+T=B is of primary importance and I have tried to internalize this, the others follow.

I also downloaded the study guide, this is a must.

[David Keane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have read in a long while. Stephen & Mara manage to explain in clear and easy-to-read ways how our behaviours affect so much of the reality around us.

If you want to really understand yourself, and to improve your reality, this is a must-read!

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free WSJ+ book

Some interesting moments but nothing that stuck with me.