The Utter Futility of the Blame Game

I suppose that there is some cathartic benefit to assigning blame.   And that's about as far as it goes.

Some of the most maddening meetings I've been in have been the blame game;   these are conversations that seemingly start out civil enough and then end up in full-on yelling matches between two self-righteous accusatory parties while the rest of us have intense cases of back sweat.

For what purpose?  The blame game solves nothing and in most instances, furthers the obstruction that is making progress nearly impossible.     He said that, she did that, you should have done this, they didn't do this. . .all said without any true sense of ownership or any commitment to a solution is worse than a waste of time; it disallows cooperation for the future.

Yes, there is a definite rationale for finding the cause of that which went wrong and there is an infallible business case for correction of that wrong.   That, my friends, is everyday business.   Despite how good we may think we are - things go wrong - strong teams work collectively to correct those wrongs and find better ways to do things going forward.   This should be accepted as part of what we do every single day.

How then, do we avoid the expense of the blame game?

Don't honor those who engage.    Part of the enticement to participate in the blame game is that it often gives one the spotlight on center stage.    Don't let this happen.   If the blame game starts to show up in a meeting - tell the participants you will meet with them in private. . .later. . .in a place where no one can be permanently damaged by their virus.

Stress facts.    Don't let the organization function on innuendo, or what someone may have said.  Always lay down a foundation of the truth.

Tell your team to have pride in ownership - even if it means they will have to admit they were wrong.    A very wise person once told me "You cannot change what you do not own."   This is so true.   As opposed to pointing fingers, have team members figure what they truly can own and thus, change.

The blame game is one of the reasons people hate work;   cooperating together with a strong sense of camaraderie and accomplishment is one of the reasons people love work.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders"  is available on Amazon Kindle.