The Wisdom of Oz

What if you discovered that the ability to change your life—your career, your relationships, your happiness—was already within you? In The Wisdom of Oz, Roger Connors and Tom Smith argue that every step toward success begins with one essential principle: personal accountability. The authors, known for their best-selling book The Oz Principle, translate the timeless lessons from The Wizard of Oz into real-world strategies for living Above The Line—where you stop blaming others and start taking ownership of your results.

Connors and Smith contend that there are no wizards behind the curtain waiting to fix your problems. The power to change doesn’t come from outside—from bosses, fate, governments, or luck—it comes from within. Through stories of everyday people, historical figures, and pop-culture icons, the authors reveal that when we rise Above The Line, exercise accountability, and ask the right questions, we transform confusion into clarity and pain into progress.

Above the Line and Below the Line

At the heart of the book is a simple image: a line separating two worlds. Above The Line thinking represents responsibility, ownership, and problem-solving; Below The Line symbolizes victimhood, blame, and avoidance. When you are Below The Line, you’re stuck in excuses—the escalator’s stopped, and you’re waiting for someone else to fix it. Above The Line, you walk up that escalator yourself.

The authors define accountability as “a personal choice to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving desired results.” It’s a proactive rather than reactive stance—a mindset shift from “Who’s to blame?” to “What can I do?”

The Journey Through Oz: Four Steps to Accountability

Drawing from the movie’s characters, the authors develop their four-step model of accountability: See It, Own It, Solve It, Do It. Each step represents a new level of ownership and self-awareness:

• See It: the courage to face your reality, remove blind spots, and recognize what’s actually happening (the Cowardly Lion’s step).
• Own It: finding the heart to take responsibility for your situation rather than blaming others (the Tin Man’s step).
• Solve It: the wisdom to create and execute solutions instead of waiting for magic fixes (the Scarecrow’s step).
• Do It: having the persistence and discipline to act on those solutions until results are achieved (Dorothy’s step).

Each chapter uses modern stories—from Mali’s mayor Yeah Samake defying a coup, to a fisherman surviving twelve hours at sea—to show how people practice these steps when confronted with adversity. The message: accountability is not about guilt or punishment but about empowerment.

Why Accountability Matters Today

Connors and Smith argue that a lack of accountability fuels modern dissatisfaction. Despite technological abundance and endless self-help programs, studies show more people feel powerless or unhappy than previous generations. Accountability fills that gap—it transforms frustration into agency. The authors back this with Gallup data revealing that 70% of Americans are disengaged at work, performing only at a fraction of their potential because they see their job as something happening to them rather than something they can shape.

The Real Magic Lies Within

In the final chapter, modeled after Dorothy’s revelation from Glinda the Good Witch, the authors remind readers: “You’ve always had the power.” Just as Dorothy’s ruby slippers were always her way home, you already possess the tools to change your circumstances—it’s a matter of using them. Walt Disney, for example, was fired for having “no imagination,” yet went on to build one of history’s most creative enterprises. His story mirrors the authors’ message: external obstacles cannot define you once you embrace internal ownership.

Ultimately, The Wisdom of Oz is both motivational and practical. It’s a wake-up call to stop waiting for wizards—bosses, governments, even luck—and realize that your choices shape your path. This mindset doesn’t just fix problems; it unleashes joy, confidence, and energy. Life, the authors suggest, is always better Above The Line.

Have you ever found yourself trapped in an endless loop of excuses, frustration, and blame? That’s what the authors call living Below The Line—the place where victims dwell. In Chapter 3, “Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!,” Connors and Smith reveal how the victim cycle quietly sabotages progress and how you can break free from it.

The Six Stages of Victim Thinking

The authors identify six recurring patterns in the victim mindset, each one a way to avoid responsibility:

• Ignore or Deny: Pretending problems don’t exist—like the ostrich with its head in the sand—hoping issues will fix themselves.
• It’s Not My Job: Refusing to own a mess because it’s someone else’s responsibility, as illustrated by a restaurant worker leaving spilled food on the floor.
• Finger-Pointing: Shifting blame onto others or fate. The authors tell of “Bradley,” who blames his depression on heredity and never takes responsibility for his choices.
• Confusion/Tell Me What to Do: Using confusion as a shield (“I didn’t know how”) to avoid initiative.
• Cover Your Tail: Engaging in excuse-making to preserve one’s image.
• Wait and See: Postponing action under the illusion that someone or something else will rescue you.

The Payoff of Playing the Victim

There’s a deceptive comfort in victimhood—it earns sympathy and deflects guilt. The authors share Kevin’s story, an eighteen-year-old who falsely identified as autistic because doing so gained him compassion and excuses for underachievement. When confronted, Kevin admitted he didn’t want autism but liked the safety of the label. Giving up victimhood means surrendering the sympathy you get from it.

OZ Principle: “Nothing much good happens Below The Line.”

Breaking Free: The Steps to Accountability

Moving Above The Line requires awareness. The first step is recognizing your narratives—the stories you tell yourself about why you can’t succeed. Replace them with questions like, “What can I do to influence this situation?” This reframing turns paralysis into possibility.

(Like Byron Katie’s “The Work,” which teaches questioning painful thoughts, Connors and Smith show that reframing beliefs shifts emotional and behavioral power back to you.)

Ultimately, the difference between being a victim and being victorious is one decision: stop saying “if only” and start saying “I will.” Accountability doesn’t remove adversity—it removes its control over you.

In Chapter 4, “The Cowardly Lion: Mustering the Courage to See It,” the authors explain that seeing reality as it truly is takes enormous courage—especially when that reality challenges your ego or comfort zone. To See It is to open your eyes to the whole picture, acknowledging both what’s working and what isn’t.

Why Seeing Truth Is Hard

Connors and Smith point to the human tendency toward selective perception—we see what confirms our beliefs and ignore what contradicts them. That’s why most of us, like the Cowardly Lion, cling to comfortable illusions. The authors reference the story of Luis Alvarez, a businessman who ‘didn’t see’ his family falling apart until they left him. Only when he looked honestly at himself—acknowledging his workaholism—did he step Above The Line.

Overcoming Blind Spots

The authors describe blind spots as the unseen corners of your life: habits, assumptions, or beliefs that distort how you perceive reality. Feedback is the antidote. Asking for genuine input from others gives you new lenses. For instance, Jessie, a thirteen-year-old soccer player, improved instantly when she asked her coach why she was always benched. The blunt answer—“because you aren’t as good”—shocked her into awareness and led her to outperform her peers.

OZ Principle: “Accountable people seek feedback.”

Questions That Reveal Reality

To See It, ask: “What is the reality I most need to acknowledge?” The authors suggest complementing it with: “What am I pretending not to know?” and “Who can give me feedback I don’t want to hear?” These self-audits prevent self-delusion and build clearer thinking.

Aron Ralston—who amputated his own arm to escape being trapped by a boulder—embodies this principle. He ignored risk warnings and blind spots before the accident but survived only after confronting the hard reality: no one was coming. Once he saw his truth, he acted decisively and saved his life.

Seeing your situation fully may be uncomfortable, but it’s empowering. Like adjusting to new glasses, everything sharpens—painful at first, but essential if you truly want progress over comfort.

Chapter 5, “The Tin Man: Finding the Heart to Own It,” teaches that true accountability stems from emotional investment—the heart to care enough to take ownership. The Tin Man’s lament that he lacks a heart serves as a metaphor for people who feel powerless or detached from results. Owning it, the authors argue, means saying, “The buck stops here.”

From Renter to Owner

Connors and Smith compare two mindsets: renters and owners. Renters have limited concern for outcomes—they can walk away when things go wrong. Owners, by contrast, invest energy, pride, and personal responsibility. On a trip to Hawaii, the authors noticed tourists driving recklessly over lava beds and realized, “Those cars had to be rentals.” Their takeaway: ownership changes care into commitment.

The Power of Being All In

Ownership often means going the “extra mile,” a place Jeff Haden calls “a vast, unpopulated wasteland” precisely because few go there. But that’s also where opportunity lives. When you Own It, you’re fully engaged—like Marines who run twice as far when real grenades replace dummy ones. The difference between practice and urgency mirrors the difference between renting and owning your goals.

The Self-Question That Changes Everything

The book’s central ownership question is: “How am I contributing to the problem and/or solution?” The answer reframes blame into action. One father, feeling overwhelmed by work and family obligations, made two lists: what he could control and what he couldn’t. By focusing only on what he could influence, he turned anxiety into progress—a simple act of ownership that changed his emotional life.

OZ Principle: “If you are not part of the problem, you can’t be part of the solution.”

The story of Doina Oncel, a single mother who rebuilt her life from a shelter to business success, shows what it means to find the heart to Own It. When her daughter called her “the best mommy ever,” Doina rose to become the person her child already believed she was. That’s ownership embodied: transforming guilt into growth, and excuses into empowerment.

“The Scarecrow: Obtaining the Wisdom to Solve It” teaches that wisdom isn’t just knowing what to do—it’s doing something constructive when the solution isn’t obvious. The authors emphasize creative persistence, the ability to keep asking, “What else can I do?” until new options appear.

Thinking as If Your Life Depended on It

Solve It thinking demands urgency and imagination. John Aldridge, a fisherman who fell overboard, survived by turning his boots into flotation devices—a vivid metaphor for innovation under pressure. Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for twenty-seven years, emerged to lead South Africa because he never gave up solving for freedom, demonstrating that creativity coupled with endurance transforms impossible odds.

Move the Dirt to Find the Gold

Drawing from the Discovery Channel’s Gold Rush, the authors liken persistence to mining: to find gold, you must move tons of dirt. Solutions rarely emerge instantly; they come from action and iteration. Heather Dorniden’s story reinforces this truth—after tripping midrace, she sprang up, chased the pack, and won. Her instinct to act rather than quit defines the Solve It mentality.

OZ Principle: “Action often produces results, even if you don’t know what you are doing.”

Think Outside the Box

The nine-dot puzzle exercise shows how we confine our thinking with invisible boundaries. The only solution requires drawing lines beyond the box—literally connecting dots differently. Similarly, everyday problem-solving improves when you brainstorm with the right people, test assumptions, and challenge routine perspectives.

Ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they refuse to stop at “I don’t know.” The story of Larry Swilling, who walked miles wearing a sandwich board to find a kidney for his wife, proves that action, even unorthodox action, can yield miracles. As Connors and Smith write, “When you take the Solve It step, think as if your life depended on it. While your life may not be at risk, your happiness often is.”

The final step of accountability, explored in Chapter 7, “Dorothy: Exercising the Means to Do It,” converts thought into movement. Like Dorothy clicking her heels, your success depends on sustained, deliberate action. Trying is not enough—you must Do It.

From Trying to Doing

The authors channel Yoda’s wisdom from Star Wars: “Do or do not. There is no try.” The difference between trying and doing lies in commitment. Dr. Ben Carson illustrates this through his transformation from the “dumbest kid in class” to a world-renowned brain surgeon. His mother forced accountability by removing the TV and making him read. His actions—not his intentions—built his intelligence and career.

Avoiding Circular Progress

Without direction, even productive people walk in circles. Citing studies showing humans naturally drift without landmarks, the authors stress setting clear goals and deadlines—your personal “yellow brick road.” Clarity gives movement purpose; persistence ensures you stay on the path despite obstacles.

Resisting Gravitational Pull

Every dream faces gravity—forces that pull you Below The Line. These include social pressure (like the monkeys who beat others for reaching for bananas) and personal limitations such as health issues. One author recounts enduring cancer and ten surgeries yet choosing to define himself as healthy, not ill. The choice to stay on the field rather than the bench embodies the Do It mindset.

OZ Principle: “Reasons become excuses as soon as you start using them to stop trying.”

To Do It effectively, ask: “What am I accountable to do, and by when?” Break large goals into smaller milestones, commit publicly, and track progress. Dorothy succeeded not because of magic slippers but because she acted, step by step, despite fear and fatigue. The lesson is timeless: success follows action that persists long after the motivation fades.

In life, as in Oz, no wizard can make it happen. But when you choose to Do It—with clarity, consistency, and courage—you tap into a source of power far greater than circumstance: your own accountability in motion.

In the book’s concluding section, “You’ve Always Had the Power,” Connors and Smith celebrate the ultimate insight: you already possess what you need to change your life. Living Above The Line means maintaining an accountable attitude in all areas—work, family, health, and emotion—and helping others rise with you.

The Choice That Changes Everything

The authors use the story of Alexander the Great burning his ships to symbolize total commitment. You can’t simultaneously live Above and Below The Line; you must choose one. This decision leads to empowerment: you see solutions where others see dead-ends, confidence instead of confusion. Accountability is contagious—when practiced consistently, it attracts trust, respect, and promotion.

The Benefits of the Accountable Life

According to Connors and Smith, Above The Line people are happier, healthier, and more successful because they act—not react. They experience clarity instead of stress, stronger relationships, and greater creativity. These benefits extend beyond self-interest: accountable individuals lift entire teams, communities, and workplaces.

Living Above The Line also includes knowing your limits. The authors warn against over-accountability—taking responsibility for what truly lies beyond your control, like your genes or others’ choices. Balance is key: focus on what you can influence and release what you can’t.

“Lift Where You Stand”

One memorable metaphor closes the book: men moving a piano realized success came only when they all “lifted where they stood.” The same applies to helping others Above The Line. By asking guiding questions—“What’s the reality?” “How might you contribute to the problem?” “What could you do differently?”—you empower others without rescuing them. True accountability multiplies when shared.

OZ Principle: “Lift others Above The Line.”

As Connors and Smith say, “The world is better Above The Line.” It’s not about perfection—it’s about consistent awareness and choice. When you own your influence, solve problems creatively, and act with purpose, you become your own wizard: the creator of results, meaning, and joy.