Members of ancient (and perhaps not-so-ancient) tribes attempted to appease the gods by sacrificing. . . .well, each other. "What a barbaric practice" think we.
And yet. . .and yet.
How many times have you seen teams fail, then proceed to pin the blame on one individual? Oops - that one get tied to a stake anchored in a fiery pit! How many times have you witnessed an individual not live up to promise, only to point the finger at one of his or her team members? Oh boy, that one was tossed into the volcano! If you still aren't convinced look at the way that corporations try to appease Wall Street. Bad performance? Hold one individual up for ridicule and then deprive that individual of their professional life.
Barbaric? Yes. Does it solve the problem? No.
A wise individual told me this, "You cannot change what you do not own.". Ownership translates into responsibility. When we pass the blame, we are abdicating responsibility - and hence have no ownership or determination in our own work lives.
Not having ownership in our own work life robs us of the feeling of accomplishment. When we don't have responsibility for what we do - we are not, and in fact cannot be, trusted by others.
If we insist on making human sacrifices by blaming others, we are walking away from our own profession. I think most leaders will agree on this; they would much rather have a team member who takes ownership and responsibility than one who tries to appease the powers that be by blaming others.
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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.
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