The Blame Game

I was somewhat taken by surprise the other day to read some correspondence from a CEO who began complaining about his company’s performance by pointing the finger at his suppliers and shareholders.

As Marilyn Paul points out in a recent article:

Where there is blame, there is no learning. Where there is blame, open minds close, inquiry tends to cease, and the desire to understand the whole system diminishes. When people work in an atmosphere of blame, they naturally cover up their errors and hide their real concerns. And when energy goes into finger pointing, scapegoating, and denying responsibility, productivity suffers because the organization lacks information about the real state of affairs.

As the great basketball coach John Wooden put it, “You are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes.” 

Accountability and believing in yourself are what it takes to be successful.   Moving forward in this vain you will find success and will encounter like minds who see the value in you.

It is not always easy.   If you don’t keep going to the plate, you will never hit a homerun.