The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability

As a good leader, Glinda in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz intervened at the right time to help propel Dorothy and her friends to success. Good leaders dip Below The Line from time to time, but they don’t stay there for long. Leaders are increasingly required to demonstrate ethical concern for those around them. In this chapter, the authors show readers how to get others Above The Line.

Rupert Murdoch is an extremely successful media tycoon. Though he is sometimes viewed as unorthodox, in fact he has learned how to avoid victim stories and become adept at using the right strategy at the right time. When a conservative approach is called for, he is conservative, and when opportunities to take risks present themselves, he takes risks. Above The Line leaders are good at identifying why others aren’t achieving results.

Accountability can be taken to an extreme, such as blaming people for illness and their own accidental death. The authors advocate for recognizing that there are factors that are out of our control, but we can take control through our response.

Leaders can worry too much about things that are beyond their control.