Who is to blame? And does it actually matter?

The definition of blame is to 'feel or declare that (someone or something) is responsible for a fault or wrong'. And the definition of a scapegoat is 'One that is made to bear the blame of others'. The problem with blame game in the workplace is it permits individuals, teams and companies (yes, if it is part of their culture) to be stagnant.

Picture this... A group of four junior eager sales executives have just landed their first pitch after joining the company out of university with a top organisation with 5,000 + head count. They showed great initiative by using their contacts to get their foot in the door. So they go out to meet with the company executives and give it all that they have got and leave feeling like they did a great job. The marketing director get a call from the MD of that company the following day saying that he heard a pitch from some of his sales guys but he wasn't clear on some things and he just doesn't feel the project is worth the investment. The sales director only hears about what he believes is a great blunder.  He lashes out and goes into a rage shouting at the whole sales floor for being incapable of doing basic aspects of their jobs. A manger speaks up in an attempt to defend the junior staff and the manager is hushed by the director before he walks into his office and slams the door.

It is possible that the junior sales men were not experienced enough to handle the pitch. But they did a lot of the leg work and knew the company and had the contacts so they seemed like the most suitable people at the time. Or should their manger have arranged for a more senior staff to follow them as back up in case there were questions that they did not know the answers to? Or was the MD of the company that they pitched to not actually interested but he did not want to say that on the phone?

The truth is no one will ever knows because it was never something that was open for discussion. The director was only interested in venting his anger and blaming others instead of finding out what actually happened at the meeting.

The moral of that story is laying blame is a further waste of time and blame is the easy way out. But it is never the best way.

Instead of you arguing about who was responsible for this or that...look for solutions. If workplaces functioned around finding solutions whenever there were problems instead of 'laying the blame' or 'finding a scapegoat' then they would be a hundred times more efficient. Plus everyone would be happier therefore more effective and proactive.

Of course failure is painful. But perfection only exists in a supernatural form so we can only strive for excellence and total elimination of past failures. If people are willing they will learn from their mistakes and come out the other side sharper.

The key is also to be accountable for your own faults and strive to be a problem solver. If you having this winning attitude you are bound to be known as a go to person in your organisation.