[December 14, 2016] Today’s senior leader blog post is inspired by Michael Barone’s article yesterday entitled “Some Free Advice for the Democratic Party.”1 The point of his article is a simple recommendation for the Party; end the alibi game, he writes. This resonated with me and I’ve many times advised leaders never blame the other guy for your own failures (see link here).
“We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers – but never blame yourself. It’s never your fault. But it’s always your fault, because if you wanted to change you’re the one who has got to change.” – Katharine Hepburn
Alas, that is what so many senior leaders do and that is unfortunate because junior leaders are learning from them. And while this advice applies to everyone, as Katharine Hepburn notes, leaders that blame others are particularly insidious. For those who may want to be a leader in the future or want to make immediate improvement in their leadership skills today, you may want to heed this advice.
Philosopher Friedrich Nietzcshe wrote that blaming others is a human virtue and human madness. We begin blaming others for perceived wrongs from the time we are mentally aware as infants; so it is a human way of dealing with life’s unpleasantries. The challenge is, of course, to overcome what comes so naturally. Leaders that refuse to accept the alibi game or point to others as the cause of our failures, are those same leaders that do so very well.
Ever notice your immediate boss who you liked so well; he or she never blamed you for the team’s failures. The greatest bosses are the ones who praise loudly and never blame. A work atmosphere that allows employees to develop quickly are those where blame is never given and offense never taken. This is where the greatest creativity and innovativeness grows.
New leaders who learn this lesson early will succeed. Those leaders that fail to follow the advice may or may not be successful but those who follow this leader will suffer a thousand cuts. The best free advice is not to blame others for those things in which you have responsibility over … that sets the stage for you to give away your power to change.
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