How NOT to Blame
By Clayton Fujimura - eGuide Senior Systems Analyst
Blame is everywhere, not just in the workplace but in our society at large. Start looking for it, and you’ll find finger pointing everywhere you go. If you want to have a successful company culture, you need to proactively address blame at your organization. In order to do this, you need to first identify and acknowledge the blame that is being thrown around. Then, you need to create cultural norms and expectations to prevent blame from festering.
3 Types of Blame
Blaming our teammates
“I would, but [Manager] said we aren’t supposed to do it that way.”
“I can’t do this on time because [teammate] isn’t doing what they are supposed to be doing.”
“I know you assigned me this, but no one has trained me to do that.”
“I’m doing everything I can, but this organization is too dysfunctional for me to get my work done.”
Let’s start by acknowledging that all of these sentiments are valid. It’s normal in any organization to be caught between differing opinions from leadership. It IS often the case that our deliverables are dependent on someone else’s deliverables. It’s fair to want proper training on anything you are responsible for. Many organizations ARE dysfunctional, and that makes it difficult to get things done.
HOWEVER.
All of these sentences are forms of blame. They are all different versions of: It’s not my fault, it’s the fault of someone else on my team.
Blaming the partners (clients)
“I can’t proceed because I still have not heard back from [Client]..”
“[Client] never knows what they want, so I can’t help them.”
“[Client] is an [expletive]. It’s no wonder this project is behind schedule. No one wants to work with them, not even their own teammates.”
Again, all valid concerns about the partner relationship. However, once again, all of these place the onus on the partner to ensure that the project goes the way it should.
Blaming the tools
“[Project management system] is impossible to work with. I get WAY too many notifications, so I just ignore them.”
“[Community Management Platform] is clunky and ugly. There’s no way anyone is going to use it.”
“My company laptop is old and slow. That’s why I haven’t been finishing my work on time.”
There IS a time and place to question the tools we are using. Is this that time? Or are you just unwilling to work with the tools that you have at your disposal?
The Solutions
1. Look to yourself first.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a coaching session with a business owner who blames staff members for the problems in their organization. If you want your staff to take a solutions oriented approach, you MUST start with yourself. Where are YOU casting blame and shirking responsibility? Successful leaders always see the potential in their organization first, and ask “What can I be doing to improve the situation? What am I missing here?”
2. Create a solutions-oriented expectation.
New rule. If a staff member has a complaint, they can only voice it if they have already put critical thought into what the solution can be. Here are some examples of how the sentences above will look when you take the blame out of them.
“I’m not getting a clear answer from management on this one. Here’s what is clear to me: [Insert here]. Here are the steps I need clarity on. Can you answer these questions for me? [Insert specific questions that leadership needs to align on].”
“I’ve researched how to complete this task to the best of my ability. There are still a few gaps in my knowledge. Who can I go to to help with [insert specific skills related directly to the task at hand].”
“I find [client] difficult to work with, and I think their teammates feel the same way. We’ll need to provide more structure than normal for this project. Let’s make sure we’ve made the expectations clear in writing to [client].”
“I'm getting too many notifications from [project management software]. Has anyone been able to find a way to configure their notifications so that they are more usable? I’ll keep up with my notifications to the best of my ability but I want to flag that it’s taking much longer than it should.”
“My company laptop is too slow. Is anyone else having this problem? I’ve tried running a malware removal program but the problem persists. Is there anything I can do to make my laptop function more smoothly? What would the process be for me to get an upgraded laptop?”
“[Project Management Tool] is not effective for our organization. Here’s why: [Clear reasons]. I’ve looked into it, and there is another tool that would fit our organization better. Can we discuss a plan for migrating into a new project management tool?”
3. Empower those solutions:
This is going to be the hardest part for many organization leaders: When a staff member comes to you with a complaint AND a solution, you need to empower them to pursue that solution, even if it is not the solution you would have suggested. It is critical that your staff suggested solutions are pursued, otherwise your staff will stop coming up with solutions and revert to blame. Allow them to take responsibility for the solutions they suggest, execute on those solutions, and track the outcomes.
Conclusion
No one is without blame. Don't wait for blame to become an issue. Find it in your organization and snuff it out while you still can. If you follow these steps, your staff will start to see problems as opportunities for growth. They will come to believe that the fate of the organization is in their hands. They will stop looking for external problems, and start looking within themselves for solutions.
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